Monday 19 November 2007

Process stories

Well, my non-Bottler edict for today clearly hasn't worked, because here we go again. Apologies.

As part of what is clearly a coordinated attempt to rebut suggestions that the Bottler's government is collapsing around his head, with ministers stiffled and bullied and the Bottler constantly interfering, the baby foreign secretary, David Miliband, has dismissed reports of a rift between him and the Bottler, claiming that they are 'process stories.'

What, when they are at home, are 'process stories?'

Can someone enlighten me please?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Difficult to explain. It's when the story is about the people involved rather than the policies in play.

That's about as good as I can do, I'm afraid. And the fact that I can even say that much tells me I ought to get out more.

The Creator said...

Well, I sort of guessed in fact. But it still seems to me a thoroughly stupid defence. But then, he is of course a member of a thoroughly stupid govt.

Anonymous said...

It means he's an idiot. But you knew that already.

PS. You're latest masterwork has arrived. I shall be amusing myself reading a chapter a day. Looks good, ideal for the Aged Parent.

Incidentally, I read somewhere that "The Flyer" was exhibited at a museum in London up to and including the Second World War, presumably because some Americans refused to believe in the Wright Brothers' achievement. If that's true it's a shame we couldn't hang on to it. It would be a bit like having the first ever wheel.

(Don't worry, I won't be bombarding you with questions every day!)

The Creator said...

The Wright Flyer 1 was indeed exhibited at the Science Museum in London until just after the war. It was a matter of pique on the part of Orville Wright, the only surviving brother, because the Smithsonian refused to acknowledge in ways Orville considered sufficiently grovelling his and Wilbur's breakthrough. This was chiefly because the Smithsonian had been run by Samuel Langley, who in 1903 had built perhaps the most unsuccessful flying machine in history, the Great Aerodrome. So Orville had the original Flyer shipped to London.

Anonymous said...

Is this, do you think, the worst government this country has ever had?
I honestly can't think of a worse one.

I was a member of the Labour Party for many a long year. Cut my party card in two and posted it back to them in 1999, by which time it had become obvious to me that the party manifesto promise on PR was not going to be honoured.

Failing to honour manifesto promises is getting to be a habit, isn't it. That alone should make it a candidate for worst government ever. In this context, worst is a reasonable synonym for stupidest.

The Creator said...

Yes, I do. By a large margin. To the obvious spin of the Blair era we now have incompetence, dishonesty and ineptitude on gigantic scales. It is a seriously dismal prospect.