Newsnight, 19 June 1997

[@KKTR3]

Everybody just looks so young apart from John Major who looks the same

[@leonblittle226]

Well he was made from a rather grey looking clay and his fav food was frozen peas.

[@Mr_Storm_22]

@@leonblittle226 the peas are good tonight dear.

[@monizdm]

I have always liked Ken Clarke. One characterization of him is that he would cross the street to get into a fight. Which usually repels me, but Ken makes it a likeable trait.

[@harmlessdrudge]

Edward Heath said on Hague being elected: "A tragedy for the party. He's got no ideas, no experience and no hope."

[@stevebbuk]

..and who could gainsay..

[@BossySwan]

That’s rich coming from Heath of all people

[@chrish12345]

Heath the pedophile and child murder? That one?

[@3535-j5z]

Twiglet he was prime minister unlike Hague

[@kennyryan625]

As if Heath had any great ideas of his own. He was anodyne and useless.

[@dantory1]

Don't agree with KEN Clarke on the EU but he should have been made Conservative leader.

[@liamb8644]

Blair would of course defeated him in 2001, but the Conservatives would’ve got a much better result than 1 extra seat!

[@dantory1]

I agree. If he had won the Conservatives would probably have got back to a more normal opposition level and would have been in a good enough position for 2005.

[@VincentRE79]

+daniel clarke The Conservatives could have even had Winston Churchill as leader in 2001 I still don't think they would have defeated Blair and added few extra seats. I personally think Ken Clarke would have been a disaster as PM.

[@CameronMcRae09]

William Hague was the right leader but it was the wrong time. If he had waited for another 10 years or so he would have been perfect to lead them back to power, basically taking on the role David Cameron ended up doing. Why someone as young as him decided to become leader at a time when it was clear the Conservatives would be out of power for at least 2 elections is very odd

[@liamb8644]

That’s the beauty of hindsight. I suppose Hague was always going to be just someone to lead until the next election, because it’s not like anyone could shake a 179 seat majority in just four years

[@timcomley3241]

excellent point agree with all.

[@timcomley3241]

@@liamb8644 thats his point

[@chriswatson3464]

Unlikely the first time but the second time was very different.

[@VincentRE79]

@@liamb8644 They probably should have elected Ken Clarke at the time, he would have made a dent in Blair's majority in 2001.

[@jacksugden8190]

Remembered this studio set, it was universal, used for Breakfast Time. That version of the theme was too flat, wrong orchestration. But great presentation throughout.

[@johnking5174]

I think you mean Breakfast News, Breakfast Time ended in 1989. I do not think this is the same set used for Breakfast News in 1997-2000.

[@jcampton1]

It looked very familiar, Also used for Business Breakfast which merged into Breakfast News in 1997-2000 rather than becoming a separate hour-long programme

[@jacksugden8190]

Must have been another set.

[@jamiengo2343]

I actually really like this version of the Newsnight theme, idk it just feels really sort of epic

[@CHUTNEX]

'Don't focus on Europe'-that went well........

[@johnrider5701]

William Hague was bald and was from Yorkshire and that's all you can say about him...

[@MultiVince95]

Thursday 19th June 1997

[@mfk5533]

Ann Widdecombe backed Kenneth Clarke?

[@dlk1dlk1]

Yes she did, because she thought he could beat Blair.

[@alexplumb2020]

Tory wilderness years begin but this probably makes it look like a temporary blip compared to 2024!!!

[@markbailey1970]

Labour had just won in a landslide and the BBC couldn’t stop going on about the Tories

[@ricdavid7476]

there have been some very disturbing storys about ken clarke

[@timcomley3241]

like what?

[@ricdavid7476]

@@timcomley3241 yes hes not a freemason

[@BossySwan]

Clarky Cat

[@tomcolley9008]

Boris making an appearance at 6:54.

[@thomashall4886]

It's John Sargeant I think.

[@cephalopod7300]

Yep, John Sergeant

[@simracer1256]

It's John Sargent you halfwit cretin

[@hinson92]

Hague is drab drab drab and had the charisma of a blank sheet of A4

[@WeAreWafc]

Big mistake to have Ken Clarke anywhere near the Cabinet. He’s not a proper small government conservative.

[@felixw.6879]

Good!

[@MrEurochannel]

Gosh, you mean there were once some elements of the Tory party who believed in the Single Currency? How backward looking things have become now ...

[@tflm9802]

No. The single currency is a complete disaster economically and politically