Our Prime Minister does it again!

Our Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Jim Hacker, (LSE)

THE ART OF LYING.

True to the law that says people rise to the level of their incompetence, James Hacker MP, Minister for Administrative Affairs, has ascended to the highest political office in the land.

Once again our indefatigable Prime Minister, the Rt.Hon. Jim Hacker( LSE) was caught in his own web of deceit. As do almost all politicians.

Sir Humphrey: Unfortunately, although the answer was indeed clear, simple, and straightforward, there is some difficulty in justifying assigning to it the fourth of the epithets you applied to the statement, inasmuch as the precise correlation between the information you communicated, and the facts insofar as they can be determined and demonstrated is such as to cause epistemological problems, of sufficient magnitude as to lay upon the logical and semantic resources of the English language a heavier burden than they can reasonably be expected to bear.

Jim Hacker: Epistemological, what are you talking about?

Sir Humphrey: You told a lie.

Jim Hacker: A lie?

Sir Humphrey: A lie.

Jim Hacker: What do you mean, I told a lie?

Sir Humphrey: I mean you ... lied. Yes I know, this is a difficult concept to get across to a politician. You ... ah yes, you did not tell the truth.

Jim Hacker: You mean we are tapping Hugh Halafax's telephones?

Sir Humphrey: We were.

Jim Hacker: We were? When did we stop?

Sir Humphrey: [checks his watch] Seventeen minutes ago.

Jim Hacker: You can't call that lying.

Sir Humphrey: I see. [pause] What would you call the opposite of telling the truth?

Jim Hacker: I...I didn't mean to mislead them! I wouldn't knowingly mislead the House.

Dedicated to all those who studied in the land of Fish and Chips Imperialism. Cor Blimey!