Kenneth Clarke is one of the great survivors of modern politics. He has filled a fistful of the great offices of state including Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord Chancellor. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970. The phrase “downy old bird” could have been coined for him and he has a wide appeal across the parties.Recently, after recording a BBC Radio 4 interview, he said to me: “The two parties are competing to get their vote down. Their style of campaigning is out of kilter with public taste.”It is certainly true that, so far, the general election has failed to catch fire – no comet trails of original thinking, no dazzling political language or arresting analysis to light fires in the electorate’s imagination. One factor, however, has quicken