Thoughts for the day from Charles Greville (1835)

[Joe]

1. In this world men must be dealt with according to what they are, and not what they ought to be; and the great art of life is to find out what they are, and act with them accordingly.

2. Up to a certain point riches contribute largely to the happiness of life, but no farther. To be free from the necessity of daily self-denial and continual calculation is indispensable to happiness, but the major luxuries - ostentatious superfluities - contribute little or nothing to rational enjoyment.

[guy]

Is this in reference to "handy Andy" :)

[Joe]

Is this in reference to "handy Andy" :)

Er, no, not really, but Greville writes amusingly about the then-Monarch, William IV, who unexpectedly came to the throne in 1830 when George IV died suddenly. William had no legitimate children, so his niece Victoria inherited the crown. He did, however, have many illegitimate children, whom Greville refers to bluntly as 'the bastards'. They were forever scrounging money from the King.

[guy]

My how times change; we now have the bastards scrounging money from the exchequer

[Joe]

Here is Greville writing about the House of Commons:

'I was told last night that the scene of noise and uproar which the H. of Commons now exhibits is perfectly disgusting. This used not to be the case in better, or at least more gentlemanlike, times; no noises were permissible but the cheer, and the cough, the former admitting every variety of intonation expressive of admiration, approbation, assent, denial, surprise, indignation, menace, sarcasm. Now all the musical skill is lost and drowned in shouts, hootings, groans, noises the most discordant that the human throat can emit, sticks and feet beating against the floor'.

[Macca]

They don't let you use the sticks no more.

[Joe]

They don't let you use the sticks no more.

It's health and safety gone mad. Mind you, with only 50 MPs allowed in the Chamber at any one time, the noise is going to be fairly muted anyway.

[Macca]

It's health and safety gone mad. Mind you, with only 50 MPs allowed in the Chamber at any one time, the noise is going to fairly muted anyway.

There was never that many in there most of the time anyway. The vast majority of them only turn out for the big events and that's mostly because they're made to. The rest of the time they're living it up in their 'holiday homes.' On my dime.

Probably have to have a post-it note on the fridge saying 'Remember! - You're an MP!' or they'd forget about it altogether and just think they'd won the lottery or something and that's why they don't have to work for a living.

[Landloper]

...Mind you, with only 50 MPs allowed in the Chamber at any one time, the noise is going to be fairly muted anyway.

I repectfully demur, and suggest that 50 MPs is 49 more than is needed to raise the most intolerable din.