House of Commons forms a string quartet

House of Commons forms a string quartet

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norman lebrecht

June 20, 2019

While some MPs were voting for a new prime minister this week, others were playing Debussy.

Listen here.

The Statutory Instruments quartet comprises Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire, Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, councillor Katherine Chibah and Emily Benn, granddaughter of former Labour MP Tony Benn.

photo: PA

Comments

  • batonbaton says:

    That place needs all the harmony it can get right now

  • Ned Keene says:

    It’s telling that Eton failed to produce anyone capable of playing in a quartet. All too busy managing their hedge funds.

  • cynical bystander says:

    A much more constructive use of the Palace of Westminster than the usual cacophony that emanates from the chamber. Pity that there isn’t more harmony from the discordant choir of out of tune divas intent on completing our ride to the scaffold by all hallows eve.

  • Ed says:

    French music for brexiteers?

  • Christian H. says:

    Isn’t there a line in ‘The Chicken Song’ (Spitting Image, c.1986) about forming a string quartet?!

  • Andrew says:

    Many in that place are no strangers to fiddling.

  • Gareth says:

    Lovely, but the audio on that video clip was shifted distinctly to the left.

    Are they trying to tell us something? 🙂

  • Petros Linardos says:

    If debates get too heated, Bercow should order a string quartet break.

  • Gordon Freeman says:

    The Statutory Instruments! I’m dead.

  • Vlastimil Vesely says:

    Isn’t that Cathy Newman the osbtreperous 3rd- wave feminist who got taken to the cleaners by Jordan Peterson in a Channel 4 interview in January 2018?
    “So you’re saying……So you’re saying……So you’re saying……”

    • Simon Behrman says:

      Perhaps, but from the evidence of this video she seems capable of bringing much more joy into the world than Peterson.

  • Jon says:

    Given the current circumstances I think “fiddling while Rome burns” is an appropriate line here!

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