During the recent snowmageddon that hit the UK a few weeks ago, I wrote this sketch as a submission for last week’s episode of Newsjack on BBC Radio 7. It didn’t get on the air, but I still think it’s funny. So here, for your edification and entertainment is a random political comedy sketch about the snow…
Cold-Snap Election
By Daniel McKee
JUPP: The most shocking news of the last week came from Westminster, when it transpired that, in a bold political move, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for a January 6th snap election, and nobody heard him.
The news, given at an ill-attended Cabinet meeting on the evening of January 5th, was missed by most major broadcasters, newspapers and websites, due to the much higher priority given to stories about snow. Even the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats were unaware that an election was going on.
BROWN: I think that settles the argument
JUPP: Said a victorious Brown from the doorstep of Number 10 the following morning. Though, at the time, nobody really knew what particular argument he was talking about, and so quickly went back to looking at pictures of snowmen and sledding taken on mobile phones.
Whilst some critics are calling the move “cynical”, others are praising the strategy.
ADVISOR: What Brown did was a stroke of genius!
JUPP: Said one senior advisor.
ADVISOR: He heard about the weather during a privileged MET Office briefing and went straight on the offensive. Even if voters had known it was Election Day they wouldn’t have been able to get out and vote: if they weren’t already snowed in, the majority of the schools we traditionally use as polling stations were closed. It was brilliant!”
JUPP: In total there were only thirty-six votes cast on Election Day, all in favour of Mr. Brown’s party, and all sent in by text message from Whitehall.
MANDELSON: It’s a referendum by the British people!
JUPP: Said Peter Mandelson.
ACADEMIC: It’s not even legal.
JUPP: Said one leading academic.
When the news finally came through that he had lost a General Election he hadn’t even known was taking place, a red-faced David Cameron was left almost speechless:
CAMERON: Inquiries shall have to be made.
JUPP: But there are already rumblings within the party about a new leadership race now that the Tory’s latest hopeful delivered the Conservatives their third consecutive electoral defeat since 1997.
SOURCE: It’s done him a lot of damage.
JUPP: Admitted one source close to the Cameron camp.
SOURCE: You can get away with a lot of things as a politician these days – mistresses, duck ponds, illegal and unjustified wars – but being less interesting than snow to the majority of the population? I don’t think he’ll come back from that.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment