Decoding Hugh

one tweet at a time

[decodinghugh]

Our man refers to a classic children’s book, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton.  Mike works with Mary Ann, his coal-fired steam shovel. They are hired to dig the cellar for the new town hall in Popperville, but there’s a catch: they’ll get paid only if they can dig the entire cellar in one day.

You can listen to Will Saris read the story in English here.

[decodinghugh]

Hugh’s tweet this morning refers to the proposed “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill” in England (policing is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland and Scotland, so much of the bill only relates to England and Wales). This bill was raised in light of recent protests in England and is dubbed ‘Police Crackdown Bill’ or ‘Anti-Protest Bill’ as it is feared that it will have far-reaching consequences for people’s right to peaceful protest. There are several Twitter threads about this issue, for example this one - https://twitter.com/IanDunt/status/1370322183793295370 by Ian Dunt, political editor, columnist and author.

The bill comes before Parliament today, Monday, and will be voted on by MPs on Tuesday. 

[decodinghugh]

Hugh’s tweet this morning refers to the proposed “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill” in England (policing is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland and Scotland, so much of the bill only relates to England and Wales). This bill was raised in light of recent protests in England and is dubbed ‘Police Crackdown Bill’ or ‘Anti-Protest Bill’ as it is feared that it will have far-reaching consequences for people’s right to peaceful protest. There are several Twitter threads about this issue, for example this one - https://twitter.com/IanDunt/status/1370322183793295370 by Ian Dunt, political editor, columnist and author.

The bill comes before Parliament today, Monday, and will be voted on by MPs on Tuesday. 

[decodinghugh]

Hugh’s been watching cricket while he’s in isolation due to the ongoing pandemic. He’s talking about a Test match between England and West Indies (or Windies). The final outcome was 318-204, with West Indies victorious. 

You can learn more about cricket and how it’s played here. 

[decodinghugh]

This tweet is connected to Hugh’s tweet from the previous day which links to this Guardian article. 

He uses sports metaphors to illustrate how simple this situation should be to resolve for Her Majesty’s Government (HMG). 

A tap-in is an easy goal scored from a relatively short distance. 

While shank is often used to describe a golf ball hit a certain way it’s more likely that Hugh is using it in football terms where it means a ball kicked into an unintended direction, here into the upper tiers of a stadium. 

[decodinghugh]

Our man is talking about the battle due to take place between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury at the MGM Grand arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on 22 February, 2020. Fury is looking to regain his heavyweight title from Wilder in this rematch. Hugh gives his opinion on this event with his usual obscure but entertaining sense of humor.

You can read more about the rematch here. 

[decodinghugh]

Hugh is most likely referring to the near-total ban on abortion passed into law by the Alabama state legislature on 14 May 2019. A wave of similar bills has been introduced to the majority of states in the US, with the intent to take the issue to the Supreme Court and overturn Roe v Wade. 

[decodinghugh]

Hugh is calling attention to the fact that last night, the last ever episode of ‘Veep’ aired in the US. The term ‘Last Post’ refers to a bugle call used at Commonwealth military funerals or commemorations for those killed in wars. You can listen to the Last Post for Remembrance here. 

[decodinghugh]

Our man is most likely replying to a series of tweets posted by Tim Montgomerie, a conservative political activist, blogger and columnist. Hugh’s examples are of failed ventures or a wrong outcome made right. ‘Peanuts in Tanzania’ refers to an effort more commonly known as ‘the groundnut scheme’, while Lance Armstrong, an international cycling athlete, was relieved of his titles after he admitted to using banned drugs to win the Tour de France. As for the Birmingham Six, they are men from Northern Ireland, then currently living in Birmingham, who were wrongly accused of the bombing of two pubs in 1974.

(Thanks to Stephen/@tweedy151 for letting us know Hugh was responding to Mr. Montgomerie.)

[decodinghugh]

Our man is responding to a fan who would like to have Hugh’s song ‘Mystery’ added to online playlists. Hugh’s response is a reference to College Green in Westminster, a small public park behind Westminster Abbey and diagonally opposite the Houses of Parliament where reporters often interview members of Parliament, and members of the public there as well to protest or rally with placards (protest signs, for Americans).  

The song referred to can be found here.

[decodinghugh]

Today was the last day of shooting for Veep. Hugh has guest-starred on the show several times as Tom James, so it’s only fitting he said goodbye as well. 

“My she was yar” is a quote from the movie The Philadelphia Story. You can see a short clip here. 

[decodinghugh]

Hugh hasn’t been very active on Twitter lately, and when he’s tweeted he wasn’t all that cryptic. So we’re a little rusty. 

This tweet most likely refers to last night’s fight for the heavyweight title between Deontay Wilder and his challenger Tyson Fury. The fight ended in a split draw (which means there will be a repeat of this match at some future date), despite Fury apparently dominating much of the first half. But on points, there was no winner. More info on the fight here. 

(Image source: Reuters)

[decodinghugh]

Hugh refers to a lyric from the song ‘Blueberry Hill’, made famous by the musician Antoine Dominique Domino Jr, nicknamed ‘Fats’. Domino died on 24 October 2017, aged 89, in New Orleans. He grew up in the Lower 9th Ward and was renowned as a gifted pianist as well as one of the founding contributors to the sound of rock n roll. He was one of the first ten musicians inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

"As far as I know, the music makes people happy," he said in a television interview. "I know it makes me happy."

[decodinghugh]

Our man refers to the battle for the heavyweight boxing title between reigning champion Anthony Joshua and challenger Vladimir Klitschko. The bout will be held at Wembley Stadium.  

[decodinghugh]

Hugh is referring to the Irish head of government, Taoiseach Enda Kenny who has just made his annual St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House. A short video of part of Kenny’s speech, during which he emphasised St. Patrick’s role as the patron saint of immigrants, can be found here. A short article by the BBC addressing the visit can be found here.  

[decodinghugh]

Hugh is talking about AA Gill, a British restaurant critic and writer, who passed away today at age 62. He had only recently revealed that he was suffering from cancer. 

Gill’s reviews in the Sunday Times and other media were very eloquent, funny, provocative and, at times, scathing. He was both revered and feared and had, reportedly, been thrown out of one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants by the chef himself. This piece in the Guardian gives a glimpse of the man. 

[decodinghugh]

Hugh is paraphrasing a famous quote, usually attributed to President Harry S. Truman: ‘The buck stops here.’ That quote refers to another phrase: ‘pass the buck’ (to avoid responsibility by passing it on to someone else).