The Thick of It

[chickenfeet]

So I watch about as much TV as a blind anteater, mostly because in my not very humble opinion most of it is utter shite. However, I've just discovered The Thick of It. This is Yes Minister for the age of Bliar and Chameleon and just as funny in a thoroughly vicious way, just like the real thing. The snark is first class; describing a minister as "the political equivalent of the house wine in a suburban Indian restaurant" for example. The Alastair Campbell look alike is priceless. So utterly unpleasant that nobody would dare make it up.

I can honestly say that one of the best decisions I ever made in my life was not to try and make my career in politics.

Comments

[frankie-ecap.livejournal.com]

Which is a real shame, because you are sharp as all hell and have great values and understand complex systems and would broadly run the place infinitely better than the current incumbents or challengers.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

But I'm not smart enough to beat the system. Ultimately it's loaded so far in favour of the careerist sociopaths that one has two choices; fail or become like them. This is a world that prefers Tony Blair to Robin Campbell.

[frankie-ecap.livejournal.com]

I know. It's a shame that the system is as it is, I mean.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

Surely great values precludes a career in politics?

Oh cynical me. Clearly I should stand for Parliament.

[badasstronaut.livejournal.com]

I can honestly say that one of the best decisions I ever made in my life was not to try and make my career in politics.

Oh yes. I'm often grateful I escaped the 'party machine'.

[tanuja.livejournal.com]

It's a fantastic programme and is about to move to BBC2, so hopefully between Mr Tanuja and I, we'll remember to tape it/watch it.

Chris Langham is a great actor, as is Peter Capaldi, who I have had the "pleasure" of seeing naked, along with a naked Liam Neeson, in a play about Oscar Wilde. But that's another story..... :)

It is unfortunate that these days in order to be successful as a politician, you have to give up some rights to doing the morally correct thing. I believe that in days gone by, MP's used to have day jobs, which is how they were able to try and act in the best interest of their constituents, rather than those items that would get them up the greasy pole the fastest.

And don't get me started on George (the Bastard) Galloway being in the Big Brother household.

This man for 2001-2005 had a worse attendance record than Tony Blair (which is fair enough, since he has to go overseas on official & Cherie based busines) and currently (2005 - onwards) has an attendance record of 15% (I'll hunt out the UK Parliament's Chief Whip's page later for you), which is worse than the Foreign Secretary.

The man is paid to represent his consituents, not to prepare for his media career.

The twat.

Er sorry, I got a bit carried away then, I'll erm, go and do some work. (slinks off while exiting left).

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

I have no great love for Mr. Galloway but I don't really see much harm in him staying away from the Commons. It seems to me to have only one function left and that something akin to Louis XIV's antechamber. Hapless back benchenchers hang around hoping to catch the eye of the all powerful and go through the charade of voting. The last thing that happens there is the representation of constituents. In so far as that happens at all it's done by MPs pressuring bureaucrats.

[itchyfidget.livejournal.com]

I tried it for a few minutes and it did nothing for me so I switched over. Should I have hung on for a bit longer? Is it one of those things you have to watch for a bit before it clicks?

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

It's in equal measure brilliant and horrible. It's the sort of thing one watches with horrified fascination (like a shark attack). Everything I know about both British and Canadian politics says that it is frighteningly accurate and the member of the flist who is an up and coming civil servant confirms that it is.

I'd be curious to know whether your more optimistic view of politics survives watching a few episodes.

[itchyfidget.livejournal.com]

I watch The West Wing (which while having liberal values is rarely optimistic) and Yes, Minister ... I'm an idealist, but I'm also a huge cynic.

I'll have a look at it if I catch it ...

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Yes, Minister was brilliant and a relatively gentle treatment of how things worked thirty years ago. Since then two things have changed. First, Thatcher centralised power at no.10, effectively removing the Civil Service from policy decisions. Blair and Campbell then mastered "spin" so that nobody from the Cabinet on down has the information they need to challenge the inner circle and the press only get the information no. 10 feeds. The press daren't upset the applecart because the paper that did would be cut out of the loop for juicy sound bites. What goes on now is massively nastier than in the days of Heath or Wilson.

[itchyfidget.livejournal.com]

I had rather assumed so.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Okay, having read the comments I now know a bit more. It this available on DVD, do you think? (because fat chance of us ever getting in in Paris...)

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

I have it as .avi grokked from some Bit Torrent site.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

I wonder whether I could convince you to YouSendIt to me? I could possibly reciprocate, say with the entire first season of "Rome"? Or any episode of "Enterprise"? Or music?

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

Definitely worth watching. The first episode (last week) was absolutely hilarious - last night's less so, but still funny. And quite scary.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Tell MORE! I'm such such such a Yes Minister whore!!!

*slavers in anticipation*

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

It's Yes Minister for the new century. Not a civil Civil Servant in sight. Instead ministers and their political advisers plot how they are going to plant a favourable story in the press while cowering in fear of the PM's foul mouthed enforcer, an obvious Alastair Campbell look alike.

It's not "fun" in the way Yes, Minister is. It's hilarious and horrifying by turns.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

The icon is a bit of a give-away!