Friday, February 19, 2010

Plain speaking

Sometimes honest opinion is better than party politics. Roy Hattersley, the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, could have had all sorts of fun with the Nicholas Winterton story on Question Time yesterday after the rubicund Tory said that MPs shouldn't travel any lower than first-class on trains because it was horrid to ride with the plebs in steerage.

Hattersley could have said that Winterton was no different from any other Tory; he could have said that this showed they haven't changed under David Cameron; he could have done all sorts of point-scoring and fear-raking about toffs and arrogance and the nasty party. But Hattersley has more class. Instead, he said this:
"Nicholas Winteron is an arse."
Actually, he said "ass", but I think "arse" suits Winteron far better. It should be said slowly, rolling the R like a gin-soaked academic tearing a strip out of an undergraduate's ill-formed essay. You may think of your own four-letter words.

He is a pillock, a prat and a pompous prick. The sooner that this trougher and his equally obnoxious MP wife - known to crack the odd gag that could be interpreted as racist but (worse) were not even funny - leave Parliament, the better.

Then again, there is a fair argument to be made about MPs needing a quiet carriage with table space on which to do their work while travelling by train. If only it was made less obnoxiously by people who are less of an arse.

1 comment:

Angus Donald said...

Why shouldn't MPs travel first class? They are our chosen leaders, the people we have selected through the democratic process to control our destinies. We have willingly set them above ourselves in high office – surely we should allow them the tiny courtesy of first-class rail travel as a mark of our respect for them as national leaders? If we disrespect the nation's leaders, are we not disrespecting ourselves? They represent us. They represent Great Britain. I say Great Britain should travel first class!