A Tough Crowd for the Stand-up Routine

Today I gave a talk to the Women’s Institute. In abstract, I like the WI. They sing Jerusalem, they slow clap Tony Blair and they make cakes. In reality, I was a bit scared. I imagined they were going to be a tough crowd for the stand-up routine entitled The Lies We Believe, The Things We Are Not Told. I do not think I was exactly what they were hoping for or used to in a speaker, especially as I was an emergency replacement for someone whose slide presentation was entitled Mediterranean Flower Gardens.

Lacking slides, I did the most gentle preamble possible on how things are spun and why. Then I moved onto a short how and why the media fails us riff before taking them through a few old favourites. These included the Daily Mail giving support for the Nazi regime, the CIA sinking the MV Magdeburg in the Thames, mercury in children’s vaccines and the Lakenheath nuclear bomber crash.

I expected a slow handclap finish. What I got was an incredibly enthusiastic Q&A session and strong, genuine applause. By the end of it, I had sold 13 books. I also received one of best bits of feedback ever. A rather stern, matronly figure came up to me as I was leaving and said: “I shall never buy the Daily Mail again.”

One less Daily Mail reader. I consider that some kind of victory for the ropey Southwell stand-up routine.