Recycling modernism

Tony Blair, January 2006, launching the short-lived and laughed-out ‘Respect Agenda’:

My view is very clear: their freedom to be safe from fear has to come first. Yes, in theory, that is what is supposed to happen through the traditional court processes. In practice it doesn’t. We are fighting 21st crime with 19th century methods.

Gordon Brown, June 2008, burbling on for no clear purpose:

It could be said that for too long we have used nineteenth century means to solve twenty first century problems. Instead we must have twenty first century methods to deal with twenty first century challenges.

Tomorrow’s world will save us. Modern, modernity, modernising. Shiny, lovely, shiny, modern. It always has and it always will. Get out of the way or risk getting mowed down, Old Timers.

Someone should explain the difference between ’shoulda’ and ‘coulda’ to New Labour’s foremost minds.


Posted on June 17th, 2008 at 4:50pm under Brown, Eye Catching Initiatives, UK politics

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3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. fatboyfat (21 comments.) on 17.06.2008 at 18:43 Permalink | Reply

    Talk about twenty first century solutions – I’m still waiting for my personal jetpack, people.

    Just not good enough.

    fatboyfat’s latest blog post… Health and efficiency

  2. redpesto on 18.06.2008 at 09:31 Permalink | Reply

    Presumably those ‘punishment bibs’ will be made out some shiny new hi-tech substance developed by a leading British company in partnership with one of our top universities

  3. richard hannay on 18.06.2008 at 16:37 Permalink | Reply

    You gotta love the unwitting foot-in-mouth self-satire inherent in these words:

    “It could be said that for too long we have used nineteenth century means to solve twenty first century problems. Instead we must have twenty first century methods to deal with twenty first century challenges.”

    Yeah, right – shame they opted to drag 16th century methods out the closet, then!

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