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Gordon and the Budget of fire
They say the wheels of government never stop turning, but it might well have been a quiet few days in the Treasury of late, as it turns out Chancellor Gordon Brown is a big Harry Potter fan.
Interviewed on the release of the latest Potter tome, he said the series of books are one of Britain’s greatest exports and praised author JK Rowling, for having ‘done more for literacy around the world than any single human being’.
However, TS worries that once Brown has finished his copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and returned to his duties as chancellor, he may become overly-inspired by it.
What are the chances that we will see the introduction of a ‘muggle tax’ in the next Budget, or even credits for energy-efficient broomsticks?
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The launch of the new Harry Potter book was certainly a frightening affair. Not only filmed at midnight in an old castle transformed into Hohgwarts but part way through the proceedings a terrible toe-curling event took place.
The scene is as follows:
Two muggles (JKR and a young boy who has won a competition to interview her about the book) are progressing through the aforementioned interview. Part way, the young muggle hesitates and announces to all present that "there are a few friends of mine that would like to ask you a question". The muggles both turn uneasily to look at a monitor. They gulp and hold their breath as a grotesque creature slowly and faintly appears on the monitor. Harry Potter fans at first may think it is Mad-Eyed Moody (the grotesque character with grey hair, a badly scarred face, and one roving eye that can see through Invisibility Cloaks and appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). But no, the image becomes slighty clearer - it's not Mad-Eyed Moody but the Bloody Baron (the Slytherin ghost). The image becomes clearer....its the Fat Friar - no - its Gordon (one of Dudley's gang)!
Smiling at the screen and peering into the muggle world, Gordon at first joked with JKR. (The young muddle pondered on why Gordon had been scripted as "his friend" and whether showbiz was all it was cracked up to be). As Gordon delivered his irrelevant and obviously well rehearsed question, it happened - Gordon started to dribble. His eye(s) darkened as he lowered his gaze and stared at JKR. The muggle felt his eyes upon her purse - the very purse used to collect her muggle royalties! How she wished she had her invisibility cloak now. She felt her head spinning, the gaze of Gordon was too much - the room was spinning, there was Gordon, Harry, Gordon, Harry, everything was going dark and then - suddenly - it was over. The room returned to normal, the Gordon was gone. She looked down at her purse and to her dismay she saw the destruction the creature had created - a whole 40% of her royalties had gone!
To be continued.......
Posted by :Mark_the_accountant | July 21, 2005 1:51 PM