Chris Saul's Blog

Wednesday February 06, 2008

Just getting things done

I love this column by The Times columnist Matthew Parris.

In short he praises a UK government minister who 'just gets things done'. She's not into a miraculous vision for re-birth and renewal, seismic shifts and reform agendas.

I've pasted a key couple of paragraphs below for those who don't want to read the whole article.

I love this attitude! I try to apply it to my job at Sun. Aim high, but in the absence of mega resources, let's try to do simple stuff to make things work better.

Copyright, trademark, etc,The Times

...then something else extraordinary happens. Asked on Newsnight to describe her vision for change, she replies: “I don’t have a vision for change.”

Jeremy Paxman is completely stumped. “I just want to make things work,” she explains.

“Ah – you mean the Reform Agenda?” “ ‘Reform’ is a bit strong,” she replies. “There are some useful improvements to be made. It doesn’t require any fundamental change or reorganisation; we just need to sharpen up our act. Results are what count.”

For over all this time, Audrey Williamson has never once made a speech about vision, change or visions for change. She has never claimed she has a dream, or a “passion” for education, the NHS or anything else. There is little in her oratory about rebirth or renewal, new beginnings or a town called Hope. Principles, values, core values, moral compasses, prophecy and all the visionary and inspirational qualities that politicians peddle these days are absent from her vocabulary. So is the language of revolution and transformation. She has not promised a “new” Britain. Vows, pledges, promises, covenants and constitutions are crayons too bright for her palette. Mrs Williamson just wants to make things work.

Camera Obscura!

I took Mrs Saul to see sickening schmaltzfest PS I love you the other week. It was full of cliched US rom-com scenes, overdone sentimentality, contrived slapstick and Irish men saying 'ho horrrr' and 'bejaysus'. I quite enjoyed it.

The only thing that rescued my dignity was discovering the name of the band whose song 'Hey Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken' is played during the opening credits. It's not on the 'PS I love you' soundtrack (no, I didn't buy it, I checked the track listing on Amazon), but a quick Google and I found who recorded it - a Scottish band called Camera Obscura.

I've now got all three of their albums on permanent rotation. Think Belle and Sebastien's best with a bit more production and more conventional rhymes. Brilliant stuff - well worth an hour and a half of 'ho horrr', 'bejaysus' and contrived slapstick to have discovered it.