November 25, 2003

British political culture

Posted by Chris

Would this be possible in anywhere else than Britain? On last night’s Frank Skinner show former Labour Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Mo Mowlam gave an interview in which she attacked Tony Blair for poor judgement. At the end of the show Mowlam (dressed as Cher) performed “I Got You Babe” in duet with veteran porn star Ron Jeremy (dressed as Sonny).

Posted on November 25, 2003 09:02 AM UTC
Comments

It may be a disease specific to Northern Ireland Secretaries. Exhibit B is Peter Brooke of Clementine fame. (I saw that show: Gay Byrne was wholly to blame.) The BBC has other examples.

Posted by Kieran Healy · November 25, 2003 09:57 AM

Nah, I think it’s probably not unusual for retired politicians to revel in their new freedom from the restraints of respectability. Bob Dole advertising Viagra comes to mind. Against my will.
Always loved that Mo, though.

Posted by Merkin · November 25, 2003 01:05 PM

Exactly why would we want this to be repeated elsewhere?

Posted by Dantheman · November 25, 2003 01:38 PM

Look, the UK is a corrupt bastion of freedom-hating islamofascistsymps.

Look at what happened when Dear Leader visited there recently:

1) The freedom-haters refused to shut down the terror-tube system called the ‘Underground’ (the very name admits that it is for subversion and revolution!).

2) The idiotarians refused to grant diplomatic security to Dear Leader’s bodyguards. This means, incredibly enough, that if a few dozen probable enemy combatants were terminated, that the bodyguards would actually face trial!!!!! Trials are for terrorists (well, actually, terrorists don’t get trials, but it’s a good sound bite).

3) The American-haters refused to let Dear Leader’s bodyguards bring in basic, rock-bottom defensive weapons, such as a minigun. This means that, in the first 30 seconds of an attack, that Dear Leader’s bodyguards would only be able to put out from 100 - 200 bullets. Hardly enough to even make a dent in a crowd of Evildoers.

4) The ‘government’ of the UK refused to ban demonstrations. Heck, they don’t even have a constitution to ignore - what’s their excuse? They must be evil.

5) Their so-called ‘queen’ (hmmm.)
refused to modify her ‘palace’ for Dear Leader. In the God-Loving USA, we don’t mess with tradition. If somebody needs to put on a show, he buys a ranch and pretends to be Texan (for example). Tradition is for peons and dupes, not for leaders, unless, of course, it helps them.

All in all, I’m afraid that the UK is now part of the irrelevant, Old Europe. Unlike the Coalition of the Billing HHHHHH, some of whom have provided hundreds of troops each.

Posted by Barry · November 25, 2003 04:02 PM

A former (male) NZ PM was narrator in a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with garter belt etc.

Posted by Errol · November 25, 2003 07:47 PM

About a decade ago in Australia, the then Premier of Victoria, Joan Kirner, appeared on national TV during a late night talk/comedy show, clad in black leather and singing Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock And Roll”, accompanied on electric guitar by her Industry Minister, David White.

Posted by Nabakov · November 26, 2003 02:06 AM

Well, I definitely recall a certain US Congressman, now deceased, who was well-known for performing “I Got You, Babe” with a woman dressed as Cher.

Posted by rea · November 26, 2003 10:59 AM

Michael Ancrum will whip out his guitar and sing Elves songs at the slightest provocation.

Posted by ian · November 26, 2003 02:42 PM

Bill Clinton with the lead pipingHHHHHH^saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show? But Mo Mowlam is… very much her own woman.

Posted by nick · November 26, 2003 04:54 PM

I want to know in what dimension Ron Jeremy should have ever become a porn star.

Posted by J Edgar · November 27, 2003 12:37 AM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.