SOPPY SUNDAY
Month: September 2018
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
Grateful thanks to John and Dave.
LETTER FROM MUNGUIN
Richard Leonard Retweeted Scottish Labour
How much more evidence is needed until the SNP government finally ban mesh? It’s time to consign this discredited and dangerous practice to the history books.
Richard Leonard added,
0:52
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Dr Philippa Whitford Retweeted Richard Leonard
Dear Richard Leonard,
I know what it’s like in your first few days in the job. You’re not entirely sure where the toilets are, if you can just go make a coffee when you want, or when yer granny phones, you’re not sure if you can take the call or not.
You also aren’t quite sure of what the organisation does in all its detail, and of what your personal responsibilities are.
It’s a difficult time, these first few days and weeks, as we can see from your first FMQs (as recently tweeted by Wings):
It is completely reasonable, in these initial days and weeks, that you get mixed up from time to time about whether your organisation is, or isn’t responsible for a variety of things.
But don’t worry, after you have been in post for a few months all of this will become clear. And never forget that you have a paid team of researchers to help you out. So don’t worry about having to go and ask.
They should be able to find you a list like the one I include here for your use. And I’m sure that, if you ask nicely, someone will provide more detail.
Reference to this information may save you making silly and quite high profile errors like criticising the government for something over which they have no control… you know, like drugs policy, or employment legislation, industrial relations, telecommunications, railway nationalisation… etc.
Many of these things are reserved for the Tories at Westminster, which can make governing rather difficult.
Maybe too, you should check with someone to see whether you campaigned against the devolution of a reserved matter before criticising the current government for shortcomings in that area. It may go against the grain, but you can always criticise the Conservatives.
And finally, remember that your close friend and colleague, Mr Jones, runs a government in Wales. He has responsibility and power for some things. You can always give him a call, or look over his result statistics, before you launch into an unfortunate criticism of a better performing similar service in Scotland.
Now I realise that the Press, or some of it, is, to an extent, on your side, and that they won’t make a huge deal of little errors. Indeed, even the parts of the press that aren’t really on your side will probably give you a by on some stuff, because they’d rather shut up shop than let the SNP government look as if it knew what it was doing.
But you need to remember that there are sites like Wings over Scotland that are read by more people in a day than is most of the Press. And these sites will be relentless.
So take care.
I’m sure these little blunders are just teething troubles and that you’ll soon find your feet.
And one further wee piece of advice. Don’t just take for granted what your top team says. Perhaps most particularly, Neil Findlay, Jackie Baillie and the sit down man.
Yours sincerely
Munguin.
PS: Notes and Corrections:
I fear I may have fallen into the trap against which I warned you. Having just checked with my trusty (more or less) factotum, Tristan, or whatever he’s called, I find that you have, in fact, been in your current job for nearly a year and not nearly a fortnight as I had been led to believe.
I can’t help feeling that, by now, you should have got past asking people where to find the Gents.
Oh, and obviously, I don’t REALLY know what it’s like in your first few weeks at work as I don’t actually work. Clearly, as owner and proprietor of Munguin’s Republic, if my granny phones me, it’s my business.
Regards
M
GEEZ PEACE (AND SOME GOODWILL), WILL YOU?
Yes, folks… it’s that time of the year again.
“‘Tis the season to be jolly. Tra la la la la, etc.”
Stop it, stores. In this case Tesco, but other companies are at it too.
In your desperate rush to make more and more and yet more money, you greedy pigs have turned Christmas from being something that was a mildly enjoyable midwinter festival, regardless of your religious affiliation or otherwise, into a foul money grubbing exercise, which now starts trying to extract our hard earned towards the end of August.
I personally went off the whole notion of Christmas many years ago, when it crept from being the predominant theme of December into dominating in November. Now you people are flogging Santa Clause in August. (Yes, I know it’s September, but I saw these things in August.)
You’ve spoiled something that might once have been a bit of magic thanks to your insatiable GREED.
Just out of interest, what do you reckon the person at the centre of the “raison d’être” for Christmas (it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, in case you’d forgotten) would think of your festival of greed and consumerism, y’know, given the number of people who will get themselves into horrible levels of debt so as to not let down their kids?
Thanks to Jon in Chicago for picking out two comic gems pocking fun at Christmas:
and
Both hilarious.
WHAT IS BREXIT?
THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE COMING FROM EDINBURGH
HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS WHAT LONDON WILL BRING US…
BUT CIVIL WAR IN THE TORY PARTY OVER BREXIT AND IN THE LABOUR PARTY OVER ANTI-SEMITISM APPEAR TO BE THE ORDER OF THE DAY
I think that trying to split the Liberal Democrats might be a bit like trying to split the atom, but I expect they’ll have a go. Isn’t Vince set up to make an announcement soon?
I KNEW HER DANCING WAS PRETTY BAD, BUT IMPRISONABLE?
Caption competition:
In the past, we have offered as a prize for our competitions, a weekend in the Clyde Tunnel with Jackie Baillie. But Munguin’s Republic is moving up in t’world. For this new competition, the winner will be offered the opportunity to enjoy a weekend guided tour of t’Yorkshire Moors with none other than Tricky Dicky Leonard (and we mean none other… just you and Richard).
The second prize will be 5 days of the same.
Munguin says he will understand if winners offer their prizes to charity.
Terms and conditions apply
AFFORDABLE HOMES BUILT BY TRUE PROFESSIONALS
I found this progression of photos on the net a few weeks ago. I don’t now know where, or who should get the credit, but they are truly wonderful so my grateful thanks go to the originator.
SO, EVEN THE RIGHT WING OF THE TORY PARTY ADMITS THAT WE HAVE CEASED TO BE A DEMOCRACY
MUNGUIN WOULD ARGUE THAT WE NEVER WERE, BUT…
SOPPY SUNDAY
Paris: Île de la Cité
Bonus:
MUNGUIN'S NEW REPUBLIC 