If the right people don't have power - Yes, Prime Minister - BBC
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- Опубликовано: 28 апр 2010
- Bernard and Humphery discuss the disasterous possibility of a local government scheme. Classic clip from the political sitcom Yes, Prime Minister. Watch more high quality videos on the new BBC Worldwide RUclips channel here: / bbcworldwide
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As an Oxford man Humphrey is being very broad minded to acknowledge a second university.
Is Oxford better than Cambridge aur whatever is the second best?
@@nandi7772 They are equals
@@nandi7772 in terms of raising KGB spies the second is the obviously better one.
Hull?
Sorry, wrong sitcom
@@adamwelch6217 it wasn’t a sitcom but a reference to the Cambridge Five
"The Universities. Both of them." I Rolled up. XD
***** The two oldest (and arguably most prestigious) universities in the country and Oxford and Cambridge, with many people referring to the bulk of British Universities as "Redbricks" (often built/received their charters in the 1950/1960s) and looking down on them. This is a reference to that snobbery and elitism.
***** No probs. :)
ds1868 You're quite right. I know many people who attended Oxbridge myself, and there is sometimes an interesting rivalry and of course, yes Oxford was established first etc. I must admit that this hadn't occurred to me when I first watched it, but good points. Glad you raised them. :) So many layers of academic elitism. :P I on the other hand went to a mere "redbrick" ;)
lordchipmonk1 Dont forget there are other universities that aren't part of the oxbridge elite but are too old to be seen as redbricks. Edinburgh, St Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen are seen as the Scottish universities while Durham is seen as Oxbridge rejects. All of them together, including oxbridge are seen as the ancient universities but dont share the same levels of prestige.
Andrew Shaw True enough, true enough.
"This is a BRITISH democracy Bernard!" I cracked up :D
Oliver Clarke I loved that.
And that sums up Brexit.
😂
Oliver Clarke it reminds me of what I always hear. “it's socialism with Chinese characteristics! “
American Democracy. Those with the deepest pockets wins.
" This the British Democracy Bernard" rightly observed.
The delivery for "The universities .... both of them ......" is just pure perfection.
As a non-native speaker, these kind of comedies (satire) really educate on the mindset of UK citizens about politics. They are subtle and intelligently written. And the performance of the actors just adds another layer to its beauty.
It has become a rare gem nowadays unfortunately. Better treasure these brilliant pieces of art!
christ, english isn’t your mother tongue? i don’t speak as well as you do in my native language as you in your second language.
"precisely. months of fruitful work." -- best joke on youtube :D
guguigugu they and, ‘I’m a locksmith, and, I’m a locksmith.’.
When I started working as a civil servant for the Dutch government 28 years ago, the HR departement showed these to us as an introductory as a kind of warning. Het 5 years on, we were all like sir Humphrey. What he says is hard but true
With such a small country, how powerful can regional governments become?
@@christianweibrecht6555
You would be surprised.. we have a national government but also provincies al and long cal governments. Above that we have a shitload of quangos who have devolved authority on a huge amount of subjects like energy, waterways health and safety, finances, public domain, checks and balanc s, maar notities.
And of course we have regional cooperation structures with some German states/ bundesländer, and Belgian regional government,
And we have the EU directorates which issue ' guidelines ' and hundreds of bilateral and multilateral agreement with other countries
@@christianweibrecht6555
Our provinces in Canada are very powerful, but we are more of a Confederacy than a single state.
I don't blame you, I laughed hard at that too - and I work in Dutch health system (specifically working with the electronic systems for crisis centres and ensuring everything goes well on the technical side). It involves a lot of wrangling different Regions or the UK version of counties together, which is... sometimes painful
this is not a parody, but a documentary
jradetzky Yes a parody a great instrument to creat a scenario of layers of human mystery to put Us to work, they can comfortably life A parody, comedy that open something in our conciseness !
Laugh kind of my ignorant mind trying to wake up !
@@aaronlopez717 Fucking junkie.
jradetzky yes, this is a documentary. The real governments are a parody!
"The universities...BOTH of them." Dead pan reference to the cultural primacy in the UK of Oxford/Cambridge, the oldest British universities, to the exclusion of all others. Brilliant.
Yeah I think we got that Lee. Or should I say, Captain Obvious.
@@weepingangel6805 Who is we? Do you have a mouse in your pocket? Obviously.
@@weepingangel6805 I've burned you somehow. I had simply written that comment as a general observation and, as you can see, nobody else came back with a trite expression like "Captain obvious." Yes, I've burned you. You need to develop thicker skin.
