tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post3696481172618307085..comments2024-03-20T07:12:19.838+00:00Comments on A VIEW FROM HAM COMMON: Why are US politicians funnier than ours?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post-49444262120650655102012-10-19T16:43:15.272+01:002012-10-19T16:43:15.272+01:00well there's a good argument for introducing t...well there's a good argument for introducing that tradition :-)Richard Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03546947405923306990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post-53164583381430688002012-10-19T14:09:48.739+01:002012-10-19T14:09:48.739+01:00I missed your Hague comment. Fair enough.
I sort ...I missed your Hague comment. Fair enough.<br /><br />I sort of agree with you but I think Cameron, Blair even Major would be able to give a humorous set-piece speech if it was required of them. Brown and Thatcher I would have doubts about but as you say we don't have a tradition of this. If we did maybe they never would have been elected.<br />Mark Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post-14145893550128812542012-10-19T14:07:26.116+01:002012-10-19T14:07:26.116+01:00ah, now I do agree on Hague (I did mention him...)...ah, now I do agree on Hague (I did mention him...); saw him speak at a dinner once and he was absolutely hilarious.<br /><br />But i'd struggle to really find examples of set piece speeches that do the same as US Leaders do; Cameron at the Mansion House for example. I think maybe its because we have no tradition of expecting them to be funny? Remember Tony Blair doing Catherine Taite for Comic Relief? Him doing it was funny - but he wasn't that funny himself (in fact he was acting a role which he did rather well - Oh the irony)<br /><br />I do remember other leaders doing interesting stuff - Neil Kinnock was in a Tracy Ullman video - but can i imagine any of the current party leaders carrying off the Al Gore saturday Night Live speech? Not really, if I'm honest.<br /><br />I would happily organise an event to see if they can do it tho....<br /><br /><br /><br />Richard Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03546947405923306990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post-78324310025733175562012-10-19T13:21:33.801+01:002012-10-19T13:21:33.801+01:00You're not comparing like with like though. Th...You're not comparing like with like though. Thatcher famously didn't have much of a sense of humour.<br /><br />But William Hague for example can be hilarious. His "Tony Blair becoming President of Europe" speech a few years back was sublime.<br /><br />We also have (and have had) MPs like Tony Banks, Stephen Pound and Mo Mowlam. Tony Blair had a great ear for a joke and excellent comic timing.<br /><br />And on our own side of course Tim Farron who I suspect could have been a stand-up comedian if he had wanted to.<br /><br />I think we do better than you are giving ourselves credit for.<br />Mark Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.com