(no subject)

[webofevil]

Long will I cherish the sight of the new Prime Minister nearly getting brained by Black Rod’s black rod. MPs were standing in the chamber of the Lords to hear the Queen’s proclamation, and David Cameron, not having done this before, had no reason to expect that, at the end of proceedings, the Yeoman Usher (bearing the black rod on Black Rod's behalf) in front of him with the ceremonial big stick over his shoulder would suddenly step backwards and nearly take his eye out. As the Yeoman Usher swung round to march out, still with the rod on his shoulder and all without looking around him, the PM and Sir George Young leaned way back in pantomime fear.
Also, Ben Bradshaw had brought his newspaper with him. I don’t know how long he thought it was going to take.

Comments

[lifesizemonkey.livejournal.com]

Oh gawd, you have made my day with the Ben Bradshaw thing. Is there TV footage?

[webofevil.livejournal.com]

No—even if this ceremony was televised (and I don’t think it was), Bradshaw was carrying it down behind his back.

If this helps to brighten your day, though, about six months ago a colleague chanced upon him in a corridor in the Commons—in her words—“skipping along whistling ‘I Am What I Am’”. We never did find out what had occasioned this, and maybe that’s best.