NJ: What have the conservatives ever done for us?

FX GENERAL HUB BUB OF AN ANGRY MEETING

Frank:
Welcome members of the Liberal Democrat Liberation Front the radical revolutionary branch of the Lib Dems. So Nick Clegg
FX EVERYONE SPITS ON THE FLOOR
Don't spit on the floor, this is my carpet. So we grab Nick Clegg
FX EVERYONE SPITS ON THE FLOOR
Stop that! We grab NC, don't spit and we hold him hostage till all of our demands are met.
Janet:
What exactly are the demands?
Clare:
We're giving Dave two days to dismantle the entire apparatus of the Conservative Imperialist State and if he doesn't agree immediately we chop NC up.
Janet:
Make him into burgers?
Clare:
Don't be disgusting I'm a vegetarian. We cut all his bits off, send 'em back every hour on the hour... show him we're not to be trifled with.
Jenny:
I don't think he'd make a very good trifle.
Frank:
We are not going to eat Nick! No that traitor is going to pay he sold us off to the Conservatives like an undervalued Private Finance Initiative. And what have the conservatives ever done for us?
Clare:
Other than inviting us into the coalition government
Frank:
Ok granted, being actually in power as opposed to complaining about others in power is an improvement.
Jenny:
And he made our leader deputy prime minister
Clare:
Yeh 40 years without so much as a cabinet post and now we've got the second most important post in government.
Frank:
All right, I'll grant you that the coalition and the deputy prime minister are two things that the Conservatives have actually done...
Jenny:
They gave Ming a job, made him feel useful poor old fella
Frank:
OK coalition government, deputy prime minister and giving something for Ming to do during the day.

Jenny:
Liberating Libya
Clare:
We'd have never done that.
Jenny:
Imagine if Charles Kennedy had been in charge!
Clare:
He'd have got drunk and punched the television when Gadaffi was on the news.

Jenny:
Oh yes! True! And they kept us out of the Euro.
Clare:
3 cheers for the conservatives!

Jenny and Clare:
Hip hip hooray!

Frank:
Ok ok other than inviting us into the government, making NC deputy prime minister, giving Ming a job, keeping us out of the Euro and liberating Libya what have the conservatives ever done for us?
Clare:
They've made us the party of power. We're responsible for what ever the government actually decides to do.
Jenny:
We are?
FRANK:
Run!
FX THE MEETING BREAKS UP AND EVERYONE RUNS OFF

It works from "what have the conservatives ever done for us?" Up until then it's not going anywhere and it's not clear what the point of the sketch is. It is probably better for NJ (and in general) to focus on one idea and nail it in a short time than try to make several points in a longer sketch.

Damn probably basing it too much on the original Python sketch, I kinda hope the association would carry it

thanks

Agree with Badge as to where it actually starts and the rest is fluff (though I did laugh at the NC trifle bit: could have elaborated it as him being spongy and jammy).

I liked this a lot and the nod to Python is good. However, Newsjack don't really parody stuff that specifically as far as I remember. So the feel is wrong for the show (in my opinion, obviously).

Good sketch though. Like.

Dan

Oh well, I think some times you have to write what you like. And go on the belief that if you believe then maybe that'll be enough.

Beats writing everything to their formula and failing.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2011, 11:07 AM BST

I kinda hope the association would carry it

View original

I think that's the problem, to be honest. Parodying a well known sketch can carry you a little way but not very far. Your material needs to be good to justify parodying something that good.

It's a lovely idea for a sketch but apart from "40 years without so much as a cabinet post and now we've got the second most important post in government" the other things aren't punchy enough or obvious enough or specifically related to benefits for the LibDems.

IMHO you either need to find punchy, obvious LibDem benefits to the coalition or subvert it completely by having them name lots of reasons why the coalition has been a nightmare for them as 'what have they done for us".

If you can get it to work it would be great because I really do like the idea of addressing the coalition from the LibDem point of view in this Life of Brian context.

Thanks Afinkawan

Youi can see it's a really intriguing idea.

Certainly the JPF scene is ripe for mockery.

And I think you're right I over focus on what the Conservatives have done rather than how the Libs benefited.