This comic genius had us all in the audience falling off our seats and rolling around on the floor with mirth with his one-liners about
anti-terrorism legislation such as the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act. Several people had to be hospitalised with split sides as his wonderful sense of irony really kicked in with regard to ID cards, which are due to come in when the Government has spent enough money on them.

While thanking him for his brilliant sense of humour, however, on
reflection a few in the Clown Army felt that some of the subject matter was a little too close to the bone and that topics such as the rights of the citizen should not be taken so lightly by a Home Secretary.

Suspicion of Everyone for terrorist activities is a serious business. We had difficulty laughing with full freedom at his bizarre joke that there is some kind of problem with the media and politicians having differing agendas. Indeed, we did not feel like laughing at all when we thought about the civil rights of those incarcerated indefinitely and without trial in Harmondsworth Detention Centre and Guantanamo Bay.

If Mr Clarke would like lessons in seriousness, we will be running a specially formulated workshop in Taking Serious Crime Seriously for UK government ministers, senior police officers and judges very soon.