Wednesday, July 20, 2016

“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."

"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"

"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."

"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."

"I did," said Ford. "It is."

"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?"

"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."

"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"

"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."

"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"

"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?"


6 comments:

Mike Taylor said...

I am torn. On the one hand, I want to support Corbyn. On the other hand, it seems that with the trifling exception of their leader, everyone in the Parliamentary Labour Party hates me and everything I stand for, so I am not inclined to give them my money. A tricky one.

Andrew Rilstone said...

Let's take it one stage at a time. 1st get the Socialist leader. then get a socialist a position. Then start working to get a a socialist government.

Andrew Rilstone said...

Opposition

Mike Taylor said...

Right; but if they succeed in their very obvious plan to twist the rules until they're able to cheat Corbyn out of the victory the members clearly want him to have, then I will just have given £25 to the cheats, to enable them to advance their crypto-Tory agenda.

Andrew Rilstone said...

Take the long shot if that's all there is...

Anonymous said...

It's looking like enough people heeded the call (the figure of 150,000 is being bandied about) to ensure Corbyn's victory and therefore at least a generation of continuous Conservative government.