@@weepingangel6805 Least Lee has a name and isn't hiding behind Weeping fucking angel.
@@jamescollins738 Lmao Lee got his bender boy James to come on YouTuibe and back his boy lmfaooo you guys are fucked
I like this conversation from a bit later in the same scene: Humphrey: "Do you want the National Theatre turned to a carpet warehouse?" Bernard: "Well it looks like one actually!" Humprey: "We gave the architect a knighthood, so no-one would ever say that!"
it is now recognized as one of the finest projects of its time
"Both of them." Genius.
LSE？？？？我不做人啦。
@@guoqiangwang4867 Even LSE is not totally against education!
Gosh "Radio 3 Universities" 1001 Knight
666 likes. Don't spoil it. The Order commands...
@@guoqiangwang4867 sorry to be obvious, but both of them refers to Oxford and Cambridge.. showing how Humphrey is a true snob
Just love the way he delivered the line "The universities ... both of them," ROFL. Absolutely love Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister, probably one of if not the best comedy programs around and it actually educates you about British politics too.
politics in general, i'd even say
IMHO the best thing there has EVER been on the telly...
But he is such an endearing posh snob isn't he?
Don't you anocracies?
sorry, i dont quite understand this one. What does it imply ?
I love their relationship. That of learned master and slightly terrified student
The siths always come in pairs.
@@ivantamayoromero1668 😂 Bernard is less to Humphrey here, than what Humphrey was to Arnold
@@rewrose2838 it is cannon that Bernard eventually rose to Arnold's position as he'd of the civil service.
"Bernard, come and sit down."
The fulcrum of each episode.
"The universities .... both of them" - lol
John King My thoughts exactly! *lol*
The guy playing Sir Humphrey is a brilliant actor.
Sir Nigel Hawthorne RIP.
@@fasteddyuk Sadly so.
He was once telephoned by the Daily Mail, or the Sun, I forget which - some sort of intellectual broad sheet, and the conversation went along these lines:
“So, Mister Hawthorne, rumour has it you’re about to come out as a homosexual. Have you any comment on this?”
“Come out as a homosexual? But listen dear boy, I have never even been in! I have been happily married to my gentlemen partner for twenty-five years!”
“Oh ...”
Terry Harris To be fair, everyone participated in that show was marvellous.
Who said it was a guy?
I was an Officer of the Crown for 15 Years.
My workload went from 100% to 0% in less than an afternoon.
My next 3 Years were spent with a Desk, a Computer, a Telephone, but No Duty Statement, No IN Box, No OUT Box, No Work.
3 Years of getting Paid to do absolutely nothing, then I Retired.
What a lad. Why does the job exist? What do you supposedly do?
I was an officer of the Crown for over 30 years. Busy all the time. Were you at MAFF possibly?
M Scott Sorry no. My time was spent embedded in the Military, as a Special Placement Officer specialising in Military Planning and Operational Logistics.
"But aren't they supposed to in a democracy?"
"This is a British democracy, Bernard!"
Love it xD
Derek Fowlds 1937 - 2020 RIP
Sad to learn about that. Some people don't understand how essential he was to Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. I watched a newer version of Yes, Prime Minister that did not feature him, and in watching this newer version, I was able to fully appreciate how great Derek Fowlds was.
Made during the golden years of the BBC, so much good content back then.
We have the same here in Australia with the ABC. Was great in the 70s, utter rubbish now. One eyed labour sentiment now.
Since we're right into the Information Era it is of utmost imortance for the ruling body to stay in the shadows. For this the common people have to be kept busy with brain numbing entertainment to stop them from even thinking about thinking for themselves.
And if you take a look at the US - it works.
And so little now.
@@ivorbiggun710 agreed. hopefully it will stop being a mandatory tax soon.
@@365techtips or maybe we pay a little more, mandate the BBC to educate and entertain the nation in a manner which doesn’t rot our collective brains.
Imagine if the BBC held power to account again, wouldn’t that be womderful
It still remains one of Britain's finest exports and still absolutely relevant. Brilliant in so many ways. I doubt this kind of genius will ever grace TV again.
I always find Sir Humphrey's talks on democracy and power of the government so relatable and identical to that of India's situations. The things said on YM and YPM are valid not just for the UK but for my country India too. Afterall we did inherit the 'Indian democracy' from the British.
Same here in Pakistan although we went through the sharia phase in 80s
At the deepest level, much of these shows is valid for all societies and all ages.
