'It wasn't me': James O'Brien slates govt's Shaggy-esque excuses for crises
20 June 2022, 11:48
James O'Brien breaks down government's 'abnegation of responsibility' with Shaggy
Listing just some of the countless times the government have 'abnegated responsibility' for the crises affecting the UK, James O'Brien employs the work of Shaggy to break down the strategy.
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In advance of the planned industrial action on Britain's railways tomorrow, James O'Brien was reflecting on the Transport Secretary's attempts to avoid scrutiny for the demonstrations.
"Grant Shapps is not getting involved at all! He's not talking to anybody!"
He described the targeting of Keir Starmer amid strike threats "like Liverpool getting thumped in the champions league final and blaming it all on Manchester United", branding the move an "abnegation of responsibility."
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James then began the deep dive into the government's attempts to shift blame with his first question: "A national rail strike that is unfolding under a Conservative government, what responsibility does the Conservative government have for tomorrow's national rail strike?"
He then played Jamaican artist Shaggy telling listeners "it wasn't me."
James' next rant was against Priti Patel's Rwanda deportation policy, where lawyers and the ECHR have been blamed for the inaugural flight not getting off the ground.
"The Conservative government introduces a Conservative policy in a government elected on an 80-seat majority, they get it through Parliament, it falls apart in spectacular fashion, is it the fault of a Conservative government?"
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James O'Brien: Boris Johnson is the Shaggy of British politics
Shaggy made a second appearance.
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"How about the economy?" James asked, pointing out how the UK is predicted by the OECD to have the second worst growth rate in 2023 – ahead of last placed Russia.
"What does the economic situation in the United Kingdom have to do with the government of the United Kingdom?" James asked, before Shaggy made another appearance.
He then looked at airport chaos, which airline bosses have "queued up" to state that Brexit has played a factor in the scenes at UK airports this summer.
"What has a government that brought in Brexit, got elected on the back of Brexit and promised Brexit would be brilliant do when it comes to taking responsibility for chaos in the travel industry?"
Shaggy stated yet again "it wasn't me".
Laughing very hard at @mrjamesob using Shaggy to mock our useless government. Keep up the good work James! @LBC
— LauraLeastLikelyTo (@hearmeplaypiano) June 20, 2022
Shaggy-fication. #lbc @mrjamesob Best laugh of the day and it's only 1016am
— Clair🏴🏴🇪🇺 (@claironimo) June 20, 2022
James turned his attention to labour shortages: "This country currently has more vacancies in the job market than it has people registered unemployed."
"What do the labour shortages have to do with the government that boasts about abolishing freedom of movement of labour?" He asked, playing Shaggy's refrain for the fourth time.
"I could do this all day", James explained.
The final instance James looked at was a Brexiteer think thank's claim that the UK's "ruling elites" are "preventing the UK" from fulfilling it's Brexit potential.
"This is almost breathtaking in its bovine stupidity."
James asked one final question: "What does the failure of Brexit have to do with Boris Johnson's Brexit government?" Shaggy was played for the fifth time.
