From Newsgroup: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy

One of the traditions of the state opening of Parliament is that the
Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster for evidence of plots to blow up the government. Frankly they could have
looked anywhere in SW1 and found that.

Other traditions were maintained as opposition and government MPs made
their awkward shuffle to the Lords. One Labour MP shouted rCynot now AndyrCO when Black Rod banged on the chamberrCOs door. Kemi and Sir Keir looked
smiley for the cameras and pretended that they donrCOt loathe each other. Meanwhile James Cleverley was chatting to Wes Streeting; perhaps
exchanging notes on leadership bids. Earlier in the day Streeting had
been afforded a few nanoseconds of the Prime MinisterrCOs time. The
meeting had clearly not gone well, the Health Secretary maintained a
look of quiet fury throughout, like a disgruntled mannequin.

Meanwhile in the House of Peers itself I counted only a handful of
tiaras rCo clearly standards are slipping since the departure of the hereditaries. Lord Alli was making up for the lack of glitz by wearing a single diamond earring, as if he were Sir Francis Drake. The Archbishop
of Canterbury sat heavily on the BishopsrCO Bench, like a dropped bowl of suet.

The speech itself was incongruous, in that the King, fresh from his
success in America rCo which was fuelled partly by his eloquence rCo was
made to read out a civil service document filled with the meaningless
jargon which the people who run the country think can be deployed
instead of actual policy. He may as well have read out the health and
safety policy for a regional leisure centre. In a borderline treasonous
move, this government of second raters made His Majesty use the phrase
rCLat pacerCY.

The King announced that we would see an improvement in rCytrust and
confidence in the institutions of governmentrCO. ItrCOs testament to His MajestyrCOs professionalism that he delivered this line with a poker
straight face. Still, other aspects of the speech were a comfort; itrCOs helpful that constitutional convention in this country means that the
monarch speaks of rCyMy GovernmentrCO, as it isnrCOt exactly clear who is in charge of it at the moment.

Back in the Commons came the loyal addresses. Awkwardly, the Health
Secretary didnrCOt immediately go to the front-bench rCo preferring to
loiter by the SpeakerrCOs chair as Black Rod came in. Only later did he
take up his seat, though not, I suspect, the one he really wanted to occupy.

The task of being the governmentrCOs nominated toady of the day fell to
Naz Shah, who spoke of the success of multiculturalism, how wonderful
Bradford now is, and how immigrants built it. Up to a point, comrade
Copper. The seconder was Chris Vince of Harlow, who told us about having
run the London marathon. I think I prefer the Commons when theyrCOre all fighting like rats in a sack, rather than this cringe enforced
conviviality. For all the pageantry of earlier, this had all the
gravitas of small talk at a suburban barbecue.

Next we came to Kemi Badenoch. After the customary pleasantries and congratulations to the preceding speakers, she soon swerved towards the
Labour leadership. Emily Thornberry intervened furiously. Thornberry
would be imperious when buying a bottle of Tesco value Gin and a packet
of Marlboro Reds, she was even more so today, the pomp of the occasion
having gone to her head. rCLThe Right Honourable Lady seeks to lecture us
on why it is that everyone is so fed up with the political class, but
uses this opportunity not to set out what the Conservatives would do but
to lecture everybody on this side!rCY huffed Thornberry, threatening to
escape her moorings like a very patronising zeppelin.

rCLOh IrCOm not done yetrCY, purred Mrs Badenoch. She was not taking any prisoners. She implied that Labour MPs are so unpopular theyrCOre banned
from hairdressers, which is why every female minister has the same
hairstyle (the Fabian bob favoured by Bridget Phillipson et al).
Presumably theyrCOre banned from wherever it is they hand our senses of
humour and perspective too.

