In all our sanctuaries we sit at risk

  • The Parrot Watches Another Circus Act


    Events are taking place at a speed even more bewildering than “usual.” The references in this latest stanza, uploaded Sunday 8th September, already feel bit old as I write this, even though the events they refer to took place only days ago. Johnson began this last week as if starting a general election campaign. Then, on Thursday, his brother Jo resigned. In the meantime, his election plan has been frustrated in Parliament and he has ended the week being told that he would be found in contempt and jailed if he now goes ahead with No Deal. During the week, Johnson made a speech in front of ranks of police cadets assembled for a Toad election propaganda backdrop. The speech did not go down well, nor did Mr Johnson’s use of the police as political prop.

    The word “Blob” was apparently coined either by Michael Gove or Dominic Cummings. I suspect the latter, for what it’s worth. These two worked together in the Education department at some point. “The blob” was how they described the teachers who resisted the crushingly exam-dominated changes Gove was to introduce to schools across the country, during his tenure as Secretary for Education (Cameron later demoted him). Yesterday evening, the Tory Minister Amber Rudd announced her resignation.

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  • The Parrot Joins the Circus

    Prime Minister Johnson and his gang had lost a succession of important votes the day before this stanza was written. Several prominent and moderate  Tories who had voted against the government and against the possibility of a “No Deal” Brexit, had simply been sacked. Ken Clarke was one of those and had much to say to Johnson in the Commons afterwards  : “I do think the prime minister has a tremendous skill in keeping a straight face whilst he’s being so disingenuous,” was one thing he said. “The    Independent”’s Tom Peck translated those words for us as follows : “[Johnson’s] a liar, in other, carefully chosen, entirely parliamentary words.”

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  • The Parrot Studies Mr Toad

    Last night, the UK’s new “Prime Minister” lost both his (tiny) majority and a significant vote in the House of Commons, in which a number of Tories rebelled against the hoodlum hit squad presently masquerading as the nation’s Tory government. The rebels should be honoured for that.

    But Mr Toad is gaming for power, with nothing else in his view-finder and with no thought of the consequences for his nation. He’ll keep at it, as if his own life were at stake. Nothing else matters to him.

    This seems to cover it : https://www.theguardian.com/…/the-guardian-view-on-boris-johnson-strategy…

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  • The Parrot Has Another Say

    This stanza was written during the week-end preceding what seemed to be Parliament’s last and only chance to block Mr Johnson’s stated option of a “No Deal” Brexit. The Executive vs the Legislature. Mr Johnson and “The People” (or enough of them, he hoped) vs parliamentary scrutiny, or – as he might put it – the Westminster “establishment.” Johnson’s Etonian Demagoguery vs the tattered scarecrow of democracy in the UK, desperately in need of renewal, but presently in desperate need of our support.

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  • Mr Toad and Dr Doomboyd

    The phrase “Shock and Awe” came into our reckoning as a description of America’s opening attack against Iraq in their war (beginning March, 2003) to overthrow Saddam Hussein and his regime. Supported by the British, the Americans went in search of Saddam Hussein’s non-existent weaponry. A short while later, Mr Bush stood alone on one of the American aircraft carriers, and spoke to the cameras to the effect that the job was now done and he had “delivered.” No weaponry had been found but, hey, who was counting ? All you need to take back control is Shock and Awe, some aircraft carriers and a camera…

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  • The Parrot Repetitive

    The parrot in his cage is sitting pretty, hanging on tight. Meanwhile, Mr Toad is enjoying himself in the chaos he’s been allowed to stir up. Chaos is Toad’s element. It tends to follow him, with cameras. Presumably those who’ve granted Toad this scope find chaos fun as well.

    The first few lines here contain a whole list of references and ideas from the original “Speak Parrot” poem by John Skelton. Most come from one or another of the rhyme royal stanzas in which he wrote it. But Skelton was unruly and exuberant. Sometimes he couldn’t contain himself within the formal rhyme scheme and threw in extra notes and comments between them. The “anima” reference is a case in point. It means “soul” in Greek. In quoting it, Skelton is implying (I think) that the parrot can be likened to the soul. It is the soul we must allow to speak, the soul we must nurture and listen to.

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  • Mr Toad Goes Bombing

    This was written on Wedesday August 28th, 2019. Worth noting that date. During this morning, we’ve learned that Mr Johnson intends to stop parliament meeting through most of September.

    It is on public record that Mr Johnson has been sacked twice for lying. No rational employer would consider even short-listing him for a job. Yet he here he is, somehow our Prime Minister. He will go down in history as surely the only English Prime Minister with such a record. He will also go down in history for what he has done today. And, to justify it, he has said…But why repeat the words of a liar ? Why does anyone bother listening to him ?

    May Mr Johnson’s government and all his works go down in flames. But we need a phoenix to rise from them.

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  • Mr Toad Turns to Ballooning

    Mr Toad had just come back from his morning swim in Biarritz, when this was written. However, the smoke over the Amazon forest could be smelt by all the G7 participants. But among the wine glasses, Mr Toad appeared to get on very well with the American Minotaur. I wrote that, while he was persisting in his efforts to force through the UK’s separation from the EU, thereby threatening the UK’s own break-up, as well as destroying the sovereignty of parliament, Mr Toad did keep going on about building bridges. That leafy though rather expensive one across the Thames. Another across the English channel. Yet another between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The forests were burning. Mr Toad dreamed, fantasised, lied…

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