I am a mole and I live in a hole

[nineveh_uk]

Yesterday, the House of Lords sat on moles. Hansard, as ever, has a record.

I present only a short extract:

Lord Lawson of Blaby: My Lords, is the Minister aware that it is a genuinely European question? My noble friend Lord Kimball mentioned the explosion of moles in England. My experience at my home in France is that there is a similar phenomenon there this year. It has never been as bad as it is this year, so what effort is the Minister making to get French support for this important derogation?

Lord Bach: My Lords, I have not yet made any attempt to get French support. Given the noble Lord's comments, I shall ensure that we are on to the embassy straight away.

Also, “velvet-clad monster” sounds like a euphemism from a Regency romance.

Comments

[gramarye1971]

*can't quite suppress giggles*

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

*can't suppress giggles at all*

*is currently in the English Dept Graduate Computer Lab, where giggles are to be suppressed at all times*

Gramarye sent me over here, and I thank her for doing so, because I very much needed to see this.

My favorite bit is Lord Boston's (is that the correct mode of address?) speech:

My Lords, will the Minister accept that I do not usually regard myself as an excessively violent person, but like my noble friend Lord Marsh, I spend a certain amount of time trying to exterminate these creatures?

[gramarye1971]

Reading the House of Commons Hansard is amusing at times, but reading the House of Lords Hansard can be an absolute riot. I may have to dig up some of my photocopied pages from various bits of research and transcribe them, because if I had to embarrass myself by bursting out laughing in the library, other people will have to do so as well. ^o^

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, embarrassment should certainly be shared!

*is fortunate that colleagues are used to giggles, furious invective, and sounds of heartfelt despair emanating from office at regular intervals*

[tree_and_leaf]

Oh fantastic. I particularly liked the exchange that went
Baroness Masham of Ilton: My Lords, I declare an interest as we have millions of moles. Why has there been this extraordinary increase in the past few years?

Lord Bach: My Lords, I suspect that it may have something to do with natural breeding.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein: My Lords, is the Minister aware that another good method of control is old-fashioned traps? In domestic situations with which I am more familiar than other noble Lords, my wife some years ago became a considerable expert on this matter and was very successful, too. However, as we now have no grassland, she has retired and is not available for advice.

Lord Bach: My Lords, I am sorry to hear that.

Ah, what would we do without the Lords keeping their fingers on the pulse?

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I nearly quoted the "natural breeding" line - it's positively Wildean.

[tree_and_leaf]

Some-one should make an icon of the 'natural breeding' line (if only I was even vaguely competent in that field...)

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I get all my icons via the technologically superior sister noted elsewhere!

[tree_and_leaf]

It's possible that my mind is not entirely on my job.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

That is very sweet.

[tree_and_leaf]

Thanks! I like moles, despite the Upper House's rather worrying enthusiasm for stamping them out...

[gramarye1971]

*makes note to attempt to do so at the first available opportunity*

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

This has to be a hoax, right?

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

No! You can reach the page via the www.parliament.uk homepage (click Hansard, Lords, Daily Debate).