The culture secretary asked permission from the Speaker to break into verse before quoting Shakespeare
It was before-the-royal-wedding day in the Commons. The streets were already thronged, so that picking your way past squats, encampments and temporary lean-tos was like being in Terminal 5 on a snow day, or trying to jump the queue at Harrods' sale.
In the Commons corridors, Labour MPs were bitterly complaining about the fact that neither Tony Blair nor Gordon Brown had been invited to the wedding. Indeed only three Labour politicians of any stripe have been summoned. Whatever you think about Mr Blair, he was electorally the most successful prime minister of the past 100 years, and to leave him out seems like a snub not just to him, but to the millions who, rightly or wrongly, voted for him.
Perhaps they contacted him informally and said: "But of course you won't want to bring your wife," and out of loyalty he refused to go.
The general assumption was that the decision was made by the courtiers, Sir Rupert FitzGerald and Sir Gerald FitzRupert, or whatever they're called. Who are these idiots who persist in trying to run the monarchy as if we were still in pre-Victorian days? We don't expect them to bring in focus groups, but surely some faint knowledge of public opinion would do no harm?
In the chamber, however, members were eager to wish the happy couple well. (No, of course not Cameron and Clegg ? that marriage has already reached the separate bedrooms stage.)
Ivan Lewis, the shadow culture secretary, talked about a "joyous occasion". "Of course," he added snippily, "they were not responsible for the guest list in terms of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport."
This was a reference to Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, who, for reasons known to the FitzTightlys at Buckingham Palace, has been invited. Mr Hunt himself asked permission from the Speaker (also invited, along with his wife) to break into verse. He quoted Shakespeare:
Make but my name thy love, and love that still,
And then thou lovest me, for my name is "Will".
MPs thought that wonderful. And how lucky, they may have reflected, that Shakespeare wasn't christened Kevin.
It was certainly wonderful for Mr Hunt, who had to answer only one question about handing over all of BSkyB to Rupert Murdoch. It is a finely balanced conundrum for the culture secretary. On the one hand, Mr Murdoch's papers were engaged in massive amounts of illegal phone hacking, and lied about it. And there is a serious danger of a Murdoch near-monopoly on the provision of news, sport and entertainment.
On the other hand, Mr Murdoch supported the Tories at the election. What would you do, chums? We can easily guess what Mr Hunt will do when he gets out of his morning suit today. Greg Hands tried to keep the mood of jollity going. He wanted the portrait of Gordon Brown that has just gone up in No 10 to be copied and brought to the house "for identification purposes".
This lumpish attempt at humour ? Mr Brown has been almost entirely absent of late ? is exactly the thing that makes Tory MPs laugh immoderately, and the rest of us groan, not inwardly either.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/apr/28/jeremy-hunt-bard-to-verse
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