Canaries? Or Dead Parrots?

Well-founded rumour has it that Charles Clarke is to face a deselection meeting of his Norwich South Constituency Labour Party tomorrow evening. But as of the turn of the year, if any Labour (or Tory) MP retires or is deselected, then the constituency rank and file are given a shortlist chosen centrally. We can all imagine who - or, at any rate, what - would be on such a thing. They should have deselected this unrepentant old Soviet fellow-travelling plotter and thug years ago. Or, at least, last year. Which is to say, less than a fortnight ago. As it is, at this stage in the next electoral cycle, he will probably just retire, and that will be that.