@@noneimportant5951 no it's not same you have military, maulana
Same for Malaysia too. 😂
Valid for Sri Lanka.
The look Nigel Hawthorne gives at 0:09 is absolute genius
The reason it’s still funny in 2019 is that essentially, nothing has changed.
EDIT ...or, viewed differently, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
And it will always be like this.
Not true. The civil service has been completely changed since the days of Yes, Minister. For one thing, under Blair, power was massively taken away from civil servants and put in the hands of politically-appointed "special advisers" (spads). Also the Civil Service is now obsessed with equality and diversity in its recruitment so you would never get any of the stuff like you see in the episode where they're talking about how they can't get more women as senior Civil Servants. Or, as another example, when applying to most Civil Service jobs you can't even *say* which university you attended, so that they can't favour Oxbridge over others.
(N.B. I'm not commenting on whether any of that is good or bad, just saying you are factually inaccurate to say it nothing has changed.)
Yes Minister failed in the end. 40 years later and nothing has really changed.
@@brunokoch672 You stupid fucking animal.
I've never found this TV show to be funny. it's wonderfully witty, enjoyable, a true masterpiece.
you feel like laughing your head off, but... then you realise the matters discussed are real, true and very somber...
Satire of the highest order!
It was never totally real. It's a parody of reality but there are enough real elements to make it funny.
@@heliotropezzz333 Actually some of it was. The thing with the orange juice communication room in the Kumran embassy actually happened in, I believe, Pakistan.
@@TerryTheNewsGirl I must look that one up.
It's funny if you aren't English and don't have to suffer it (although our antipodean equivalent would undoubtedly be worse).
YM and YPM are possibly the best ways of helping people understand Britain.
It used to help the British understand Britain. Now they are happy to ingest X Factor and Jeremy Kyle until their brains rot.
And the civil service as a whole.
Hear, hear!!....although, I would not only circunscribe it to Britain, though. Taking into account regional and local nouances and customs, I dare say that it could be relevant to many societies...sorry...many governments around the world. Most certainly my own Chile...for, as Isabel Allende so aptly put it, we took from the British only 2 things: bad teeth and class consciousness, and believing, as we do, that we are to be the "English of South America" (for unfathomable as it might seem) our politicians subscribe entirely to the types of charades masterfully portrayed on this series.
And the thick of it its better with more swearing and more up to date.
And New Zealand, even now. Things like Humphries definition of a clarification hold true even now decades later.
Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds: great comic actors. Both of them :) .
I know what you meant to write. You meant to say "the cast of Yes Minister are such great comic actors. Both of them." But you were too kind. ;)
The look Humphrey gave Bernard was more eloquent than a hundred words. What brilliant acting.
"This is a Britsh democracy" always makes me laugh
lunaremus ....me too ! Laugh ! It , laugh when something real happens Open my ignorant pre- established thought , that I create! Laugh an emotion that is a little help to observe were I am ! Or like stoicism !
In Spanish language “ tonto , tonto , pero Observó ! “
The brilliance of the show is you never know what political party anyone is, and it takes enough from both the left and right to properly mock both and yet never be obvious in its biases
There are no parties, civil service owns the country.
At the end of the day, as the show demonstrates, it does not matter which party is in charge. As long as the Civil Service had its influence and power, only a small amount of policy got implemented effectively.
Bernard was definitely the most underrated character in this series, but Humphrey and hacker were both brilliant as well. Frankly every character was brilliant lmao
He was! Actually it wasn't intended for Bernard to get into the 3some in the first series, but he was that good they wrote more plots into the 2nd series for Bernard to enjoy
Derek said in a documentary (I believe in one about Nigel) that both leading actors (Nigel and Paul) went to the writers after the first series aired, and asked them to give more lines to him. Such great people they were.
In the end, Sir Humphrey was right. Sad, but true.
He wasn't completely wrong.
What I found ammusing was how Sir Humphrey merely looked at Bernard and he started backtracking.
He is a gentle soul and has trouble standing up to bullies. When he finally stands up to Humphrey in The Key, it's the best thing in the world!!
This series is perfection, like a jewel of writing, acting and production. Imagine the satisfaction in being involved in its creation. The Rolls Royce of sitcoms.
Harrods would sell it.
Very Sir Humphrey!
"Gosh!" So much summed up in that one word.
I should have watched this show before receiving my university education in England. It would help me understand the country immensely.
I actually agree with sir Huphrey. In India we have local govt and what Sir Humphrey says is true....
