That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
Shackled to the dispatch box by the Labour Party, their spears broken and their warriors exhausted, week-in-week-out he continues as though nothing at all has changed.
The clunking fist comes down, the figures come out: "Tory Cuts, Increased Public Spending", he roars (to no one at all). The sad truth is, showbiz moved on. Once, mere Mr Mandelson counted the tickets each night and chuckled to himself from behind the scenes. Now as ringleader he sees row upon row of empty seats but still the show continues. Nothing at all has changed.
Where's Brown v2.0? New Gordon? The show mustn't go on. The audiences were astonished, once they gasped; now whoever watches cringes and looks away. Of course, all of us paid but only some want to own up to it.
The bulbs once flashed and startled the towering colossus, who was never suited for the chattering and the kodachrome but tried to embrace it with disastrous results.
But worse, far worse, was the re-launch (which one?). There'll be another, like this interview in The Guardian. But who read it, who cares? The economy may bounce, Brown won't, no-one's watching anymore.
So our focus has been distracted, our gaze has been drawn away - but where? Not to Cameron but back to Blair, and he won't enjoy those flashbulbs anymore. New Labour can master one more show, and Gordon may appear, but Blair will be centre of attention when the travelling Iraq enquiry circus comes to town. And nothing will change.
What is National Security? Is it a rival party that no one votes for but always wins? Is it a sovereign body, like the EU, with its own parliament and laws? How can it decide corruption cases and torture trials and not speak for itself?
It will determine the result of this enquiry; it probably already has. We’ll ask a few questions, it may even answer: “I’ll give you a straight answer/ I’ll be honest/ I’ll give it to you straight/ or a million alternatives”. The answer will be “no”, whatever the question. Politics is always just a show, or so it seems. Whilst the show goes on, the business happens behind the scenes, and no one has a ticket. Nothing can possibly change, can it?
And there's more at http://joshuachambers.wordpress.com
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