Category: John Skelton
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The Parrot on My Shoulder
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Things were happening very fast when this was written, many of them carrying a sense of threat and chaos and ill-intent on the part of the perpetrators. It was hard work just to absorb what was going on, harder still to think creatively, or reflectively. This stanza is partly concerned just with that thought. But…
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The Parrot Meets Doombeetle Down a Drain
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These two stanzas were suggested in the first place by an actual incident. Mr Johnson’s main advisor Dominic Cummings was making himself surprisingly available for stray encounters around Westminster. See here, for instance : https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=752395791889320 The reference to Cox in the second stanza is to Geoffrey Cox, the Tory Party’s Attorney General. He performed theatrically…
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The Parrot Still in London
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This is one of a rapid succession of these rhyming commentaries, written during a sequence of events even more furious, momentous and disturbing than usual. I composed it quite early on Thursday 26th September. The previous night., in the House of Commons, only just back from America, following the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling, Mr Toad…
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Mr Toad Falls Foul of the Law (Again)
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On September 24th, the UK Supreme Court ruled against our Prime Minister’s prorogation of Parliament, finding unanimously that the prorogation was unlawful and that Johnson had misled the Queens on his reasons for implementing it. Effectively, Johnson was being named a plain liar by the highest court in the country and Parliament’s position in the…
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The Parrot in the Ring of Chaos
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This stanza was written just one day after the event it describes – the Labour Conference vote on campaigning for Remain. That event seemed significant for at least a few hours. But the following day’s judgement by the Supreme Court was so much more significant and – still finishing this stanza – I felt that…
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The Parrot Reflects on Whether Jez has Worth
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This stanza was written on September 22nd, near the beginning of this year’s Labour Party Conference. We had heard a bit more by now about the party leadership’s attempt at short notice to dispense with Tom Watson’s services as Deputy Leader of the Party. The judgement seemed to be that Corbyn must have been in…
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The Parrot is Witness to an Attempted Stabbing
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“The Stabbing” in the title above is of course a reference to Jon Lansman’s (mostly unsuccessful) attempt to render the Labour Party’s Deputy Leader Tom Watson null and void. Jon Lansman founded the “Momentum” organisation. He is on the Labour Party Executive Committee and a Corbyn supporter. He made his move without warning and as…
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The Toad Speak of Truth as a Cage
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Further thoughts on the felon’s need to lie, to keep something hidden, or maybe just to replace boring old reality with the comfort and excitement of one’s own creation.… continue reading