Dissolution of the Long Parliament by Oliver Cromwell given to the House of Commons, 20 April 1653
It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
In the name of God, go!
What, did he put in a dodgy expenses claim?
Of course, he relied on military power to set up a dictatorship. Is that really the model you want to follow?
There's worse solutions Mogrim.
We could do with a few years under a Junta!
I think It might be worth going and buying some shares in rope and lamppost companies this week.
And not any old dictatorship mogrim, one which the Taliban would be proud of - not only did he famously ban Christmas and doing anything 'unnecessary' on Sundays, but also banned most sports. So I'm guessing mtbing on Sundays would be out of the question then....
Yes, he was a sort of 'killjoy's killjoy.'
Shipping people off to the West Indies as slaves wasn't exactly a 'Christian' thing to do, either...
He got rid of a Stuart monarch, that's a really good thing.
"I've been dreaming of a time when
The English are sick to death of Labour, And Tories
And spit upon the name Oliver Cromwell
And denounce this royal line that still salute him,
And will salute him forever."
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Irish-Blood-English-Heart-lyrics-Morrissey/B5B77E8602D1BAED48256E9200102C4A (popup central)
I know it seems difficult to imagine, but I [i]think[/i] parliament was altogether worse in 1653 than it is today. A new speakwer and a general election at the end of the term will do me fine, thanks. 🙂
"Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?"
That's pretty much somes up the MP's and people surrounding me.
I'm moving asap.
Hmmm... no matter how much I hate the current bunch of pocket lining fraudsters, I am disinclined to want a dictator.
Modern dictators don't have a glowing record - Pinochet, Chavez, Castro, Ceausescu, Kim Jong Il, Than Shwe, Mugabe... the list goes on!
At least we can point and shout "crook" without having the offending digit/hand/arm or worse lopped off for doing so.
"At least we can point and shout "crook" without having the offending digit/hand/arm or worse lopped off for doing so. "
True - but not enough arms to point at them all though!
I think what would be interesting would be a list of MPs who did not claim unjustified expenses.
I think we'd find most of them were ok.
zaskar: "I'm moving asap"
I'd be interested to know where to?
And I wonder how the current scandal will affect Transparency International's list ([url= http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/cpi2008/cpi_2008_table ]here[/url])
I once asked my Irish friend the TV programme about Oliver Cromwell and the reply was a very angry ... "he is a barsteward". She then said it again the second time "he is a barsteward".
She is a lovely girl though.