Maybe you should keep an eye to the barbarians , then ! They are coming to take your precious operas ! Both of them ...
India is just a shit hole though, it's near impossible comparing the two nations.
@@allovdem
No, it is not.
On the contrary: It is quite educational to compare things not identical.
You need to protect the IITs and the IIMs.
@@mirzaahmed6589 and the cultural centers that barbarians would never appreciate
Comedy's golden age! Not a single swear word! Just pure genius!
I watched this series over and over, I'll probably watch it before I die. Marvelous, timeless...
I do, then I get depressed because it's all too real.
@@rosemarybishop5776 Exactly
Omg this show is unparalleled. Good stuff.
"The average person is too easily swayed by superficiality."
Truer words have never been spoken.
Well educated, well informed, self thinking individuals are nowhere welcome in our society.
@@maxmustermann9587 Exactly. Which is a convincing argument against universal suffrage
@@mscott3918
You're misinterpreting me.
It is a statement about how rotten our society is and not about elections.
Regarding _universal suffrage_ :
For me, universal suffrage is just the first step.
Right now the upper 10%, the ruling body, do profit by keeping the masses stupid. Only when the whole society is permeated by *universal suffrage and public participation,* when the upper 10% can not avoid being affected by stupid decision of the masses anymore, then _"well educated, well informed, self thinking individuals"_ will be welcomed in our society. That, I think, is what will lead to democracy and justice.
Unfortunately a flawed argument. The problem with universal suffrage is that history shows the mob will support whoever promises what they want over those who plan for what they actually need.
No wise person would even THINK of trying to ring Mrs. Thatcher when this was on!
A simple look from Sir Humphrey and even the sternest crumble to dust.
Honestly: I agree with Humphrey's ideas about government. Not his general snobbery, but the principle that most people aren't qualified to govern. I don't think its anti-democratic to say that I don't trust the people. But I do trust their aspirations. I trust their desires, and I put my faith in the things they want.
Humphrey's*
Spot on. Parliamentary democracy is placed to make the decisions, not based on consensus rather experience. That experience makes better decision making in the long run. Endless consultations with the public leads to entrenched positions. We should trust the establishment, thats why they're there
The problem is Humphrey believes his ideas that too - but he doesn't recognise that while you need to think long term, the entire country isn't based on specifically prioritising the things he wants and the other civil servants in his in group. That's just the status quo at the moment so he can hide behind that even to himself. Which is why at least the consideration of alternate viewpoints and perspectives is needed, as long as you don't get bogged down trying to please every person.
That's why the Americans have a Constitutional Republic and not a democratically elected Federal Government based on direct majority rule. Lots of checks and balances were built-in to it because the Founding Fathers never in fact quite trusted the people to always come to sensible and workable solutions. Pity the Democrat Party have forgotten this and are trying to undermine their whole system now because it puts blocks in their way of achieving total and absolute totalitarian power. Modern politicians of all stripes nearly always it seems tend to base their decisions on short-term expediencies, whereas more sober calculating minds in the past with a thought to the future and who were acutely aware of the vagaries of human nature tended to have a longer perspective on such matters.
Here in Britain we have of course, largely because of our long and turbulent history, carefully constructed an illusory democratic system that basically gives us every four or five years what amounts to a Hobson's Choice for those who can be bothered to vote that is. We tend to elect one or the other of the "Westminster Parties" that our real unelected masters deem acceptable for a period. Sir Humphrey was in fact speaking the candid truth of the elitist entitled class here. By way of an illustration of his point, look what a dog's dinner and complete mess Devolution has wrought the UK for instance. The script writer knew his stuff and the dangers of meddling with traditions.
And look what the European Referendum in 2016 and its aftermath have bequeathed to the country also. Nothing but division and strife because that ill-advised clown Cameron in his haste to placate Ukip and save his Party from electoral collapse decided to give the people a true democratic choice based on a simple majority vote wins. True democracy based on such naive notions as simple majorities often gives unwelcome outcomes to those who believe they should always be in charge. No wonder the UK Civil Service had kittens when the result was announced. I bet they rued the day they allowed him to call (what for them now was) his "wretched Referendum". It screwed up forty years of certainty and their cosy management of our country with their fellow beurocrats in Brussels you see.
@@Spinnermist It's a slipperly slope and it's hard to keep the balance on it.
The older I get, the more I realize how true many of the jokes in this series are. And not just in the UK!
Such a great show! How did the BBC lose it’s way?
