Political Wit

[Zeb_Carter]

Read this on another site...thought at least the Brits would get a chuckle out of it.

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Political Wit

Now that the U.S. elections are done, this seemed a good time to pass on a very good example of political history and political wit. Benjamin Disraeli was British Prime Minister in 1868, and again from 1873 - 1880. Disraeli was a brilliant man and famous for his rapier-like wit.

As the story goes, one of Disraeli's political opponents was addressing the the Parliament, railing at Disraeli's policies. Disraeli sat behind, and on a higher level, than than the speaker and kept kibbitzing throughout the man's speech, drawing chuckles and laughter from the members of Parliament.

As the kibbitzing continued, the speaker became angrier and angrier. Suddenly, his face red with anger the speaker turned and pointing an accusing finger at Disraeli angrily shouted, "You, sir, shall die either by the hangman's noose or of some dreaded disease!"

Without missing a beat, Disreali stood up and said: "Only, sir, if I embrace either your policies or your mistress!"

At that point, the Parliament was rolling with laughter and a recess had to be called. Disraeli's opponent never got to finish his speech.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Without missing a beat, Disreali stood up and said: "Only, sir, if I embrace either your policies or your mistress!"

At that point, the Parliament was rolling with laughter and a recess had to be called. Disraeli's opponent never got to finish his speech.

*snerk*

Poor guy's name isn't even mentioned in the story!

 

[Liar]

Heh. That's how it goes when it's political wit against political twit.

 

[kendo1]

The same goes on nowadays.

Part of the fun of the Commons.


Is it similar over the pond?

 

[cantdog]

Nope. Leaden bombast and cynical lies are the usual fare.

 

[SweetPrettyAss]

Read this on another site...thought at least the Brits would get a chuckle out of it.

---------------------------

Political Wit

Now that the U.S. elections are done, this seemed a good time to pass on a very good example of political history and political wit. Benjamin Disraeli was British Prime Minister in 1868, and again from 1873 - 1880. Disraeli was a brilliant man and famous for his rapier-like wit.

As the story goes, one of Disraeli's political opponents was addressing the the Parliament, railing at Disraeli's policies. Disraeli sat behind, and on a higher level, than than the speaker and kept kibbitzing throughout the man's speech, drawing chuckles and laughter from the members of Parliament.

As the kibbitzing continued, the speaker became angrier and angrier. Suddenly, his face red with anger the speaker turned and pointing an accusing finger at Disraeli angrily shouted, "You, sir, shall die either by the hangman's noose or of some dreaded disease!"

Without missing a beat, Disreali stood up and said: "Only, sir, if I embrace either your policies or your mistress!"

At that point, the Parliament was rolling with laughter and a recess had to be called. Disraeli's opponent never got to finish his speech.

The other person may have been Gladstone, who was a rivsal of Disraeli. D. is also credited with this: Somebody asked him the difference between a misfortune and a calamity. He answered: "If Gladstone fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. If somebody pulled him out, it would be a calamity."

 

[kendo1]

Some Winston quotes I like.

'I am going to make a long speech because I haven't had time to prepare a short one'


To a well endowed woman who told him she had got up at dawn and driven a hundred miles to attend the unveiling of his bust in Richmond, Virginia: 'Madam, I want you to know that I would be happy to reciprocate the honour.'


'He is a modest man who has a great deal to be modest about'

When proposing a toast to Stalin at a conference he praised his desire for peace, then in a whisper to a colleague: 'A piece of Poland, a piece of Czeckoslovakia...'

'This paper by its very length defends itself against the risk of being read'


'I can well understand the honourable member's wishing to speak on. He needs the practice badly'

 

[TheEarl]

Churchill: Madam, I may be drunk. But you are ugly and I will be sober in the morning.

Lady Astor: Winston, if you were my husband, I'd put poison in your coffee.
Churchill: Madam, if you were my wife, I'd drink it.

