Yes, David Osler, poor chap, is turning circles having just got his hands on a copy of the spin doctors' script for Labour MPs to follow when responding to the 'Tory cuts'. You see, the poor dears cannot think for themselves; indeed, 'Cain' Miliband would strongly discourage such independent thought processes, after all, they might start thinking that a bloke with his sort of huge dark rings under the eyes might indicate a mammoth hangover which would explain his inept performances so far in the Commons, and that perhaps Comrades Ed and Yvette were right to suggest that the Party had made a big mistake!
Of course, Osler, a decent cove even if he is a hopeless old Lefty, is in real pain at the revelation of the total inadequacy of the Tribunes of the People even if their utter uselessness has been obvious to most of us for years. I have offered him a balm in his comments by reminding him that glove-puppetry is an equal opportunity task undertaken by party leaderships on both sides of the House.
If only these pesky politicians would keep their thought-controlling experiments to themselves it might not be too bad but already their creepy influence is seeping into general life. Anyway, I urge you all to pop over to Mr. Osler's bunker and read what the Thought Commissars are telling their automatums.
PS: If some clever clogs wants to come on here and tell me that the plural of 'automatum' is 'automatae' my response is - get a life!
PPS: My house spell-checker, DM, tells me in the comments that the correct word is 'automaton', and my OED, which I should have used in the first place, tells me that the plural is 'automata' or 'automatons'. I tell you, this blog is real education, for me, that is. Anyway, I'm off now to write my hundred lines, he's a hard task-master that DM!
No, he is not in real pain. He knows many Labour MPs personally - indeed, has known some former ministers since his time in Labour Students in the 1980s - and has long suspected that they are not the sharpest tools in the box.
But thanks for the kind thoughts, David.
Posted by: Dave O | Thursday, 21 October 2010 at 17:48
Not at all, Dave, and glad to know that you are in recovery!
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 21 October 2010 at 18:15
I thought the word was "automaton", Duffers. But maybe they changed it without consulting me.
Posted by: dearieme | Thursday, 21 October 2010 at 21:43
They wouldn't dare! Thanks and please see addition above.
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 21 October 2010 at 23:28