The next time someone staggers up to you and insists victory is imminent, here are some simple things you can ask, to test if the political fairies are at work or not:
8 Questions They Need to Be Able to Yes To
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Do you know the procedure
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Is what you want legal
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Do you have the votes
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Do you the evidence
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Do you solution that the Commission, EP and Council will support
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Do you have the resources to pull it off
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Do you have the right people to pull it off
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Are you trusted
If you answer is no to any of these, it is likely that someone is sprinkling political fairy dust on people.
Signs that the Political Fairies At Work
There are easy ways to spot if someone is under the influence of the political fairies.
Here are some tell tale signs:
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They’ll tend to be adamant and convinced. They have an evangelical air to them. You’d meet similar types in Hyde Park.
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When you ask them for details, they’ll get agitated, raise their voice, and proclaim, usually loudly, that your questions are a sign of a lack of faith.
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If you ask the first 4 questions, and they can’t instantly hand over a copy of the answer, you known that they inhaled too much fairy dust.
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If you were to choose any one, I’d go for the 2nd question “Is it legal”. If they don’t have a legal opinion from a respected lawyer, who is not a lobbyist in legal robes, you know the chances of success are quickly moving down to 0.
I’d add an extra. Is what they want clear. I’ve come to realise that if I can’t understand their case, there is little chance that others making the decision will. And, no amount of someone raising their voice loudly will make it clearer.
You may ask why not inhale the political fairy dust? I would not. It will give you a bad political hang over, and steer you to defeat.
These questions are helpful filters. They’ll make your life easier.
PS
Some believe in fairies.