Same old same old

Lord Dixon-Smith is a Conservative party front-bencher. It doesn't matter what Lord Graham (Labour) has been talking about; what's important is Lord Dixon-Smith's apparent weary resignation to the prospect of sordid business as usual under the impending government of his own party:

Lord Dixon-Smith: I was fascinated by the remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Graham. They really got me going. I had this awkward thought; I wished that I could ... take his remarks back to when he was the Opposition Chief Whip in this House and would have understood exactly where we were coming from. Apparently, this afternoon, he pretends that he does not, but of course he does.

Lord Graham of Edmonton: That was then and this is now.

Lord Dixon-Smith: Quite so. This is the nature of politics and we all need to remember what goes on. One of the things that I found fascinating in relation to the 1997 election ... was that we all changed where we were sitting in the House, but the speeches stayed where they were. It was ever thus and I have no doubt that it will not be too long before we are performing that charade again.