Category: The use of Language
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The Parrot Speaks of the Democratic Covenant
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A private prosecution has been taken out against Boris Johnson MP, for claims he made during the 2016 EU referendum. After 3 years of preparation, it had its first hearing in private a few days ago. For an example of the Press coverage, see https://www.theguardian.com/…/boris-johnson-could-be-challenged-in-court… Essentially, if the judge agrees that there is a case…
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The Parrot on Fault-lines
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This stanza was written on the day the Labour Party’s National Executive decided to support a second referendum on Brexit – but only in particular circumstances, all unlikely. Jez and a sufficient number of his adherents were clearly still keen on being seen to be “honouring” the result of the first referendum of 2016. That…
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The Parrot Takes New Bearings
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I’m thinking here of our sleek new Foreign Secretary’s recent comment, saying – as reported in the Guardian – that “relations with the EU will be ‘poisoned for many years to come’ if Brussels fails to budge in the Brexit talks.” In other words, says Mr Hunt, he of the bell which keeps breaking in…
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Boy Jez and the Die-Hards
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Jez seems to believe that The Many should be listened to, only so long as he is one of them. Now, as one of The Few, he weighs his words like all the other members of that club, and The Many have to look behind his words to decipher what he really means and then…
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The Maybot Crashes Yet Again
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On Tuesday night, St Valentine’s night, Theresa May and her government were defeated again in the House of Commons. Apparently she herself was not present. Soon after the defeat, Number Ten issued a statement : “While we didn’t secure the support of the Commons this evening, the prime minister continues to believe… The government will…
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The Parrot Speaks of Fre-dom
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In the fourteenth century, Geoffrey Chaucer introduced Rhyme Royal to English poetry and all these stanzas of mine about Brexit share that long established rhyme scheme. And Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales and one of those is “The Franklin’s Tale” which I love. And that’s where this medieval word “fre” keeps appearing, later to become…
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The Parrot and the Lie
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This stanza was written late on the night of January 30th, when the Commons debated a series of amendments, at least one of which might have resulted in Parliament wresting control of the Brexit process from May’s Tory government. That result failed to materialise. Instead, the Tories enjoyed some rare moments of apparent unity. They…