Wednesday 23 July 2008

The name of the game

"LAST day of term, so the Chief Whip is letting us all bring in games. I’ve brought a train set (obviously), Alistair Darling’s brought in Monopoly, Alan Johnson’s got Operation, David Miliband has Risk, Des Browne’s brought in an Action Man, etc, etc…"

That's from Tom Harris' blog - which I discovered just after I'd started to post something along similar lines yesterday, only I was going to say I'd brought in my Kerplunk! game. So if Tom has a train set, Alan's in the operating theatre, Des is playing action man, what does my choice say about my work in Parliament? That I'm scared of losing my marbles?

12 comments:

Jay said...

A suitable game for MPs last day of term? Let's see.....

What about Cluedo?

Who killed The UK? Was it Mr Brown in the kitchen with the broken Lisbon Treaty promise or Miss Smith in the (home) office with the tough-on-crime, tough-on-the-victims-of-crime or Mr Balls in the schoolroom with the pc indoctrination policies or Ms Flint in the sick bay with the leprous 25% of the population or...?

Dick Puddlecote said...

Hey Kerry.

Labour get tanked again, this time in a massively safe Labour seat.

That's three in a row now and all by different parties.

Something has to change. May I suggest you don't treat the public like kids?

I know it's radical but it might just work ;-)

What a great night for those of us that enjoy freedom and would like it to be preserved.

Chris Gale said...

Jay and Dick, did I miss something in your postings? You were going to write something vaguely intellectual, logical or substantive?

I must have missed it.

Dick Puddlecote said...

Funny that Chris, as I didn't see you making any point at all. Care to try? I look forward to it ;-)

Dick Puddlecote said...

Sorry Chris, I read it again and I realise your point was that you didn't like Kerry or Labour being criticised.

Care to write anything intellectual, logical or substantive to counteract our point of view?

Be careful not to be sexist, anti-gay, racist, anti-disabled or biased to any religion in your response. Class and smoker bashing is perfectly OK though. In fact, Kerry will like that. :-)

Jay said...

Yes, Dick, Chris, like the Government that he supports, prefers not to engage with its critics, choosing instead to make sullen little jibes.

It's an approach that's led to even Glasgow East (which, like a stick of rock, has Labour running through it) turning against the Government.

No Government has the right to govern the people of a country, but the privilege to serve them - something this Government has forgotten, if, indeed, it ever knew it.

Kerry said...

I'm in Warwick at the moment for Labour's National Policy Forum weekend. For some reason the PC I'm using won't respond to clicks on 'create new post' - but will allow me to comment. Going to go and try and find another PC.

Dick Puddlecote said...

Excellent Kerry, could you suggest to the forum that Labour allow a selection of smoking pubs or clubs for those that want them? It won't harm you or anyone else who likes to avoid smokey environments as there will be plenty of choice for you and them, but it would give a lot of people their Saturday nights back. ;-)

And also sort out the mess that is Saturday night TV, I didn't realise how shocking it was prior to July 1st last year! I was normally out at the club.

Jay said...

Hear, hear,, Dick.

Before last July I'd be out enjoying myself on a Saturday night, now I'm sitting in front of my computer succumbing to schadenfreude.

Mrs Blogs said...

kerplunk! is the sound of Labour's poll ratings hitting the floor...

however before all the other gloaters kick a party while its down...

how about snakes and ladders... the snakes are the sly tories trying to pass themselves of as friends of the poor and the progressive party and the ladders are for Labour to climb again when the tories shed their skin of cuddliness...

Labour have done many great things they don't get credit for:

-their attempts to humanise the workplace after the uncaring tory years- bosses used to routinely point to the 3 million unemployed if workers complained about low wages and lack of holidays/long hours.

Minimum wage, flexible working for parents and carers. Improvements in Maternity and Paternity leave, free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds, investment in out of school care, NHS investment, investment in schools, Children's Centres, Income Guarantees for pensioners, free TV licences for the elderly, fuel allowances for the elderly, Warm Front to insulate the homes of vulnerable groups...

no longer do pensioners die in their homes from hypothermia, no longer do we have kids having classes in portakabins and under leaky roofs.

None of this investment would have happened under the Tories, they opposed much of the legislation and have only after the fact accepted things like the minimum wage (but watch them freeze the value of it if they get into power). Labour always makes the progress (as with the founding of the NHS), the Tories have always to be dragged by the progressive Labour Party into the next century and into being humane.

toys suitable for Cameron ...spinning top, Barbie doll (very plastic!), spacehopper to replace any passing bandwagon, blankety blank board game (could fill in his missing policies), scrabble (for policies), Muppets for his cabinet, Trivial Pursuit (more thin policies) ...that should do to keep him occupied in playing at politics.

Jay said...

Excellent post, Mrs Blogs.

Labour governments, as we would expect, are big on State intervention to protect the vulnerable in our society, such as the elderly, and this is commendable.

My criticism of this Labour Government is directed mainly towards its authoritarianism which is accompanied by heavy-handed, punitive enforcement. It is Big government with a capital 'B'. It demands that the electorate accepts its attitudes and values - or else!

To me, this goes beyond the acceptable limits of a democratic government.

Kerry said...

For those who might suspect I have some sort of connection with Mrs Blogs - I don't! But have just checked out her website - http://mrsblogsblogs.blogspot.com/ - which seems to be new. One to watch.