The Earl

 

[Tuomas]

Disraeli was nifty ...

"A Conservative Government is an organized hypocrisy."
Clearly a Labour man...

"Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action."
An avid Schwarzenegger fan...

"Assassination has never changed the history of the world."
... in a speech while visiting Sarajevo.

"Be amusing: never tell unkind stories; above all, never tell long ones."
Another lit enthusiast...

"Conservatism discards Prescription, shrinks from Principle, disavows Progress; having rejected all respect for antiquity, it offers no redress for the present, and makes no preparation for the future."
On the virtues of George W. Bush...

"Damn your principles! Stick to your party."
... the keg is in the back.

"Despair is the conclusion of fools."
... chuckling at Tuomas.

"Duty cannot exist without faith."
...on the separation of church and state.

"Every man has a right to be conceited until he is successful."
Definately a good Prime Minister...

"Moderation has been called a virtue to limit the ambition of great men, and to console undistinguished people for their want of fortune and their lack of merit."
... modestly speaking, of course.

 

[ishtat]

Read this on another site...thought at least the Brits would get a chuckle out of it.

---------------------------

Political Wit

Now that the U.S. elections are done, this seemed a good time to pass on a very good example of political history and political wit. Benjamin Disraeli was British Prime Minister in 1868, and again from 1873 - 1880. Disraeli was a brilliant man and famous for his rapier-like wit.

As the story goes, one of Disraeli's political opponents was addressing the the Parliament, railing at Disraeli's policies. Disraeli sat behind, and on a higher level, than than the speaker and kept kibbitzing throughout the man's speech, drawing chuckles and laughter from the members of Parliament.

As the kibbitzing continued, the speaker became angrier and angrier. Suddenly, his face red with anger the speaker turned and pointing an accusing finger at Disraeli angrily shouted, "You, sir, shall die either by the hangman's noose or of some dreaded disease!"

Without missing a beat, Disreali stood up and said: "Only, sir, if I embrace either your policies or your mistress!"

At that point, the Parliament was rolling with laughter and a recess had to be called. Disraeli's opponent never got to finish his speech.

The attribution of this quotation is not correct. The situation occurred about 100 years earlier in the 1770's

The playwright and MP Richard Brinsley Sheridan had been teasing a country member who eventually blew his top and cried out

"Sir you will either die of the pox or on the gallows"

To which Sheridan replied "That Mr Speaker will entirely depend on whether I embrace the honourable gentlemans' principles or his mistress"

The interjection was recorded in the Westminster Review which in itself was interesting because it was still illegal in those days to publish Parliamentary debates.

Sheridan is thought by many historians to have been perhaps Britains greatest parliamentary wit and like Churchill in later years he would work out a riposte and wait, sometimes for years to use it. My favourite story of Churchill concerned a debate in which the great man was tormenting a junior Minister in the Labour Government called Reginald Pailing. Eventually Pailing had had enough and blew his top shouting "You dog sir, you dirty dog"

Churchill then rose slowly to his feet turned to the speakers chair and said "I must Mr Speaker admit the truth of the honourable members remarks and observe that this House (of Commons) is well aware of what dirty dogs do to Pailings".

 

[kendo1]

And Margaret Thatcher...

I don't know what I would do without Whitelaw. Everyone should have a Willy.


And of course, Yes, Prime Minister...


Humphrey: Well, it's clear that the committee has agreed that your new policy is a really excellent plan but in view of some of the doubts being expressed, may I propose that I recall that after careful consideration, the considered view of the committee was that while they considered that the proposal met with broad approval in principle, that some of the principles were sufficiently fundamental in principle and some of the considerations so complex and finely balanced in practice, that, in principle, it was proposed that the sensible and prudent practice would be to submit the proposal for more detailed consideration, laying stress on the essential continuity of the new proposal with existing principles, and the principle of the principal arguments which the proposal proposes and propounds for their approval in principle.