Peter Hain’s – Bertie Wooster moment
Prompted to return to the ITV year book award ceremony because of all the controversy surrounding our Secretary of State’s speech.
Sitting there as I was with Elis and Judith Owen, Carwyn Jones and Wyn and Emid Roberts, exchanging embarrassed glances with other guests I was put in mind of that occasion in one of the Jeeves and Wooster novels were Bertie Wooster having had too many sherbets makes a hash of his speech at a school speech day while presenting prizes. Peter had clearly had not had too much to drink, he was sitting on the next table and barely touched a drop. He did spend a lot of time reading his speech and in light of what happened this is extraordinary. You would have thought that he would have realised if it had been written by someone else that is was entirely inappropriate for the occasion.
All the prize winners in making short speeches had spoken with grace and been witty and pleasant. I thought John Smith in particular in receiving his award for campaigning for St Athan was typically gracious and fair saying that it was an all party campaign in winning the bid. Not according to the Secretary of State, it was Labour at Westminster and Labour in Cardiff. Such a claim is not only inaccurate but incredibly ungracious on such an occasion. However this lack of manners paled into insignificance beside the ill judged comment about Helen Mary’s tandoori tendencies and Ieuans trip to India to get curry recipes for her.
Even this in my mind was overshadowed by the sexist jibe in relation to Angela’s award and Laura Anne Jones, I think at the very least Peter Hain should make a public apology and a personal apology to those concerned.
Despite my political differences with Peter Hain I never thought him capable of delivering such a speech. I think in fairness politicians of all parties there as well as other guests were scandalised. In all fairness to Bertie Wooster he would not have been capable of delivering such an address it was much more Lord Spode.
Richard P said on December 19th, 2007 at 2:09 pm:
I think you’ll find that the speech at Market Snodsbury Grammar School Speech Day was made by Gussie Fink-Nottle, whose orange juice had been spiked by both Wooster and Jeeves. Wooster did once make a speech at a girls school prize giving, but he hadn’t been drinking that time, as far as I recollect.