Lookalike

Politics, as well we all know, is little these days but showbiz for ugly people. Charles Clarke (pictured) is in politics.

On my walk up to the gym earlier, I noticed a slightly pathetic old bloke on his mobile phone in a doorway on Deansgate, slightly outside the security zone of the Labour Party conference, which seems to be going on forever. He had a passing resemblance to Charles Clarke. He seemed somewhat flustered and irritated, as if his cab to the airport hadn’t turned up.

Upon very slightly closer inspection, I realised that it actually was Charles Clarke. He also had a trolley dolly bag, thus suggesting there was decent chance that he was irritated precisely because his minicab to the airport hadn’t turned up. Meanwhile, a couple of hundred metres away, it was obvious that something big was going on. I later found that Bill Clinton was in town. The media were falling over each other to get pictures. After all, there aren’t enough pictures of Bill Clinton in the world, so getting more today would be a matter demanding immediate attention.

Meanwhile, the man who until recently held the third most powerful job in Britain was huddled in a doorway with nobody except me showing even a passing interest.

That’s showbiz, Charles.