Politics unpacked

For the love of Wimal

When the captain of NGO land squared off with the red shirted patriot, everybody expected fun and games.

There was a good deal of that, but when Kumar Rupesinghe called Wimal Weerawansa "Wimal'' and kept referring to him by his first name for the rest of the debate, at least some folks started rubbing their eyes to make sure whether they were seeing things or not.

With a record of no love lost between these two guys, it was a bit of a spectacle to see Kumar saying 'Wimal Wimal Wimal'' for the rest of the debate as if the two had got drunk together since their teens.

Call this sincerity -- or unctuousness? You decide.

Campus capers

Could the opposition be led from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? Patently unfair question, as Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe has all the right to follow a course at this reputed campus, especially if he needs to unwind after an unsuccessful but yet gruelling Presidential campaign.

But having said that, somebody raised a pertinent query.

He can go to MIT, but how many times has Mr Wickremesinghe addressed Parliament this year?

Not him, not him!

Mr. Asoka Handagama became the villain of the piece sometime back when it was deemed that his movie depicting a taboo subject and was not wholesome enough for screening, even with adult audiences mind While a great many were throwing darts at the Director who seems to make controversy his middle name, somebody with a more intimate knowledge of these matters enlightened a crowd of these dart throwers.

He said '' It's not Handagama per se who is bad, it's the man who makes movies with him.'' It's a case of, as it turns out, good kid coming to big bad city and getting himself corrupted.

About the other guy, some say that he doesn't sleep well if any movie he is involved in, doesn't get banned.

Hilly Billy

The time cometh every year for the appointment of silks to the hill at Hulftsdorph. This year's crop of silks are not announced yet, but most in the know are sure that some longtime contenders are going to be made PCs - President's Counsel - - (...if you are a complete tyro in these matters and need to be suitably edified on the acronym...)

So, while on the subject of this year's possible appointments, somebody went down memory lane to speculate on the reason for some of the previous appointments.

The most memorable quip of that day: 'Do you know the guy who was appointed because the lady thought he was good looking?'' Why should anybody be miffed?

Somebody thinks somebody else is good looking, so it calls for a cheer and a round of applause no matter what the crux ( pith / essence) of the issue is.....

Karu's babe Ruth

Karu Jayasuriya may have given a Freudian insight into his leader's current tendencies. (Or is it current and former tendencies?) Discussing the recent farcical Colombo Municipal Council elections, Jayasuriya put on a straight face and told Wickremesinghe ''we need to play all these successive elections not in the manner of a baseball game but a cricket match.''

Having been buried upto the neck in all things American (MIT and wahtnot) that was not just good advice, it was almost like mind reading.

The defenders

The Da Vinci code was handed down a ban before it even arrived. The President decided that the Catholic Bishops conference had a point -- and he banned the movie with a directive to the Public Performances Board.

But the political upshot of it on the other hand, would make for Oscar wining material.

While the ban was welcomed obviously in the quarters that asked for it, there were some murmurs from those who thought the movie should have got the thumbs up in the interests of free expression. But look who comes to the President's defence.

The Church, which everybody thought was poised until eternity in opposition to this 'nationalist' leader.

Suba davasak

Talking of America, an ex ambassador to the United States is back. Not in his old job, that is.

A lot of his fans said that he is the best Sri Lankan Ambassador that Washington ever had - and others blushed at that statement. We do not want to get into that controversy, but at least he must be happy he has more time now to take sojourns to rowing type of places, and generally chill out with his alma mater buddies.

Relaxing really, for a man who was fond of saying he was on first name basis with US Cabinet types. What does he sing now, even though he has star spangled banner still ringing in his ears? Row row row your boat gently down the stream?