# What's your favorite political satire? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375 "2004-09-14T05:29:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/1 "2004-09-14T05:29:50Z")
I had this - incidentally - in another thread, which was unfortunately closed. I’ve been accused of being a Bush sprout, a Kerry berry and even recently I’ve been asking pointed questions about Ralph. Fact is, I don’t know who to vote for anymore, and a friend sent me a site that mirrors my (current) political position very well. I want to share it with y’all (oops, that’s a Bushism), I mean you… Just in case anyone has the mistaken notion that I’m choosing sides here might want to reference this extensive exposé: [This Land](http://www.starterupsteve.com/swf/this_land.html) It really puts things in perspective. Justification? IMHO, this particular satire ROCKS! (with apology to Woody G.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/2 "2004-09-14T09:26:12Z")
One of my favourites was [The New Statesman](http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/n/newstatesmanthe_7774820.shtml), starring Rik Mayall (‘Rick’ from _The Young Ones_ and ‘Richard’ from _Bottom_) as utterly corrupt, utterly selfish Conservative MP **Alan B’Stard**. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/3 "2004-09-14T09:57:20Z")
‘Yes, Minister’ and ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ stand the test of time very well. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/4 "2004-09-14T11:02:19Z")
Oh yes, second vote for the new statesman. Mayall is brillaint. (Brits, what was his most recent program? I miss him.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/5 "2004-09-14T12:08:56Z")
Moving this from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![aegypt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@aegypt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aegypt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/6 "2004-09-14T12:19:23Z")
I really liked the BBC series “Whoops Apocalypse” in the early eighties. You can’t make a better cold war satire than that. A bit prophetic too, even, with President Cyclops´s creepy security advisor Deacon and the hunt for elusive international terrorist l’Acrobat (a surprisingly menacing John Cleese). They made a cheesy movie out of it but the series is pure unadulterated comedy gold. [More.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/w/whoopsapocalypse_7776790.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/7 "2004-09-14T12:52:20Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Oh yes, second vote for the new statesman. Mayall is brillaint. > (Brits, what was his most recent program? I miss him.) Dunno about most recent, but he was fantastic on a children’s poetry programme called _Wham Bam Strawberry Jam_. No, really, he was. ---
**Author:** ![aegypt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@aegypt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aegypt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/8 "2004-09-14T13:34:09Z")
Rik’s on the telly in the UK more or less constantly. To see what he’s up to now, check [this site](http://www.orangeneko.com/rik/riknews.htm) . ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/9 "2004-09-14T16:33:27Z")
1. Bob Roberts 2. Bulworth 3. Being There (Hee hee, they’re all “B” movies.) ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/10 "2004-09-14T21:01:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Moving this from IMHO to Cafe Society. Of course. Quite obvious. I can be so dumb at times. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-political-satire/264375/11 "2004-09-14T22:15:53Z")
**Thank You for Smoking** by Christopher Buckley (and his new one, **Florence of Arabia** , looks like it may be good as well). One of the best and funniest Washington novels I’ve ever read, it’s the adventures of a sleazy-but-likable tobacco lobbyist and the semi-identifiable faces he runs across (There’s a priceless scene of Nick, the protagonist, on a plane in First Class sitting next to a roman-a-clef Barbra Streisand). Most of PJ O’Rourke’s books, especially **Parliament of Whores**. His last two books have been a disappointment, but back in the late 80s he was on top of his game. He looks at the various people , branches and agencies that comprise the Federal government and tries to explain them in layman’s terms **Agent of Influence** by David Aaron. Not a straight-up satire so much as a thriller with lots of satirical moments. It’s the story of a KGB colonel trying to buy the Washington Post, as told by the mergers/acquisitions broker assigned to help him do it. This has the distinction of being the last Cold War thriller to come out before the Soviet Union broke up.