If you want to understand this Kafkaesque society of ours you have to learn to recognize and read the political tea leaves. These are usually served up by Roger Luncheon at his post-Cabinet media briefings. The tea leaves are those coded, opaque messages that are buried beneath beds of Luncheonese, thick tangles of verbosity that you have to burrow through to get to what you really want to know.
It used to be tough on the journalists at first; they used to be unable to extract the messages from the mish mash so that in their state of confusion they would simply restate the whole confusing tangle and leave the consumers of ‘news’ to figure it out.
That is changing. The Doctor is growing old. The journalists are beginning to read his ‘spin’ a little better. You have to see Dr. Luncheon’s deliveries from his hand. You have to keep your eye on the contortions of his wrist as he approaches the bowling crease. If you miss even one of those subtle adjustments of his fingers you are then forced to play that delivery off the pitch…….. and once it touches down you are then confronted with the headache of trying to determine which way it will turn or whether it will simply go straight on, for that matter.
Luncheon is no longer quite the master of spin that he used to be, though. His delivery on the Top Cop was easy to read. “With regard to the issue of his admission in the court to this consensual sex relationship with the complainant, it is indeed a matter of concern.” A trifle long-winded…….could have been said in far fewer words; but let’s not grumble; with the Doctor it could have been much worse. At least there was no great SPIN in his SPIN this time around. “A matter of concern.” That’s the phrase we’re looking for. That’s Uncle Henry’s death sentence. THEY’RE GOING TO LET HIM GO!
They’re saying it’s BAD FORM Mr. Commissioner. Not that the Top Cop is expected to be celibate but we cannot afford to have these ‘engagements’ become the subject to public gossip and, worse still, accusations of rape. And the truth is Uncle Henry, you can’t really blame them. IMAGE man,. , IMAGE! It’s bad as it is already. What with Roger Khan and the US visa scandal and hush-hush claims. This is like OLE HOUSE PUN OLE HOUSE, Uncle Henry.
So the Fat Lady is clearing her throat and we are now in that did he or didn’t he zone where people have entered into the realm of speculation and where a certain newspaper has concocted this highly suggestive headline – “GOVERNMENT COULD RIDE TOP COP HARD OVER SEX CONFESSION.” Now just what is that supposed to mean? What exactly is this business of our POLICE COMMISSIONER being RIDDEN HARD!
It could have been worse for Mr. Greene, though. At least he’ll get his benefits. So says the Doctor….. not like those other other out-of-favour public servants who were made to sweat for theirs. Perhaps work on the processing has already begun. And a good thing it is too! The man might need every penny of what he gets to drag those high-priced Attorneys into court with him.
What else can the administration do? Henry Greene may be up to his gills in public ridicule but the administration cannot deny that he served…….and a little reciprocity has never been known to kill anyone. And don’t worry Commissioner, Sir. Sooner or later de people gun shake de tree again……… more gun fall………….as surely as night follows day, THERE WILL BE OTHERS. If is not one thing it will be another. THE TREE LOADED.
We shouldn’t dance on the Top Cop’s grave, though! JUSTICE SHOULD TAKE ITS COURSE and THE CHIPS SHOULD FALL WHERE THEY WILL. We shouldn’t have it any other way. God knows we have more than enough of people sniggering over other people’s troubles; people who wish they were Courts of Law………so that they could pass their own judgment.
Let’s leave it there…….. for now!
