Blair's whips fooled by "West Wing" plot

[deadparrot]

The television series The West Wing about the life and times of a fictional US president was the inspiration for the "rebellion by stealth" that humbled Tony Blair and his Chief Whip, Hilary Armstrong.

Slumped in front of the television on Sunday night, one of the leaders of the revolt watched with growing interest as Democrats won a key vote on stem cell research by pretending not to be around.

The congressmen hid in an empty office and then triumphantly emerged in force when the vote was called by the unsuspecting Republican speaker.

"That's where the idea came from," the MP, who declined to be identified, told The Daily Telegraph. "We had no big press conferences, no events announcing the coming protest. It was directly inspired by the West Wing," he said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/02/nlab102.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/02/ixnewstop.html

[Greeby]

1. Seems about the only ppl not taking hints from the West Wing

are the Democrats :eyes:

[FreedomAngel82]

3. LOL

How sad huh?

[Canuckistanian]

2. The same thing happened in Canada

During the Mulroney years (Reagan years to most here), I think. MP's hid behind some curtains and emerged to challenge a vote.

It worked, too.

[mrfrapp]

4. Brilliant

700 years of Parliament before someone figures out how to take the Government by surprise. And by their own admission, it takes an Act of Television for the penny to drop. Sheesh.