Around the world, the hoodlums and outlaws are running amok, in their suits of armour made of lies. By contrast and by and large, the sheriffs seem defeated, overwhelmed and on the run. I feel defeated and overwhelmed, too. Might it mean that I’m a sheriff, in disguise ? But there is no star in… Continue reading High Noon is Nearly Upon Us. Where's the Sheriff ?
Category brexit
Toad and the Bong
Some of the more ardent Tory Brexiters seem very exercised that, after all, Big Ben will not be breaking into song when the UK vacates the EU and seeks alternative residence in their delinquent yet decrepit Brexit wonderland.
And the lying Mr Toad, our bouncy new Prime Minister, is coming… Continue reading Toad and the Bong
Parrot’s in his Tower – and That’s All, Folks
This stanza was written on the day after Mr Johnson’s election victory on December 12th, 2019. It will be the last stanza of “Parrot Addenda,” rounding off this series of 164 stanzas. It does not mean the Brexit story is… Continue reading Parrot's in his Tower - and That's All, Folks
The Casting of the Parrot’s Vote
And this piece was written on election night, a second night of pause and waiting, with the chill moon again prominent and beautiful overhead. We walked home after casting our votes, our act tiny power, our tiny power of action. We had done what we could, and put our very… Continue reading The Casting of the Parrot's Vote
The Parrot Looks Up at the Moon
I wrote this stanza the night before the UK General Election on December 12th. In my part of the country, the moon was very clear that cold December night, and had been for several nights. If not full, then very nearly so.
The electorate had a profoundly disheartening choice and a… Continue reading The Parrot Looks Up at the Moon
UK Election – Parrot Prognosis
Thinking of the election due later this coming week, and of the likeliest result, I fear for the parrot. “He speaks all languages aptly,” wrote Skelton, implying that the parrot hears everything and can keep nothing out. So what will be swirling about in his brain by Friday morning ?… Continue reading UK Election - Parrot Prognosis
The Toad Negotiates with the Underworld
This week Mr Trump (“the American Minotaur”) was in the UK for a meeting of NATO leaders. Then he got the hump because people were laughing at him and he left early.
Not long ago, Mr Johnson (“The Toad”) did a Putin with a… Continue reading The Toad Negotiates with the Underworld
The Parrot Seeks Respite from the Flood
Last week “Prime Minister” Johnson tried to take political advantage of the terrorist attack in London. This despite the appeals of the father of one of the victims, expressly not to do so. But how could Mr Johnson resist ? He’d lose one vote, no doubt, but might well have… Continue reading The Parrot Seeks Respite from the Flood
The Toad Goes Hunting for Votes
Toad’s progress around the country this election is always, of course, more a search for images which might benefit him, than a chance for real encounters with real people.
And, to date, that search has come up with some striking images, which would appear to be considered appealing to us. There… Continue reading The Toad Goes Hunting for Votes
A Toad Delivers the Tory Manifesto
The Parrot is tiring overhead. He lacks the staying power of the swift and a Bird of Paradise needs a foothold on the Earth. But now he’s heard the UK Prime Minister announce the Tory manifesto for the UK’s immediate future, having first “got Brexit done.”… Continue reading A Toad Delivers the Tory Manifesto