I remember as a young child in primary school reading stories by Enid Blyton. She created a host of fun miscellaneous characters who lived in a forest with a tall Magic Faraway Tree in the middle.
The tree was unique; it gave many different persons their home, like Dame Washalot (the 'local' washerwoman) who reminds me of Monteil and all the washing Pa-trick doing to clean up this mess he put the PNM and the HDC/CLICO in...
The there was Mr Whatshisname, a grumpy old man who couldn't remember his name, did nothing but sleep all day and had a fiery temper - sounds like my friend Shermie, not so?
Moonface - always smiling, slightly foolish and always looking for an easy way out - hmmm, Pa-trick in print I'd say.
The three children who always hope for the best from the tree and its dwellers.. our sad population?
The Saucepan Man - so strung out with saucepans that clanked as he moved that he was deaf from all the noise he made - sounds suspiciously like any member of the duncey team, but especially like Paul and Reyes. Only noise come from them whatever move thy make.
But the best part was that every week, a new magical land came to the top of the Magic Faraway Tree, accessed by climbing to the top of the tree and up a ladder through the clouds.
Sounds like the way the government runs the country - climbing ladders through the clouds hoping a new land will suddenly rise that will be everything they could wish for. Right now, the dream is for a land of milk and honey except from reading the book, I realised that no matter what land swung around there, it always had consequences for entering; or an adventure in the journey that meant hard work. Suspiciously, the land that bore sweet results, the goodies, often meant hard work to get there.
I don't know what to make of this: either Enid Blyton was a hell of a seer woman, in which case Pa-trick hire the wrong person, or Pa-trick running the country based upon children's tales.
As a matter of interest though, has anyone investigated how and with what funds the seer woman is being paid? Just a thought.
Look out for the comments in the link.. 'gravel thief' Rowley? I am still rolling over that one.
