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Spitting_Image_-_Talk_To_The_Liberals

Spitting Image - Talk To The Liberals

The Sound of Maggie! - Talk To The Liberals

"Talk To The Liberals" is the sixth and penultimate song in the Spitting Image special The Sound of Maggie!, and is a parody of "Talk To The Animals" by Leslie Bricusse, from the 1967 musical film Doctor Dolittle. The Spitting Image version is sung by Liberal leaders David Owen and Paddy Ashdown.

The original song focuses on Dr. Dolittle commenting on how wonderful it would be to talk to animals, and how much people could learn from wildlife. The Spitting Image version, however, shows David Owen's disdain for working with or cooperating with anyone else, including his former Alliance partner David Steel. On the other hand, Paddy Ashdown is much more open-minded, and like Dolittle he comments on how fantastic it would be to work with the other Liberals. This, of course, doesn't work, and the number ends with Owen and Ashdown re-enacting the famous "Pushmi-Pullyu" scene from the film.

Lyrics[]

(David Owen)
I used to talk to the Liberals, just imagine it,  
Chatting to a shrimp like David Steel! 
When I’ve been talking in Alliance, no one talks to giants, 
So I make sure that no one talks to me!


No, I don’t talk to the Liberals or the Democrats,  
God-knows what they’re calling it today!  
They’re talking balderdash and babble;   
they’re such a bloody rabble,  
I just wish they’d shut up and go away!


(David Steel)  
(Away!)


(Paddy Ashdown)  
If I could talk to the Owenites, just imagine it,  
What a combination that would be!  
Instead of being different choices, we could speak with single voices,  
And call ourselves the SDSLP! 


(…DS...PL… Well, something like that, anyway! I mean we don’t want to get carried away with the name! I mean the important thing is the policy!) 


(Together) 
No I can’t talk to the Democrats/If I could talk to the Owenites! 
They’re a load of shites, clearly we’ve got nothing to discuss!


So I’ll just talk to the (?),  
Laugh at the Cohenites, (?) 
Grunt, squeak and squawk at the (?)ites...  
And you… can laugh at us!


(This way! I am the leader!) 
(No, this way!) (No, I am in control!)  
(No, this way! No, this way!)  
(Thi...thi...thi..thi...thi...!) 

Trivia[]

David Steel is shown as parrot in this song, and spends much of his screentime bothering David Owen, which is similar to how he was depicted in the rest of the show.

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