The many re-entries of Dan Quayle

Further to my earlier comment about the re-appearance again of Dan Quayle on the search engine terms, here are a couple of clips from YouTube, starting with the moment where any credibility Quayle might have ever had evaporated:

And eventually George (H. W.) Bush noticed. Or at least his latex double did:

But will Quayle make a re-entry here?

One day we will know...

Has the media ever liked any archbishop?

Anyone who thinks Rowan Williams's recent controversies raise questions about the Archbishop's ability to perform in the media age might like to consider that his predecessors also came in for a bit of criticism. Here are Robert Runcie and George Carey being lampooned in a Spitting Image sketch from YouTube:

And Rowan Williams hasn't fared much better at the hands of satirists:

Not much has changed has it? Why not focus on his ability to be a spiritual leader rather than on whether or not he can satisfy tabloid journalists or escape satirists?

More classic Spitting Image

Here are a few more classic Spitting Image sketches courtesy of YouTube. First we have another with the two Davids:

However it wasn't all joy for the Alliance or its one leader who found himself in a phone box party:

And finally his reputation for changing parties reached the ultimate extent:

One has to wonder what David Owen would do if he were in active politics today. But it's not too late - he could team up with Robert Kilroy-Silk, Robert McCartney and George Galloway to form the first ever 4 in 1 Micro Party! That's right, no end of fractionalism, breakaways and one man ego trips, all from one single (*) grouping! Vote for it now! Because no-one else will!

(* Single at the point of formation. We cannot gurantee continued adherence.)

Is the BBC value for money?

Here are two classic clips courtesy of YouTube on this much discussed issue:

And here's a response from Spitting Image:

Now these were made twenty years ago - is the BBC still good quality today? And is the licence fee worth it?

Jeffrey Archer on fraud

Now this got me chuckling when I saw it in the Independent's Pandora column. The Experian Fraud Forum is taking place next month. One of the main speakers is to be Jeffrey Archer on "How to write a bestseller".

I wonder if he'll also talk about the life of Jeffrey Archer. Thanks to YouTube, here is a classic Spitting Image sketch on the subject:

And the answers he gave are precisely the ones he gives in real life.

Oh and here's the sequel:

Goodbye Blair

And so it's the end of the Blair premiership.

Given all the comparisons with the end of the Thatcher years, I wanted to put up an appropriate Spitting Image clip from YouTube, but I can't load the site right now.

I noticed Cherie Blair shouting "I won't miss you" as she boarded the car. And the country won't miss her either.

When another leader left...

Another classic Spitting Image sketch courtesy of YouTube, from a time when another politician who once seemed all conquering found themselves heading away, with few in their party missing them.

When the Liberal Democrats had different problems...

Here, courtesy of YouTube, is one of the best ever sketches from Spitting Image from when the Liberals and Social Democrats were first contemplating merging. Now there was a time when the Alliance had a strong leader!