[Politics] Polls indicate...

[davywavy]

According to a new poll, Nick Clegg is now only the sixth most popular LibDem in Britain.

The biggest surprise of that to me is that people were capable of naming five others. I'm guessing the results looked something like:

1) Vince Cable
2) That ginger one who used to be in the cabinet until he was caught with his hand in the till.
3) The ginger drunkard. Remember him? He was all right.
4) Sir Paddy Pantsdown. He was in the SAS, you know.
5) Oh, errr. Thingy. There must be another. Gosh.
6) Nick Clegg.

Comments

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

Well, there's always people like Chris Huhne, obviously, and Colin Breed. Danny Alexander is... something to do with money? And then there was David Laws, who I was kind of abstractly sorry to see resign, except for the whole element of him having resigned over a public finances scandal, which admittedly is exactly the kind of thing one really should resign over. In fact, the LDs have lots of people you could name.

And then there's Lembit Öpik who has no real political job of any sort anymore, and is chiefly known for losing that one seat everyone expected him to win and for never getting his name spelled the way it's actually supposed to be spelled.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Your obsessive knowledge of our politics is disconcerting, you know. I mean, I struggle to name your capital city, never mind any members of your government...

That said, I have met your ambassador.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

But our politics is so dramatic and glamorous, just like yours! We've got parliamentary superheroes like Generic Tough-Talking Union Guy Who Might Drink Too Much, and Smarmy Rich Conservative Clone With Good PR, and Resident Flag-Hugging Populist Troll, and The Amazing Empty Suit Girl, and the Stupendous Bribe-o, and... that one fellow... and the other one.. and... oh, okay, it's about as interesting as watching paint dry.

British politics is in many ways the superior entertainment, as evidenced by the 1712 duel between the Duke of Hamilton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Douglas,_4th_Duke_of_Hamilton) and Lord Mohun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Mohun), which I think could be made into a small Hollywood movie.

I love the fact that we have an ambassador, though. I'm imagining a slightly sad old man who wanders from pub to pub with his hat in his hand, asking random people whether they've ever heard of the country, if they have anything nice to say about it, and if they'd like to come and take some skiing classes, say, next December.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Your ambassador was an amiable fellow with a nice line in bowties, who reminded me of this popular 80's kids TV character: http://www.grangehillfans.co.uk/schoolreport/mrbronson.php

It turns out that the Finns were very involved in the Northern Ireland peace process, as presumably you're one of the few nations who neither the British nor Irish have a chip on their shoulders about.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

Also, we don't have a Boris Johnson, nor an equivalent of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's Hair.

[razornet.livejournal.com]

Paddy was in the SBS. He can kill you with his little finger, you know.

[(Anonymous)]

I suspect the SBS/SAS mix-up was an intentional part of the original joke, riffing as it did on the ignorance of the electorate.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I was being too polite to point that out.

[medusa-nw.livejournal.com]

If there's any justice Evan Harris is number 1 on that list...

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of him, and I'm interested in politics. I think that makes my point...

[medusa-nw.livejournal.com]

I know, but I like him. :-)

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Letch!

[medusa-nw.livejournal.com]

Not in that way! :-D

[colliedlight.livejournal.com]

There's a phone box in Manchester I quite like. And it's in Rusholme, so it must be a Lib Dem.

[(Anonymous)]

You forgot the old one, you know, fought Flash Gordon...

And the old comedy one... used to appear in their ads.. did silly walks