“You really think that delivering a political speech from a Juliet balcony is a wise move, Jenkins?”
“Yes Prime Minister! The hand-holding with the President went down very well with our older-demographic focus group. You aren’t doing so well in that area, and we don’t know how many elections these voters have left in them. This set-piece just ramps up the romance. It’s for those who like their fiction with a little ‘Frills and Swoon’, so to speak. Now is the time to strike. Oh, I didn’t mean ‘strike’, Prime Minister. We’re all very much against those!”
“Quite. And what will the content of my speech be?”
“Content? Oh that’s not important! We’re pulling some old stuff together. You know, the ‘Let’s Make Britain Great Again’ stuff that always goes down well, coupled with a couple of topical references. Oh and it helps if you speak with a haughty, condescending tone. It will remind them of the ‘Good Old Days’, when pensions were worth looking forward to. Let’s not get too political. That’ll get them switching off in droves. Think Romance! So let’s practice with this rough draft shall we?”
“Mr Speaker, Parliamentary tradition forbids me from using your name. But what’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…”
This story is inspired by the photo supplied by Al Forbes of Sunday Photo Fiction, March 19th 2017. For more details click the logo.
To view other stories written for this challenge, please click here.
Walk the Self-Talk 
“…A shinnier, more Britain-y Britain…”
That could make the second draught!
Yes Prime Minister! exactly, although that classic show seems mild by the real world of politics today. Topical and fun take.
Thanks, Iain.
And we should build a wall. Big wall, beautiful door. Love that
Fact is surely stranger than fiction! 🙂
I chose a different Shakespearean play.
Thanks, James. Where there’s a Will there’s a way! 😉
Ha ha. Cute pun.
A tale of our times! Likey.
My tale is called ‘Envy’
Thanks, Keith.
Another interesting and completely different take on the photo that still brings in Shakespeare – what fun! And yes, great topical references too. Reality really is stranger than fiction.
Thanks, Joy.
Clever and well done, Steve, if perhaps too true to life (if there still is any in Westminster) to be funny.
Perhaps you can entice Ms May to partake of the potion?
Thanks. Maybe we could have a themed Prime Minister’s Questions?
A shot gun and a Trump tie for everyone! Very fun take.
Thanks. I’ll have a ‘Let’s Make America Great Britain Again’ t-shirt!
An interesting take Steve. It makes me wonder if all elections are like that. If elections are the party leaders “romancing the voter.” And if even when a leader is elected do people still prefer to be romanced instead of bearing the cold hard truth? Or maybe romance as a genre in itself in any situation is where we try to tell the truth in a happier idealized manner. But, I think not as having learned in my senior level university courses romance happens in an “ideal” world at anytime and “happy endings” are a must — and I think the ‘ideal’ is usually not the truth. Shame a leader hardly ever impresses the voter in the end. I loved your “Make Britain Great Again” bit.
You make some very good points. Maybe we pick the party that sells us the lie we like the best? I love the ‘Let’s Make America Great Britain Again’ t-shirts I’ve seen on Twitter.
Very well written with just the right dose of topicality.
Thanks. I like to use ideas that people are familiar with.