Politics Unpacked

Life begins at 6

Journalists in this country may be down sometimes, but they are never out.

All flagging journalistic spirits were given a positive jolt when Dr Lester James Peries addressed a journalistic gathering last week, and said "my six years in journalism was more enjoyable to me than all of my 6o years in cinema."

Hearing that, does Anarkali want to apply to be a full time scribe?

To go or not to go?

The UNP was beset with rumours that one of its young men in a hurry who almost monopolised the television screens sometime back, now wants to cross over.

The man, with American connection to almost all of his limbs and fingers, is now set on having many jaw jaws with the country's powers that be. That we know. But is he going to join the Government?? His eyes are on the leadership of the UNP, so, is it likely that he is going to compromise on that prize?

Pens and bombs

A good number of Sri Lankan journalists gathered at a south of Colombo location last week for an annual event.

There was good cheer and backslapping aplenty, but the quip of quips was this one:

Said one senior hand "I was called on my handphone, and the caller's message was that there might be a bomb planted in this location." No flutter on the part of our man. His reply came in a nanosecond: "Ah that's good, 50 per cent of the country's problems will be solved if the bomb goes off."

Giving a voice to the voiceless

The UNP is not entirely voiceless. The problem is, all the UNP voices are high pitched - erm, effeminate. You know what they say, like they are voices that belong in high school Girl Guide jamborees....

Now we always knew that about Ranil Wickremesinghe but a voice therapist has been brought to attend to the voice of Mr Attanayake, we hear. He screeches so much every week, that he has been nicknamed the Mighty Mouse.

Guess what he said this week on telly: If then President could get Daya Master and treat him at a hospital on humanitarian grounds, then why not give the LTTE all the helicopters it needs. He's got the two 'H' words mixed up, it appears..

Man of letters

A couple of weeks back, our feature sections carried some articles which debated the idea that snail mail (letter writing...) is archaic and has been replaced by electronic messaging.

Well, Anura Bandaranaike would surely debate that. The Tourism Minister has won accolades from the highest place -- no less that the President - as the most prolific letter writer.

He has written to the Sinhala diaspora organisations in London, and this has come in for beaming Presidential approval. But, also, says the Chief Executive, 'if I meet him today, you can be sure that before I get here home, is a thanking letter.'