Ken Clarke dancing with Ann Widdecombe

I can’t help thinking about how celebrity seems to subside when it reaches the House of Commons: there have been ‘celebrities’ who have entered parliament and found themselves pushed to the background in a place where looks are largely irrelevant.  Although it’s worth noting that Milliband and Cameron share the same bland-featured physiognomy as Blair, many others are more individual: Teresa May and Harriet Harman are individually recognisable; Brown, though repellent in every aspect, was instantly knowable – whereas, when you look at the latest – and, please God! the last – batch of ‘slebs’ on Big Brother it’s hard to tell them apart.  ’Who’s that?’ I say to Holly.  ’Chagara,’ she says, nonchalantly.  ’And who is Chagara?’ I enquire.  Holly shrugs.  ’Singer,’ is all I can get out of her.  What these people are  - ie famous – is obviously far more important than what they do (if anything).  There are at least two on the current BB who must be clones of each other *, though the men, of course, have more freedom to be ugly, so long as they make up for it by being muscular and having the requisite number of tattoos.  So I am happy with the tendency of parliament to render these features irrelevant.

On no Account

If I banked with RBS I would move my account after hearing today’s news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16752358

Except that I can’t because I have an overdraft.  Can you move overdrafts from one bank to another?  Has anyone done this?  What were your experiences?

It’s cold today – in fact it’s decidedly parky – and this leads me to wonder what the origin of the word ‘parky’ might be.  I doubt whether it’s anything to do with being in the park.  Let us consult the oracle:

‘Mark?  Mark?  What’s the origin of the word ‘parky’?’

‘I dunno’, he says.  ’Sounds like rhyming slang to me.’  He thinks about it.  ’Parkinson’s disease – freeze.’

LOL.  Anyone know the origin of the word ‘parky’?

I hope it’s rhyming slang – I’m a great fan of that particular argot, especially as it’s a living thing, still being invented.  My favourite is George Cole’s character in ‘Minder’ saying ‘Me Chalfonts are killin’ me’.

So: today’s prize question is – what are Chalfonts?  The first person to comment gets a special mention in tomorrow’s post.

Kirk out

*sadly I have since found out that they are twins

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