A Very British Coup (the ending)
Robert L. Howard
a little obscure so I have a couple of questions about it.
The BBC radio announcer at the end mentions "a constitutional crisis"
due to the fact that Parliment had been dissolved 3 weeks prior.
I didn't think that GB had a constitution; am I right or wrong?
Why was Parliment dissolved? Is that a natural by-product of calling
elections (as Harry Perkins did)? Or did the king do it? Is that even
possible?
The announcer also mentions an upcoming statement from "the authorities at
Buckingham Palace". Is this supposed to point to the king dissolving
Parliment? Or does it point to something I'm not aware of?
Finally, we fade to black after hearing what sounds like (to me) helicopters.
Is this the sign that there is a military "solution" to the "Harry Perkins
problem"? I have some other reasons to believe that the military intervened
but I'm not sure that that is the generally accepted interpretation of the
ending that we see.
If the military is involved, does this imply that they stop the elections?
If so, what is the probable sequence of events?
Well I am sure that I have asked enough questions. I will wait for some
answers now.
Robert
--
Robert L. Howard (GTRI/STL/MSD) (404) 528-7165
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{allegra,amd,hplabs,ut-ngp}!gatech!msd!rhoward
Internet: rho...@msd.gatech.edu
Andrew MacRae
>I watched A Very British Coup and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending was
>a little obscure so I have a couple of questions about it.
Also at the end the main villan uses the line from Elliot's Murder in the
Cathedral "Will no one spare me from this meddlesome priest" (or something
like that). This was the signal to the knights to go and kill Becket.
I M Burke
>I didn't think that GB had a constitution; am I right or wrong?
The UK doesn't have a *written* constitution. There are however general
principles that effectuvely count as a constitution (or an excuse for
one), plus a few acts of parliament, e.g. Bill of Rights in 1689(?).
>Finally, we fade to black after hearing what sounds like (to me) helicopters.
>Is this the sign that there is a military "solution" to the "Harry Perkins
>problem"? I have some other reasons to believe that the military intervened
>but I'm not sure that that is the generally accepted interpretation of the
>ending that we see.
>If the military is involved, does this imply that they stop the elections?
>If so, what is the probable sequence of events?
The explanation which I saw in the newspaper reviews here, was that
there was a military "solution" i.e.intervention, coming from the
approximate direction of the USA. From my (admittedly unrelable) memory
of the series, I saw nothing to contradict that idea.
Iain
Jon Livesey
There are, or at least were, alleged to be standing plans for the US
military in the UK to put down any 'civil insurrection', where
'insurrection' includes the election of a government hostile to
NATO. For the details, you might want to refer to "The Unsinkable
Aircraft Carrier", which is an account of various funnies and oddities
which are supposed to be connected to the presence of US forces in the
UK. Since a good deal of it refers to sources which are supposed to
be classifed, I can't say how accurate it is.
jon.
Colin Morris
>a little obscure so I have a couple of questions about it.
>
>The BBC radio announcer at the end mentions "a constitutional crisis"
>due to the fact that Parliment had been dissolved 3 weeks prior.
>
>I didn't think that GB had a constitution; am I right or wrong?
>
The U.K. doesn't have a _written_ constitution per se. That doesn't prevent
it having certain elements of constitutionality, most have which have been
handed down by tradition.
>
>Why was Parliment dissolved? Is that a natural by-product of calling
>elections (as Harry Perkins did)? Or did the king do it? Is that even
>possible?
>
Harry Perkins asked the king to dissolve parliament so that an election
could be held, a standard practice. He indicates this in his television
appearence when he (supposedly) was going to resign.
>
>The announcer also mentions an upcoming statement from "the authorities at
>Buckingham Palace". Is this supposed to point to the king dissolving
>Parliment? Or does it point to something I'm not aware of?
>
>Finally, we fade to black after hearing what sounds like (to me) helicopters.
>Is this the sign that there is a military "solution" to the "Harry Perkins
>problem"? I have some other reasons to believe that the military intervened
>but I'm not sure that that is the generally accepted interpretation of the
>ending that we see.
>
I share your suspicion that a "real" coup was/had taken place. However, there
are so many apparent contradictions in the ending that I suspect the writers
deliberately left the viewers hanging so people like us could waste enormous
amounts of time discussing it!
What confuses me is that the scene in Harry Perkins' bathroom on election
day indicates that his mother believes he is going to win a landslide victory.
However, when the camera pans away (without a break) from the shot of Harry
through his bathroom window to the shot over Sheffield, we hear the radio
broadcast that talks about a "constitutional crisis" and "clarification from
Buckingham Palace". I don't believe that this could refer to the (standard)
dissolution of parliament and the subsequent holding of an election.
Also interesting is the fact that the radio station is BBC _World_ Service
and not a domestic station. Notice also that the item about Parliament is
the third item in the news, not, as one would expect on election day, the
first.
----
Colin Morris, cmo...@rtech.com
Ingres Corp.,
Alameda, California.
ps19...@garnet.berkeley.edu
>Also at the end the main villan uses the line from Elliot's Murder in the
>Cathedral "Will no one spare me from this meddlesome priest" (or something
>like that). This was the signal to the knights to go and kill Becket.
"Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?"
a line also echoed in King Caspian's exasperated cry of,
"Will no-one silence that mouse?"
in THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER -- directed, of course, at Reepicheep.
***
Blackadder: You're fired.
Baldrick: But my lord, I've been in your family since 1532!
Blackadder: So has syphilis. Now get out!
*** (BLACKADDER 2: 5: Beer)
pamela pon
ps19...@garnet.berkeley.edu
men...@garnet.berkeley.edu
Andrew MacRae
(shame on me). Is Roy Marsden, the actor playing inspector D? in the
P. D. James series on Mystery the same actor who starred in A Very
British Coup? I watched AVBC when it was first on, not last week and
cannot remember. Also, is there any truth to the rumour that he (whichever
one it was) died last year?
Tim Kennedy
>a little obscure so I have a couple of questions about it.
>
Robert,
A far more realistic depiction of the struggle of the British Left can be seen in "The Comic Strip Presents.... Strike!", which was a 'Hollywood version' of the Miners Strike of 1984-5 with 'Al Pacino' as Arthur Scargill (Peter Richardson , writer of Young Ones etc) and 'Meryl Streep' as Mrs Scargill (Jennifer Saunders see above).
Nigel Planer (Young One Neil) as a leader of the 'Militants' delivered this line as Arthur blazed out of the pit village on a gleaming motorcycle...
"There goes the fastest trade union leader you'll ever see"
Rik Mayall (Rik of the Young Ones) topped it all as the (American!) Speaker of the House of Commons.
--
Tim Kennedy <t...@tcom.stc.co.uk>
Dept. 30500, STC Telecommunications Ltd, Oakleigh Road South,
New Southgate, LONDON. N11 1HB, England, UK. Tel: (+44) 01-945-3451
Straight outta Scarborough - Yorkshiremen With Attitude - (YWA).