Obviously, the main topic on which she had a field day was the Health SecretaryrCOs coup-foreplay. She complained that many of the policies in
the KingrCOs Speech, such as the scrapping of NHS England, had been
announced by the Government many months ago. rCLBut then I suppose the
Health Secretary has been a bit distracted lately, hasnrCOt he?rCY (she said this in her primary school teacher patronising voice which always winds
up the opposition). Wes glowered at her. rCLWhy donrCOt you just do your job?rCY she shouted. Mr Streeting gave her a hurt and sullen look- the
sort one would imagine Joan Crawford shooting at an object on which she
had stubbed her toe,

rCLThererCOs no point him giving me dirty looks rCo we all know what herCOs been
up to.rCY This even got a laugh from Pat McFadden whose usual demeanour
makes Burke and Hare look like Morecambe and Wise.

However, for the most part the faces of Labour MPs were stony as Mrs
Badenoch delivered them a selection box of home truths. Most of them
looked like theyrCOd been asked to give character references for a
pederastic relative. Just about the only person who seemed to be
enjoying it at all was, bizarrely, Starmer, who was rCo unusually rCo quite
a good sport. Perhaps like many condemned men itrCOs taken sight of the gallows for him to develop a sense of humour. He chuckled when Mrs
Badenoch congratulated the whips for finding two backbenchers willing to support the Prime Minister and even congratulated her, saying, that rCyon
dark days her input is always a ray of sunshinerCO.

All in all, a very strange day, reminiscent of the scene in Joseph
RothrCOs Radetsky March when the waltz of Austro-Hungarian pageantry turns into a conga line of mourning as it becomes clear that the Emperor has
died. Everyone knows that the government is not waving but drowning, increasingly resembling a clown on life support but yet the dance of the constitution went on. It was rather reassuring to see the crown, the
armed forces, the Church, the judiciary and what remains of the peerage
in their dignified pomp, perhaps a reminder of what actually holds the
country together even as the undignified parts of the constitution
descend into final, terminal farce.


Madeline Grant

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy

On 5/13/2026 11:46 AM, Julian wrote:

One of the traditions of the state opening of Parliament is that the
Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster for evidence of plots to blow up the government. Frankly they could have
looked anywhere in SW1 and found that.

Other traditions were maintained as opposition and government MPs made
their awkward shuffle to the Lords. One Labour MP shouted rCynot now AndyrCO when Black Rod banged on the chamberrCOs door. Kemi and Sir Keir looked smiley for the cameras and pretended that they donrCOt loathe each other. Meanwhile James Cleverley was chatting to Wes Streeting; perhaps
exchanging notes on leadership bids. Earlier in the day Streeting had
been afforded a few nanoseconds of the Prime MinisterrCOs time. The
meeting had clearly not gone well, the Health Secretary maintained a
look of quiet fury throughout, like a disgruntled mannequin.

Meanwhile in the House of Peers itself I counted only a handful of
tiaras rCo clearly standards are slipping since the departure of the hereditaries. Lord Alli was making up for the lack of glitz by wearing a single diamond earring, as if he were Sir Francis Drake. The Archbishop
of Canterbury sat heavily on the BishopsrCO Bench, like a dropped bowl of suet.

The speech itself was incongruous, in that the King, fresh from his
success in America rCo which was fuelled partly by his eloquence rCo was made to read out a civil service document filled with the meaningless
jargon which the people who run the country think can be deployed
instead of actual policy. He may as well have read out the health and
safety policy for a regional leisure centre. In a borderline treasonous move, this government of second raters made His Majesty use the phrase
rCLat pacerCY.

The King announced that we would see an improvement in rCytrust and confidence in the institutions of governmentrCO. ItrCOs testament to His MajestyrCOs professionalism that he delivered this line with a poker straight face. Still, other aspects of the speech were a comfort; itrCOs helpful that constitutional convention in this country means that the monarch speaks of rCyMy GovernmentrCO, as it isnrCOt exactly clear who is in charge of it at the moment.

Back in the Commons came the loyal addresses. Awkwardly, the Health Secretary didnrCOt immediately go to the front-bench rCo preferring to loiter by the SpeakerrCOs chair as Black Rod came in. Only later did he
take up his seat, though not, I suspect, the one he really wanted to
occupy.

The task of being the governmentrCOs nominated toady of the day fell to
Naz Shah, who spoke of the success of multiculturalism, how wonderful Bradford now is, and how immigrants built it. Up to a point, comrade
Copper. The seconder was Chris Vince of Harlow, who told us about having
run the London marathon. I think I prefer the Commons when theyrCOre all fighting like rats in a sack, rather than this cringe enforced
conviviality. For all the pageantry of earlier, this had all the
gravitas of small talk at a suburban barbecue.

Next we came to Kemi Badenoch. After the customary pleasantries and congratulations to the preceding speakers, she soon swerved towards the Labour leadership. Emily Thornberry intervened furiously. Thornberry
would be imperious when buying a bottle of Tesco value Gin and a packet
of Marlboro Reds, she was even more so today, the pomp of the occasion having gone to her head. rCLThe Right Honourable Lady seeks to lecture us
on why it is that everyone is so fed up with the political class, but
uses this opportunity not to set out what the Conservatives would do but
to lecture everybody on this side!rCY huffed Thornberry, threatening to escape her moorings like a very patronising zeppelin.

rCLOh IrCOm not done yetrCY, purred Mrs Badenoch. She was not taking any prisoners. She implied that Labour MPs are so unpopular theyrCOre banned from hairdressers, which is why every female minister has the same
hairstyle (the Fabian bob favoured by Bridget Phillipson et al).
Presumably theyrCOre banned from wherever it is they hand our senses of humour and perspective too.

Obviously, the main topic on which she had a field day was the Health SecretaryrCOs coup-foreplay. She complained that many of the policies in
the KingrCOs Speech, such as the scrapping of NHS England, had been announced by the Government many months ago. rCLBut then I suppose the Health Secretary has been a bit distracted lately, hasnrCOt he?rCY (she said this in her primary school teacher patronising voice which always winds
up the opposition). Wes glowered at her. rCLWhy donrCOt you just do your job?rCY she shouted. Mr Streeting gave her a hurt and sullen look- the
sort one would imagine Joan Crawford shooting at an object on which she
had stubbed her toe,

rCLThererCOs no point him giving me dirty looks rCo we all know what herCOs been
up to.rCY This even got a laugh from Pat McFadden whose usual demeanour makes Burke and Hare look like Morecambe and Wise.

However, for the most part the faces of Labour MPs were stony as Mrs Badenoch delivered them a selection box of home truths. Most of them
looked like theyrCOd been asked to give character references for a pederastic relative. Just about the only person who seemed to be
enjoying it at all was, bizarrely, Starmer, who was rCo unusually rCo quite a good sport. Perhaps like many condemned men itrCOs taken sight of the gallows for him to develop a sense of humour. He chuckled when Mrs
Badenoch congratulated the whips for finding two backbenchers willing to support the Prime Minister and even congratulated her, saying, that rCyon dark days her input is always a ray of sunshinerCO.

All in all, a very strange day, reminiscent of the scene in Joseph
RothrCOs Radetsky March when the waltz of Austro-Hungarian pageantry turns into a conga line of mourning as it becomes clear that the Emperor has
died. Everyone knows that the government is not waving but drowning, increasingly resembling a clown on life support but yet the dance of the constitution went on. It was rather reassuring to see the crown, the
armed forces, the Church, the judiciary and what remains of the peerage
in their dignified pomp, perhaps a reminder of what actually holds the country together even as the undignified parts of the constitution
descend into final, terminal farce.

Madeline Grant

Speaking of finally enjoying being US President:

Trump and Xi t|-te-|a-t|-te: five key issues on the table in China.

It is nearly 10 years since the US president made a state visit to
China, and Iran, Taiwan, trade, AI and drugs look set to dominate.

- Guardian
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2