Tuesday, April 14, 2015
A RANT!! A RANT! A RANT RANT RANT......!!
Have you been watching 'Inside the Commons' currently showing on ABC1 on Sunday Evenings!
I have it taped and last night we watched Episode Two!
Okay I admit that I am very naive when it comes to Politics, I consider myself a swinging voter or a non voter sometimes, I have become very disheartened by the shenanigans that goes on here in Australia, they disturb me sometimes but... nothing disturbs me like The House of Commons did last night... I had nightmares all night.
Why do you ask?
Well last night we saw men in fancy dress stomping through the the cellars stamping their sticks on the floor to make sure there weren't any Barrels of Gunpowder (a fear left over from Guy Fawkes)... so that was Cute.
We saw them take a group photo of the 'Door Openers', there are more than 40 people employed as Door Openers... this is also cute, I guess there must be one big lot of doors in a place like this.
The Queen came to the Lords and spoke about Plastic Bags... Mmmm good on her, I think!
There was a Comedy Show in the Commons after this... bit weird but funny.
A couple of blokes were worried about a locked door so broke it open, very carefully mind, to find it was a Caterers cupboard! Mmmm... too silly!
But!!!! What gave me nightmares and woke me up several times last night were three things in particular...
#1 Some bloke with cerebral palsy was working hard on his petition to get parking free in Hospitals, bit of a waste of time one might think but he's doing well... then the Chancellor of the Exchequer invites him to tea in Downing Street and gives him a little job that is 'paid' and he's thrilled... until he realizes that he can't participate in some things anymore! Weird! does this mean he can no longer work on getting free parking at Hospitals?
#2 Three blokes take shifts to sit in a room for three days next to a woman's office, she is the one who will decide who gets to do something first! One bloke sleeps there for three nights showering in the morning in a small shower next door! Of course these three get what they want eventually but another bloke who thinks he's there first is very disheartened and depressed to find that he is useless, no good and just a waste of space... well so he says!
#3 Now this is the one that really got me!!!
This fellow wants to pass some bill about housing, there was talk of taking off the 'Bedroom' Tax! Bedroom Tax?? There is a Bedroom Tax? who knew... anyway he wins a lottery to get to speak in the House of Commons so off he starts, the room is about half full... but! Along comes some other guy who calls himself a 'Fillibuster' (definition from Wiki:- an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures.)
Now the fellow who wants to get his housing bill passed has to shut up while the 'Fillibuster' has his way, and there seemed to be more than one 'Fillibuster', but it's the first 'Fillibuster' who interrupts the most!
The fellow with the housing bill only has so much time, about 5 hours, to get his word across and slowly the room is emptying!
So... Time's up and a vote has to be taken and all of a sudden the room fills up, the vote is taken, the Housing Fellow wins with votes from all these people who never heard a word of the Bill that they have just passed... I only hope that they got to read it beforehand.
Now the thing that worries me the most is that this isn't modern day silliness........... All the above are ancient traditions that have been going on for centuries and centuries and will continue for centuries!!! WHAT! This is how England is run??? These are modern day educated men and women who seem to revel in these traditions, how do they ever get anything done? what a waste of time and energy!
P.S. I almost forgot... we also saw the Tug of War competition as well. I remember our distant relative Tremayne telling us about this, Tug of War and Chess were the only things he did when he was in the House of Lords... at least Tony Blair got rid of Lords who just came to play games... Mmmmm once more!
I have it taped and last night we watched Episode Two!
Okay I admit that I am very naive when it comes to Politics, I consider myself a swinging voter or a non voter sometimes, I have become very disheartened by the shenanigans that goes on here in Australia, they disturb me sometimes but... nothing disturbs me like The House of Commons did last night... I had nightmares all night.
Why do you ask?
Well last night we saw men in fancy dress stomping through the the cellars stamping their sticks on the floor to make sure there weren't any Barrels of Gunpowder (a fear left over from Guy Fawkes)... so that was Cute.
We saw them take a group photo of the 'Door Openers', there are more than 40 people employed as Door Openers... this is also cute, I guess there must be one big lot of doors in a place like this.
The Queen came to the Lords and spoke about Plastic Bags... Mmmm good on her, I think!
There was a Comedy Show in the Commons after this... bit weird but funny.
A couple of blokes were worried about a locked door so broke it open, very carefully mind, to find it was a Caterers cupboard! Mmmm... too silly!
But!!!! What gave me nightmares and woke me up several times last night were three things in particular...
#1 Some bloke with cerebral palsy was working hard on his petition to get parking free in Hospitals, bit of a waste of time one might think but he's doing well... then the Chancellor of the Exchequer invites him to tea in Downing Street and gives him a little job that is 'paid' and he's thrilled... until he realizes that he can't participate in some things anymore! Weird! does this mean he can no longer work on getting free parking at Hospitals?
#2 Three blokes take shifts to sit in a room for three days next to a woman's office, she is the one who will decide who gets to do something first! One bloke sleeps there for three nights showering in the morning in a small shower next door! Of course these three get what they want eventually but another bloke who thinks he's there first is very disheartened and depressed to find that he is useless, no good and just a waste of space... well so he says!
#3 Now this is the one that really got me!!!
This fellow wants to pass some bill about housing, there was talk of taking off the 'Bedroom' Tax! Bedroom Tax?? There is a Bedroom Tax? who knew... anyway he wins a lottery to get to speak in the House of Commons so off he starts, the room is about half full... but! Along comes some other guy who calls himself a 'Fillibuster' (definition from Wiki:- an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures.)
Now the fellow who wants to get his housing bill passed has to shut up while the 'Fillibuster' has his way, and there seemed to be more than one 'Fillibuster', but it's the first 'Fillibuster' who interrupts the most!
The fellow with the housing bill only has so much time, about 5 hours, to get his word across and slowly the room is emptying!
So... Time's up and a vote has to be taken and all of a sudden the room fills up, the vote is taken, the Housing Fellow wins with votes from all these people who never heard a word of the Bill that they have just passed... I only hope that they got to read it beforehand.
Now the thing that worries me the most is that this isn't modern day silliness........... All the above are ancient traditions that have been going on for centuries and centuries and will continue for centuries!!! WHAT! This is how England is run??? These are modern day educated men and women who seem to revel in these traditions, how do they ever get anything done? what a waste of time and energy!
P.S. I almost forgot... we also saw the Tug of War competition as well. I remember our distant relative Tremayne telling us about this, Tug of War and Chess were the only things he did when he was in the House of Lords... at least Tony Blair got rid of Lords who just came to play games... Mmmmm once more!
Labels: Rant
# posted by Pennie @ April 14, 2015 
