The comments made by him and the way they have been spun and twisted bear no resembalnce.

'Rape is rape' but are we saying that a 17 year old who sleeps with his 15 year old girlfriend (which is rape) should be sharing a cell for 30 years with a man who has hidden down a dark alley and preyed on the next woman whilst armed with a knife?

According to Labour and many others then the answer is yes. Both men are evil and should be ounished as such.

Another example of how out of touch our Government is. It beggers believe that someone could think that, never mind use their public standing to say it.

HE SHOULD BE SACKED

Of course there are different degrees of rape, the law recognises this by handing down sentences from whatever the lower tariff is (must be quite a bit less than 5 years) to "Life"

You can argue that the sentencing needs to be harsher, but that's not what this argument is about.

Offering a reduced sentence is probably the only incentive that can be offered to get them to admit guilt before having to drag the victim through the courts, with all the additional trauma that goes with it.

If anything this should increase conviction rates and encourage more victims to report the crime.

Totally agree there is a sliding scale or severity when it comes to rape, two underage consenting people can be charged with rape because they are not deemed adult enough to make that sort of decision yet are tried as if they were adult enough to recognise the criminality of their actions. I think if that case came to court and they pleaded guilty to crime by default (where no party is injured, distressed or presses charges) they should be given lighter sentences.

Again with date rape if the victim (male or female) can’t remember what happened they cant remember if they consented or not at the time and as people aren’t legally required to have a qualification in accurately judging if someone is of completely sound mind its not fair to punish them as severely for misjudgement after the fact.

Then you have men or women that rape children or people that commit rape with terrible force and violence completely aware that they are the only willing party and aware that what they are doing is entirely criminal and you think all those crimes are the same and therefore deserve the same punishment? I most certainly do not. There are varying degrees of every crime assault to ABH to GBH. Involuntary manslaughter to manslaughter to murder. Dependant on the severity of the injuries, the circumstance and the pre meditation involved, why should this crime be different?

I think Ken Clarke is talking common sense, its just people having an inflammatory over reaction without really being aware of the facts or a reasoned argument. I don’t think he’s out of touch and I don’t see anywhere when he condones rape in any form he just points out that some crimes are less severe as others and punishment should be commensurate with that.

I'll tell you what I find disgusting. I listened to the interview and also listened to Prime Minister's Queston's and what Ken Clarke said during the interview and the attempted trap set by the interviewer and subsequent twisting is not what he said!

I find it abhorrent that Ed Miliband in PMQ's twisted it still further and use this heinous crime and the false twisting of Clarke's views to make political gain as disgusting.

My wife said last night after listening to PMQ's too 'have you heard that Ken Clarke thinks rape is OK and that he wants to grade rape into categories' which wasnever ever said.

It is a good job that within the Houses of Parliament MP's can say what they want without being held to slander a nd libel because if this was said publicy by a normal person they would be in Court.

Shame on Miliban for using rape to try and make political capital.

No there are not different degrees of rape,either consent has been given or it has not,then it is rape.do women have to have a knife held at their throat...then it is serious.this man should be sacked with immediate effect,i would not pay him in washers.B Taylor

Media censorship has a lot to answer for regarding making the public aware of rape and potential rapes and could help to prevent even just one.

I think the police force and courts should be given the 'common sense' approach. As the comment by Audenshaw Bob states, I would not consider a willing 15 year old girl having sex with a 17 year old boy rape.

didn't the Tories put upbig posters before the last general election having a go at Gordon Brown for letting prisoners out early,now they are doing just the same,only there won't be as many to lock up with the reduction of the Police force by 20%. It is all about cost cutting not common sense, not only did Ed Miliband speak out about it so did many womens groups and victims of rape, who are not making political capital out of it they have suffered and as only 5% of rape cases are ever taken to court, some of this different levels of rape must already be being used such as the statutary rape occassions these are most likely given a caution. Perhaps Ken Clarke could have made it a little more clearer, I heard what he said.

taken out of context or not, what a stupid thing to say. As one of the most experienced politicions in the country what did he think would happen.

there are only two types of "rape" forced sex on a non consenting person. which is an abhorently fiendish act which deserves the strongest punishment.

And statutory rape in which every individual case needs carefully looking into. sometimes there are pressures and influences at work that may be nothing to do with naiveity or a lack of education.

Isn't the problem the word RAPE being used as general term. As much as the term Sexual Assault or Abuse too. These can reflect in how the laws treat each cases when the courts try handle convictions. If the woman or child has been RAPED and is proven correct. Then a fixed tariff should be set at 5 years and above with no parole. Equally for Gang Rape and Serial Rapist should receive 10-15+ with no parole. And so on. True these create a scale in terms of the offences, but the starting point is the key part in fixed term.

This guy is extremely dangerous and should be sacked. It is not only the rape thing,it is his total approach to crime and punishment!
Personally,I think rapists should be castrated and to counter this,women who falsely cry rape,should be gaoled for five years!
More prisons should be built in more remote places and punishment should mean punishment,not merely incarceration with a bit of luxury!
Any man like me,with daughters,will surely agree!

