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February 28, 2007
'Twas a wild and stormy night ....
Every book and tract I have read about how to sell my books and stories to prospective publishers begins with an admonition never, ever, under any circumstances, to submit a piece of work which opens with those words ..... But then, this blog is my own publication forum so here I can.
Monday saw me in that den of expediency and cynical abuse of power, the so-called mother of parliaments, for a seminar. I managed not to set a match to any fuses - and there were plenty about. Having to listen to a series of pompous and opinionated Labour placeholders telling us what a magnificent service the fire services will be when we get rid of all tradition, all professional officers and replace them with Managers was more than I could take by the cocktail session so I made my excuses and left. The most telling comment came from a little photographer who makes a living taking "happy snaps" of delegates at these functions. His comment - "The place has been ruined by this shower of s****! They are a bunch of vandals."
Still, I managed to give my paper and enjoyed a very good lunch in the Churchill Dining Room for my efforts. My biggest regret is that while I was sat in the large Committee room listening to the afternoon's papers there was a debate in the Commons on the future of the RN - one I would have given anything to hear!
But my MP was not in residence and he was apparently the only one who could sign my Pass. We're apparently now very strict about who is allowed to listen to these debates from the public gallery. It boils down to - only our friends, cronies and sycophants.
Sorry, my cynicism is showing again. Contemplating the supposedly "rotten" Borough PM's on the Grand Stairs, I was struck by the similarity to the state of play under their regime when their friends and cronies were openly awarded plum contracts and the present system where the civil service now awards the plums to their friends and cronies on the "Approved Supplier" lists. No change there then either.
As I said at the outset, It was a dark and stormy night ....
Posted by The Gray Monk at February 28, 2007 07:49 PM
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