News Shorts & Other Busyness

Out For A Duck

Squall 6, Spring 1994, pg. 32.

When Geoffrey Dickens (Tory MP - Littleborough and Saddleworth) spoke to the audience on live Granada TV last December, claiming: “The Government had consulted widely on the squatting issue”, he received a surprise response.

One of his co-panelists turned to him and asked: “If Shelter, CHAR, SHAC, AMA, ALA, The Law Society, The Police Federation, Institute of Housing and The Association of Chief Police Officers are against the Governments’ proposals, who exactly is in favour?”

“I have a big long list of organisations right here,” Dickens replied, waving an envelope.

“No you haven’t,” replied his co-panelist. “That was the appearance fee cheque all the panelists were given just before we went on air.” And indeed it was but, to the disappointment of all those who crave accountability, the presenter quickly changed the subject before it all got a little too embarrassing for the entertainment industry.

After a recent national opinion pole suggested that only 12% of the population thought politicians trustworthy, it was Geoffrey Dickens himself who claimed that the population’s impression of politicians had been discoloured by a poisonous media.