They tried to match ITV programmes, forgetting ratings are less important than quality. Especially when they don't even have adverts so don't even need the big ratings. Basically more stupid people in charge of the BBC for the last two decades.
Philip Osborne why did they tried to, and successfully shut Top Gear down then, when it’s at the forefront of low brow mass media? Isn’t that where they want to go? Weren’t Top Gear one of the few profitable shows by the BBC? They even have a tour and a live show. It’s puzzling. I don’t know what the BBC really wants anymore.
'..the wrong people got into power'.
@@lc9245
The BBC didn't want to get rid of Jeremy Clarkson (which wasn't the same thing as 'getting rid of Top Gear'), the 'incident' happened at an inopportune time as the BBC was heavily trying to crack down on 'workplace bullying' at the time, and Clarkson handled the incident very badly, from what I understand: he didn't really go to the people in the BBC on his side and let the narrative be controlled by people who disliked him.
I don't think the BBC actually wanted to fire Clarkson, but they felt they had to: whether they actually had to is a matter of debate.
@@IamGrimalkin In the interview with Mr Producer, he claimed that the BBC didn't like them and once they had the opportunity, those who disliked them pushed for Clarkson's removal and it got through. He might be exaggerating their beef with the BBC, but I can certainly see why the BBC executives dislike Top Gear constant controversy, huge expenses and even had to share profits with Mr Producer and Clarkson.
Now we know why the Brexit will take more than "seven years of fruitful work!".
Think of all the new trade deals that need to be drafted. The new border agreement that they will need to draft with the Republic of Ireland. New immigration policies that need to be drafted and implemented. The British civil service will need to increase its ranks by 1/3, and they will still be working their fingers to the bone.
@@Sewblon Hey, you forgot the policies that need to be redrafted from the redraft of the draft.
@@narendrapanse7844 You are right. The civil service will need to employ the whole of Great Britain, plus all of Iceland to get this done.
@@Sewblon Well, on the upside at least there will be no cod-war.
@@narendrapanse7844 How do you figure?
The way he looks at him is priceless!
First thought hilarious cheered me up in these COVID times
Second thought why am I laughing this is bloody true Depression sets in
"This is a British democracy..." - damn, what a magnificent line!
My favourite line in the first episode “The people have the right to be ignorant”
We’ve seen how well regional government has gone. Divided the nation and wastes even more money with another layer of government and public servants. Hooray.
BOTH OF THEM BRILLANT
"The University..both of them" brilliant!!
It's the writing that's the key...wonder what Jay and Lynne would have to say today?
I tell you the delivery of the lines in this series by these people are just astoundingly amazing.
"....the Universities - both of them!"
I've worked for three different government departments in my time and I can you now its spot on, the vast majority of work isnt work its just to keep you busy or rather make the department look like its busy.
Having worked for 3 government departments. a quango and the House of Lords, I don't necessarily agree with you.
2021 Needs sir Humphrey 😎
I can't help it, I agree with Humphrey 😂
Haha, I used to watch Yes Minister when I was a kid in Portugal, and even though I liked it I didn't fully comprehend it, now that I'm old(er) I can appreciate it so much more, the Yes Ministers series are great.
I was a college student in Virginia when I used to watch it. Always thought it was funny even though a lot of the political humor was over my head. I thought the butt kissing was hilarious.
This clip is the best I have ever encountered XD!!
I hope the bbc can spend sometime restore this drama and turn into HD. I will buy it
This was one of greatest tv shows ever , sooo underrated ...
This should have been watched before they set up the Scottish parliament.
I am sure you can manage a Deniroesque half-laugh-half-lament...
As if the Highlanders have any power, all there is are a bunch of bourgeois Anglo-Scots who feel held back by the awful reactionary English. Oh what a shame. Hell I'd like to see the clans restored to greatness, but it won't be done by the SNP.
@George Job "Keep the Highland hordes at bay ??" Yes.
"We can rule ourselves and the sooner the better .." A bunch of drunk Glaswegians?
I always thought regional parliaments were a bad idea, little did i know Sir Humphrey thought so too, and for the same reasons.
Enlighten me why England, Scotland, Wales, and NIrl in any shape, sense or form shall be treated as if they were own independent countries in a union with each others like former Yugoslavia or USSR were if not for claiming the right to participate under own flags in Euro football.
This is a British democracy!!!
What amazing actors, what an amazing script. I think we all view with eyes and ears of appreciation and this elevates it even further. The BBC at it's dizzy heights.
