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A sick joke

4/9/2012

 
Jeremy Hunt gesticulating on the Guardian newspaper website
Everything great about Britain can be summed up in just six letters:

                BBC
                NHS

The first of these two trios was in considerable jeopardy when James Murdoch’s chum, Jeremy Hunt was the UK’s Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport.

It comes as absolutely no surprise to learn that Hunt has been relieved of this role in today’s cabinet reshuffle.

Hunt’s unique leadership skills and flair for text messaging should have propelled him into the obscurity of the back benches. Instead, Prime Minister David Cameron has promoted him to Secretary of State for Health where he replaces another colossus of the political stage, Andrew Lansley.

The idea of the NHS being run by Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt is all the inspiration I need to give up biscuits and take up jogging.

There is, however, one minor benefit of Hunt’s promotion. During his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry he sat half-hidden behind the big desk like some penitent public school boy. It looked as if his arms had been amputated. Keep that image in mind when savouring the flamboyant body language he will display as our guardian of the NHS.

Meanwhile, Hunt’s successor as culture secretary is Maria Miller. She is one of the very few women to hold a front line post in Cameron’s cabinet. This means that she has been asked to double-up as "minister in charge of women and equalities". What on earth would Shulamith Firestone make of all this?

Prior to taking up her new briefs, Maria Miller was the Minister for Disabled People. During her tenure she instigated the financially-motivated closure of most Remploy sites (factories which provided work from many hundreds of people with disabilities).

Therefore, the first questions the UK’s Museums Association should ask Ms Miller is what steps she intends to take to:

  • enhance accessibility for people using museums;
  • improve the diversity of those working in museums;
  • boost the visibility of disability in museum collections and exhibitions.

Her response to such questions will indicate whether those working in the cultural sector can begin to put Jeremy Hunt out of their mind (until they get really sick, of course)._


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    Author
    an extinct parasite
    of several hosts
    Why parasite?

    Try the best you can

    Para, jämsides med.
    En annan sort.
    Dénis Lindbohm,
    Bevingaren, 1980: 90

    Picture
    Even a parasite like me should be permitted to feed at the banquet of knowledge

    I once posted comments as Bevingaren at guardian.co.uk

    Guggenheim New York, parasitized

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    _
    Note    All parasitoids are parasites, but not all parasites are parasitoids
    Parasitoid    "A parasite that always ultimately destroys its host" (Oxford English Dictionary)


        I live off you
        And you live off me
        And the whole world
        Lives off everybody

        See we gotta be exploited
        By somebody, by somebody,             by somebody
       
        X-Ray Spex
            <I live off you>
        Germ Free Adolescents
            1978  

    From symbiosis
    to parasitism
    is a short step.
    The word is
    now a virus.
    William Burroughs, The word is now a virus
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    Do nothing
    that can
    harm
    your host!

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    <
    Needle>
    1950
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