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mitchell: David Mitchell’s Soapbox: Waste

August 20 2009 | JustinGayner

Welcome to the very last edition of David Mitchell’s Soapbox 2009.

In this episode, David contemplates the topic of waste in politics.

Every politician says they are going to reduce waste, but never do anything about it.

And how can they? These people are talented orators, not management consultants. Perhaps our man Mitchell has the answer.

Many thanks for watching this first series of David Mitchell’s Soapbox. We’ve all thoroughly enjoyed making it.

Watch this space for 2010…

previous: David Mitchell’s Soapbox: Food

comments

Dawn Parker
August 20th, 2009 - 5:35pm

What a great end to these podcasts. Hopefully there will be more in the future. I love how you have put them all togrther at the end. Thankyou David xx.

Connie
August 20th, 2009 - 6:28pm

it’s over :(

Enoch
August 20th, 2009 - 8:59pm

Ah, what a pity it’s over :( I certainly hope there will be a second wave of whatever-they’re-called! This show was very good entertainment with a good bit of wit, spicing up the otherwise intellectually rather unsatisfying every day internet.

Izzy
August 20th, 2009 - 10:42pm

Wow, that’s probably the only time i’ll ever hear “You’re welcome to sleep with my corpse” said by someone not in a straightjacket. I hope, anyway.

As for the waste issue, most of it comes out of their own mouths anyway so there is literally nothing WE can do even if we wanted to. It’s a recycled issue. Funny, no?

Thank you for indoctri-, i mean, bestowing your wisdom upon us all and i look forward to seeing more of these, please. And for the sake of my ears, sans annoying barking dog with any luck.

Emma
August 21st, 2009 - 12:47pm

The last one - very sad. They will be missed - please take note Channel Flip and sponsors! Hope there is another series. Just the tonic you need after an annoying morning having my time wasted by the Nationwide - who clearly are not bothered about eliminating that particular waste - to come home and find this waiting. Thank you, David. Hope, rather selfishly I admit, that life is sufficiently irritating for you to do more.

Janet
August 21st, 2009 - 1:37pm

I agree with Emma. I hate to wish ire upon you David, but I really hope that when it crops up you, you will share it with us. This series brightened up the internet for me. Thank you.

phippster
August 21st, 2009 - 9:10pm

These excellent podcasts are the best comedic ones I’ve come across and God knows I need all the witty hilarity I can get. More please!

Oliver
August 21st, 2009 - 10:04pm

I only wish I could find the sentiments to express myself like this, or even the wit to actually notice what it is that actually pisses me off on a day-to-day basis. I haven’t needed to recently since David was doing it for me, and making me laugh, to boot!

Hurry up and get angry again soon!

Ciaran
August 21st, 2009 - 10:19pm

Nice one, though I do believe man flu is an unalienable right and should be defended.

On the waste front, totally agree there’s a lot of it about, except as a former management consultant (grrr, boo, hiss!) you can do something about it.

It’s a simple thing in essence, you ask the people who actually do the job - you know, the proper, front line job not the sit in the office following you on Twitter variety - what hacks them off and 90% of your time you have the answer.

The problem then comes in persuading umpteen layers of bureaucratic middle management, HR, Health & Safety, Finance, IT and then the bosses, and then their bosses’ bosses that it might not be a good idea to have 2 offices trying to do exactly the same thing or my favourite, actually competing with each other to each others detriment.

Vary rarely does anything get sanctioned as some t*sser will always object, usually for an internal bureaucratic political reason. And that’s in the supposedly efficient private sector - god knows what it’s like in govt.

Enjoy the break

idjit90
August 22nd, 2009 - 2:06am

That was a beautiful summary at the end! If there are any English teachers out there who need to demonstrate the concept of “Topic Sentence” of an essay to their pupils, this is an outstanding example.

Kate
August 22nd, 2009 - 5:00am

You’ll be missed, please get angry soon. I’ll be looking for you in the Observer, should it survive.

Kayt
August 22nd, 2009 - 9:56pm

Sad to see the end of my favorite podcast/internet video series/whatever. I add my voice to the chorus of those anxious for more once David’s vitriol has been refueled.

Society Bee
August 23rd, 2009 - 8:21am

I am very sad indeed that we have seen the last of the whatever-they-ares. May there be more in the future!

Tom
August 24th, 2009 - 5:46pm

Anyone know how to get the embedding code to work? I copied it and pasted it into my Wordpress site, but it didn’t work.

JustinGayner
August 24th, 2009 - 5:51pm

Tom - we are due to replace the players and code because its a bit buggered at the moment. We’ll have it sorted soon.

mreed
August 24th, 2009 - 6:17pm

So very clever! Hate to see them go. At least now, as the memory of David’s dialogs fade, I can go back to kidding myself that I am witty.

Hannah
August 25th, 2009 - 3:24am

This timing, for me, is awful. These whatever-they-ares (webcasts, presumably?) have been one of the relaxing pleasures of my week, and now they cease just in time for my schedule to become unusually stressful and complicated. Bothersome.

Which is not to say that I’m not grateful. Thanks so much.

x

Rosie
August 27th, 2009 - 8:42pm

To lovely Mr Mitchell (should you ever read this which I doubt you will) -
Your soapboxes and Observer columns (which you haven’t written enough of lately!) have cheered up many an otherwise dull day for me. Keep on complaining in you uniquely and endearingly witty and near-sancimonious way. We love you!

x

Debs
August 30th, 2009 - 1:36pm

Thank you so much for those podcasts! They were amazing. Very true and very witty. A fantastic achievement :).

love
Debs xxx

jennie
September 22nd, 2009 - 9:22am

Ah David, David, David. How I will miss this, and you. Thanks for giving me great laughs, and dare I admit it, a great big crush. You are the thinking woman’s crumpet (did I use my apostrophe correctly?)

Tom Hill
October 25th, 2009 - 1:54pm

That is now my creed for life

ben
December 5th, 2009 - 1:25pm

this is a freakin awesome series but it hasn’t got many views. How comes it aint on youtube? david mitchell with his own official, self manned youtube channel.. that would be fantastic!
YTuser/oojamaflipper

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