Play With Words

《卫报》(The Guardian)的 Michael White 有着一手风趣的文笔。有关这次提前大选风波，他写道：

…But what mattered yesterday was that Mr Brown blinked first. In the long run it may not prove to be what managers sometimes call a CLM – a career limiting moment. If he recovers strongly the “Bottler Brown” jibe will fade.

But the weekend’s drama was defintely a career enhancing moment for two of the other players. Mr Cameron may just have had a “people’s princess” moment with the Middle Britain public. And this was surely the day when Mr Marr inherited one of nation’s great constitutional offices. From here on he is The Dimbleby of State.

Mr Marr : Andrew Marr. 原 BBC 政治编辑 (political editor)，现在担任 BBC One 星期天早晨的政治清谈节目 The Andrew Marr Show。这次 Gordon Brown 就是选择他的节目宣布不会有提前的大选。此举代表了 Andrew Marr 的节目在英国政治生活中的重要地位－－与另一位资深的时事节目主持人 Johnathan Dimbleby 看齐。

猜猜看，说的是那一家？

From Guardian’s Diary column:

When we hear so much from politicians about antisocial behaviour, it is good to have real testimonies from real people. Readers like Ray Mitcham. People who’ve suffered. “We have a huge council house in our street,” he says. “The extended family is run by a grumpy old woman with a pack of fierce dogs. Her car isn’t taxed or insured, but the police still do nothing. Her bad-tempered old man is famous for upsetting foreigners with racist comments. A shopkeeper blames him for ordering the murder of his son and his son’s girlfriend, but nothing has been proved yet. All their kids have broken marriages except the youngest. Two grandsons are meant to be in the army but are always seen out in nightclubs. The family’s odd antics are always in the papers. They are out of control. Honestly – who’d live near Windsor Castle?” Who indeed.

Guardian’s Hadley Freeman answers the question “Why do fashion models look so grumpy” from a male reader. (I must confess I have the same question but not sure whom to ask.)

Well, try being a model: you can’t eat, you barely get to sleep and you often have to wear really stupid clothes yet keep a straight face while the photographer shouts about how you should shag the camera, or something.

Jeff Jarvis explains what’s the point of lifestreaming:

…For in those lines were people with small cameras hooked to laptops, which used mobile phones to transmit video to the internet, live. They are lifestreamers, who have been simulcasting their lives 24 hours a day. Why? Because it’s there. They’d already been blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, Flickring, podcasting and YouTubing their lives. Live video was merely their next frontier.

Leo Lewis of the Times described the difference between Moutain Lady and Wall Lady, two leading characters of the popular Japanese TV series:

The show is based on one of the best-selling manga comic books of 2005 and follows the fortunes of the serious-minded, flat-chested Megumi Aoyagi and her sweet-natured, generously proportioned colleague, Marie Mariya.

Guardian’s Hadley Freeman answers the question “Why do women carry such bloody great handbag?“

You want to know why we need such big bags? I’ll tell you why. Because we are the responsible gender. Oh sure, you guys think you are ever so nonchalant and spontaneous, stuffing your keys, wallet and phone into your back pocket and being good to go. Silly women, who can’t even pop to the local shop without stuffing the flipping kitchen sink into their handbags, right? But who do you turn to when you need a tissue? Or a compact for an emergency post-lunch teeth check? Or a pen, or a diary to check one’s availality for the next month? That’s right, to your good lady friend, standing there with her bloody great handbag, like a faithful courtier anticipating her prince regent’s every bloody great need.

Which does not exactly answer the question. Besides, there is ‘man bag’ which is growing its popularity. But I like her writing.

Jane Godley is quoted on The Scotsman saying:

This terror attack (at Glasgow Airport) has confused Glaswegians. They’re asking if the attackers were Protestant Muslims or Catholic Muslims.

英国首相交接的正式公告－－来自白金汉宫

Wednesday, 27th June 2007

BUCKINGHAM PALACE: Mr. Justice Griffith Williams was received by The Queen this morning upon his appointment as a Justice of the High Court when Her Majesty conferred upon him the honour of Knighthood and invested him with the Insignia of a Knight Bachelor.

Mr. Richard Stagg was received in audience by The Queen upon his appointment as British High Commissioner to the Republic of India.

Mrs. Stagg was also received by Her Majesty.

The Rt. Hon Tony Blair MP had an audience of The Queen this afternoon and tendered his resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury which Her Majesty was graciously pleased to accept.

Mrs. Blair was also received by The Queen.

Her Majesty received in audience the Rt. Hon Gordon Brown MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt. Hon Gordon Brown MP accepted The Queen’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.

Mrs. Brown was also received by Her Majesty.

看过 The Queen (2006) 都知道皇室礼仪(protocol)的重要性，还有一个谜团，到底有没有 kissed hands 呢？

Rt. Hon: Right honourable
MP: Member of Paliarment

在星期二布莱尔最后一次记者招待会上，布莱尔被问道对他的继任者有没有什么建议？我们来看记者们是如何话外听音的：

Simon Hoggart on the Guardian:

Someone asked if he had any advice for his successor. “No”, he snapped. “He is perfectly capable of doing the job on his own.” The word “Not!” hovered unspoken in the air.

Andrew Gimson on the Daily Telegraph:

“Do you have any advice for your successor?” another correspondent ventured, to which Mr Blair replied with a brevity almost worthy of Clement Attlee: “No. He’s perfectly capable of doing the job on his own, thank you.”

Some of us took this to mean that Mr Blair will leave Gordon Brown to make a terrible mess of being Prime Minister and will then have a jolly good laugh at his expense.

Lucy Mangan of the Guardian describes the voice of Margaret Thatcher:

As the child of parents who worked in the NHS and the National Theatre, I was brought up to think of her as a one-woman hell on earth, but I popped a few pills and did my best to follow Marr’s examination of the Thatcherite years despite the fact that her voice – that self-aggrandising, cloying, patronised and patronising voice oozing out of that vicious, dead-eyed face – still paralyses me with fear and loathing.

I’m always amazed to see Thatcher is hated so much by some people.