Yet another example of the liberal press pillorying a politician because he dares to deviates from the 'feminist narrative'. He did not say that rape -- of any type -- was not a grave offence, nor did he say that there are any circumstances which justify it. Anyone who claims he did has either not taken the trouble to find out what he said, is wilfully distorting the truth or is peddling feminist dogma -- or a combination of all three. Having said that, what he said is wrong. The incidence of sexual crime and sexual violence continues to rise and requires more severe, not less, sanctions. Imprisonment is not the answer: how about compulsory castration for rapists who use violence? Now that is a proposal that would have the liberals up in arms.

Rape is a crime of violence, statutory rape isn't.
The two are different.
The left are trying to put a woman who consents under pressure in the same category as someone attacked by a stranger with a weapon.
The two are different.
Someone who cries rape to collect the £10,000 reward, one woman did this three times and in no case was the man convicted, isn't the same as a woman in distress after an attack.
Thw two are different.

It's shocking how women can spend their day gossiping / moaning about how men can't keep it in their pants and all that, but forget all about that as soon as the sun goes down.

Dress up in the shortest skirts they've got, spend all night at the bar flirting with any man that comes into physical range and stringing him along until closing time. Often taking him back to her flat (they never seem to go back to the man's flat I notice), and some even going as far as the bedroom.

So, at least 4 hours of building up false hope, and then you just want to push him away after a quick cuddle? In the ideal world that should be fine - but sorry girls, this is not that ideal world. And with all the complaints we make in the daytime, you must have known it was coming. That really is like jumping into a tiger's cage and then being shocked that it has in fact eaten you...


Of course, if a sex crazed ninja jumps out from the shadows at you, well that's real rape if he goes that far. Out of your control, and no way you could have said you were up for it before he jumped out... And it's "thanks" to the former that so few of the latter are actually taken seriously these days...

the comment was taken and twisted to suit - the man meant well but did not word it right, if you do your research you will discover the facts.

Of course it all depends on your definition of rape - if it is too wide randging there will obviously be varying degrees of rape - common sense really!

Its amazing that a person can be arrested for suspected rape, have his name in the paper and yet be cleared without charge, and at the same time the super injuction comes in and a certain individual who cannot be named even though if you google spanish websites you can find out who it is, is allowed to remain anomonous, i doubt this will make it into the comments.

DISCLAIMER:the views made in this comment are of the individual and do not express the opinion of the Manchester News or their affiliates in anyway.

Ed Miliband has been so weak in PMQ's he needed a headline. He should only demand a sacking if he's confident he's right and his demand on Wednesday was tacky & opportunistic.

Clarke was tryin gto have a sensible debate and the radio jock wanted to be sensationalist. Are there more serious rapes than others? Of course there are. Are date rapes less serious? They can be, some are not.

Clarke was trying to have a serious debate, the media, the horrified left and a two-bit radio jack have resorted to the argument that unless we're not demanding castration for all, there is not an argument to be had. That is why we are still at the completely unsatisfactory levels of convictions & reporting.

Milliband is the disgrace followed closely by the media on this one.

To quote a poster,
" Then a fixed tariff should be set at 5 years and above with no parole."

That would result in higher rates of raper murder.

Political correctness at work again.

He should not have apologised for his remarks, which anyone with common sense knows are true.

Firstly, there is real rape, which is cruel, violent and indiscriminate against an innocent victim.

Secondly, there is unreal rape, when a woman enters into consensual sex and decides to call it rape, for reasons of her own and the man's life is destroyed.

Thirdly, there is the rape that never was. By this I mean the false, malicious allegation.
Let us also include male rape and female rape.

I know a case when someone who had been arrested on fingerprint evidence held on the PNC by the Met for his part in a violent robbery, the victim's credit card, pin number, jewellery and cocaine found in his bedroom. This scumbag, charged and bailed knew he was in for a prison sentence, set up an innocent young man, with the help of a friend who feared him and had already taken out a restraining order against him.
He told the police when arrested that he was a significant witness to the rape of his friend, who knew nothing about it being drunk and had bought and taken cocaine. It was one man's word against another. - no evidence, forensic or otherwise.
Immediately, phone calls were exchanged between the police, the charges were dropped in favour of a show trial for rape that would boost Government Targets and in the words of the police and "send out a message to the gay community that would boost confidence in the police".
The innocent accused was destroyed and distraught. His treament by the police was inhumane.
After waiting a year for a trial he hanged himself.
The police asked that the allegations were withdrawn, having no evidence.
The scum who falsely accused him carry on with their sordid lives, while his family is destroyed with grief and anger. There is no justice.
How do I know this?
He was our lovely son, who never harmed anyone in his life, but cared for others as a respected nurse.

I say, well said Mr. Clarke but I'm so sorry you were got at by the PC Brigade. You are minister of justice, which does not exist in the UK.

From Mrs. Irene Smith, St. Helens.

Not everything in life is black and white...............yes rape is rape, but the degrees of violence differ, the attacks themselves differ, and the nature of the rapist differs! Are you really telling me that a man who has a one night stand with a girl in a club who then turns out to be 15 is in the same league as serial rapist who would torture victims??? Get real!