OK people, I'd like to start this session with a question: when is a party not a party?
When it's at your house?
(quiet laughter)
Emma (quietly, annoyed): Peter!
A party is not a party when it is plural. (brings up a slide of a woman on her phone in a crowd) There she is, the party, singular: she thinks like you, she votes like you, she is not you, and yet of course, she is you.
Peter (to himself, sighing): I feel like I've joined the Scientologists.
Some of these people want a federal Britain, others don't. And as long as we continue to do nothing, we can call that "consensus."
(to Emma) Why am I the only senior minister here? Is JB punishing me?
Look, Mary Drake's here, Home Office.
(Peter and Emma nod hello to Mary.)
(to Peter) And yes, JB is punishing you.
OK, let's McIntyre this: stand up. Let's find out, in fact, chairs to the side, please.
Great, vague prancing about.
Isn't that one of the fundamental principles of democracy?
(to Peter) Oh, I'm sorry, Peter, you want to share your thoughts?
Hmm? No, we just hoped we were going to do some dancing, er, Stewart. What, Merce Cunningham, something like that?
Okay, maybe later you can share it with us. But first of all, let me share something with you. How about this, Silicon Playgrounds, yeah? What caused this slow-motion pile up? Shall we sit down and chew over "hash-tag epic fail?" Or shall we try and get some solutions on their feet? That's it, just put it at the side, Peter.
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