Heard the one about the MP who thought he was a comedian? |
There are so many ways to mangle brilliance. If you’re a present or former member of Take That, you’ll know what I mean when it comes to taking the sweet essence of the Bee Gees and turning their hits into something as bland and devoid of colour as an Ikea Billy bookcase. And if you’re James Cleverly, you may have learnt last week that members of parliament using comedy catchphrases invariably turns the gag from gold into something that floats at the top of a storm drain.
Referring to Housing Secretary Steve Reed, Cleverly asked in the Commons: ‘What was it about the Labour party’s collapse in the opinion polls that first attracted him to the cancellation of local elections?’ – paraphrasing the late Caroline Aherne’s immortal ‘What first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?’ question to the diminutive magician’s wife Debbie McGee in the 1990s on The Mrs Merton Show.
The point Cleverly was trying to make was a valid, and serious, one. But it was hard for me to take stock of the politics while also cringing so hard that my body began contorting as I listened to the debate on the radio. With politicians and pub bores alike, the lesson should have long been learnt........