SUPERIMPOSED CAPTION: 'POLITICIANS - AN APOLOGY'
(The camera pans across a landscape. Roller caption starts to come up,
superimposed. The words are quite large and easily readable, but well
spaced so that the roller will seem to go on for quite some time. Voice over
reads)
Voice Over (Eric Idle): and CAPTION: 'WE WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR
THE WAY IN WHICH POLITICIANS ARE REPRESENTED IN THIS
PROGRAMME. IT WAS NEVER OUR INTENTION TO IMPLY THAT
POLITICIANS ARE WEAK-KNEED, POLITICAL TIME-SERVERS WHO
ARE CONCERNED MORE WITH THEIR PERSONAL VENDETTAS AND
PRIVATE POWER STRUGGLES THAN THE PROBLEMS OF
GOVERNMENT, NOR TO SUGGEST AT ANY POINT THAT THEY
SACRIFICE THEIR CREDIBILITY BY DENYING FREE DEBATE ON
VITAL MATTERS IN THE MISTAKEN IMPRESSION THAT PARTY
UNITY COMES BEFORE THE WELL-BEING OF THE PEOPLE THEY
SUPPOSEDLY REPRESENT NOR TO IMPLY AT ANY STAGE THAT
THEY ARE SQUABBLING LITTLE TOADIES WITHOUT AN OUNCE OF
CONCERN FOR THE VITAL SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF TODAY. NOR
INDEED DO WE INTEND THAT VIEWERS SHOULD CONSIDER THEM
AS CRABBY ULCEROUS LITTLE SELF-SEEKING VERMIN WITH FURRY
LEGS AND AN EXCESSIVE ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL AND CERTAIN
EXPLICIT SEXUAL PRACTICES WHICH SOME PEOPLE MIGHT FIND
OFFENSIVE. WE ARE SORRY IF THIS IMPRESSION HAS COME
ACROSS.