I have a feeling I need to see this.
This show is absolutely fabulous. It's always good for a laugh. 😂😂😂
Cleverist funniest comedy ever written. Pure genius and oh so so true, sir Humphries was a masterpiece!
A trumpets playing and continues listening. Same thing. One go next comes. Trumpet playing no note at all. 😂
One of the best scenes ever recorded for TV anywhere.
Brilliant! Everything you ever need to understand about UK government in a nutshell. It's all still largely true, and so after you've done laughing, just have a little think for a moment ...
Should be compulsory viewing for all school leavers, indeed all voters for that matter.
* Any goberment
It did a great job in influencing the British public against the EU and against the European nationals in their midst. How many people are aware that one of the scriptwriters, Sir Anthony Jay, was also a speechwriter for Margaret Thatcher. No wonder it was her favorite TV programme.
@@giovanniacuto2688 说的太过真实，现实的冰冷带给我们麻木不仁。
@@telvanniretainer2274 Some larger businesses as well, tbh.
@@zincwing4475 True, megacorps are huge
"If the right people don't have power, do you know what happens? The WRONG people get it!"
😂😂😂😂
This is superb.
The universities... both of them. The greatest in line the history of British television.
As long as the universities are here, both of them, this joke will never get old
It's funny how I've gone from thinking that this is a funny representation of the problem to actually being a funny representation of why the system works.
Brilliant!
"The universities....both of them" 🤣🤣! Golden!
My favourite episode of both YM and YPM is when Jim has to pick a new Bishop. Perfectly illustrates the absurdity of an established church and the status of the CofE as just another cultural institution of the upper-middle class and upper class of England.
Both of them! Roooofl
This should be under the educational category of RUclips.
It's scenes like this that have always, personally, been demonstrative of how complicated it is to balance long term policy thinking, political cycles and (arguably) popularist sentiments in the public. Cause imo Humphrey or Arnold, Hacker and someone speaking for the public all have valid points
BREXIT is an example of what happens when you give power to the people - disaster, and then to the politicians - calamitous disaster. But the civil service, regrouped, understood, and have turned this catastrophe into a winning situation - they have taken on an extra 15,000 staff (aka unelected bureaucrats) to do the work that the EU used to do for the UK, and in the process given themselves even more power having successfully advised that the huge extra workload for ministers can be handled by extra civil servants who will make all the small, medium & large decisions for them allowing the ministers to focus on the really big issues, like their popularity and photo opportunities. 40 odd years later, nothing has changed..
Enjoyed this so much. It's funny because it's true.
Are you still enjoy watching yes prime minister because it's amazing how they can manipulate words to justify whatever they are discussing full stop it is a real eye opener and it's fun to watch
A British democracy Indeed! You might very well think that, but I couldn't possibly comment
Still so relevant today: shows how little politics has changed.
"Months of fruitful work!" !!!
Thanks. Absolutely brilliant send up of the way things must be. Hilariously funny and sadly true, all at the same time.
The right to know vs the need to know; of which are not always correlational.
The way he says barbarians makes me laugh every time.
This explains Brexit right there.
Humphery is The Man.
Humphrey's "Some might indeed, Bernard." is delivered just perfectly.
I sort of agree with Sir Humphrey.
Most anyone who listens to NPR does.
bulbadox That's because he's right. This was written as satire by people who Sir Humphrey would call "barbarians" who want to wreck exactly what he says they do.
Ironic, yes?
FurryAminal well...not ironic but most of his views are grounded in harsh realities, the real democracy is not practicable because the society would abuse its privileges to the fullest extent so therefore we can't expect everyone to be like-minded & educated who'd responsibly exercise their freedoms. In fact, Britain is exactly what he describes - it's an aristocratic government under the guise of democracy....just change the names and people would accept pretty much anything you tell them.
The liberal elite need to believe they're right. Else they're just a gang of petty aristocratic hypocrites promoting their own selfish claims for personal power and unearned wealth at the expense of everyone else. Who wants to believe that?
+bulbadox
Yes. The British Political System has hardly changed in 100's of years, despite American TV shows banging on about "Fweedurmm!" LOL.
When I argue that we are still serfs and the public is conditioned by mass media, I'm NOT criticising the System, I'm suggesting that oblivious people (those who imagine democatic power is in the hands of the ignorant little people) are being daft. LOL!
Both of them!
Such a brilliant show. Ahead of it’s time and spot on.
Not ahead of its time time moved people didn't 😂
This is awesome.