Sorry - it's a joke which I believe originated on the BBC Archers message board, combining the Private Eye 'Ugandan discussions' with Brian and Siobhan's alibi for the early stages of their affair, that Siobhan was working on a translation of legal documents for Brian's holdings in Hungary.
I had to get my mother to explain the Private Eye thing, as it was quite a while ago, and I don't remember all the details... Wikipedia offers the following, from the Private Eye entry: The phrase "Ugandan relations" (or "Ugandan discussions" or "Ugandan affairs"), for example, is a Private Eye euphemism for illicit sex, usually while carrying out a supposedly official duty. According to Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable (2000) the term is a reference to an incident at a party hosted by the journalist Neal Ascherson and his first wife, at which fellow journalist Mary Kenny had a "meaningful confrontation" with a former cabinet minister in the government of Milton Obote, later explaining that they were "upstairs discussing Uganda". The poet James Fenton apparently coined the term. In 1996, 'Getting Back to Basics' was suggested as a replacement euphemism after the disastrous policy of the same name adopted by John Major's government
Thank goodness; I was beginning to think she'd lost the plot completely. His manipulation was really getting to me; though to be fair, he's been thinking about this for a couple of months more than she has.
Sam as a marriage wrecker? Before he's pushed out somehow? I can't believe Ruth could cope with him being around.
I think it was his manipulation that eventually did for him, at least in part. If he hadn't phoned so much, if he'd been rather more sympathetic in the car park he might have still had a chance.
Perhaps they'll remember (for once) that Sam's an agency worker and can thus be chucked no trouble!
(Your bunny icon is quite the thing here... if I were a bunny in the Archer household I'd be heading for the hills right now.)
David's going to need a reason to get rid of Sam, and I don't know if Ruth is going to tell him, given her behaviour over the Sophie nightmare. And no doubt she'd rather have some time on her own, but I think she should be hot-footing it back to the farm to get there before Sam does.
I had my marriage proposal replayed to me courtesy of Ian and Adam, and now relationship trauma I had hoped not to see again.
In one respect, I think Sam is a symptom rather than the cause. Ruth could not manage the farmhouse/children/paperwork and all the cows. Therefore they arranged things so that she kept the job she hated, and they employed someone to do the job she loved – at a lot more than the cost of employing a cleaner/after-school childminder. The sensible option (hah!) is that Ruth say to David she is unhappy because she feels she’s become too much of a farmer’s wife rather than a farmer. Therefore she wants to go on an advanced training course to bring her knowledge up to date, and take over the cows herself. They’ll employ someone to do the cleaning, and collect the kids, and use the agency (or the New Bert) more effectively to provide cover. Excuse to get rid of Sam, plus get to the root cause of much of Ruth’s unhappiness, bingo. So obviously it won’t happen.
I am afraid that Ian and Adam give me pain purely by existing – I’d hate to have it reflect any RL trauma.
I agree; I like your theory and I'm hoping Sam's not going to be digging in, but I don't rate the chances of Ruth being able to hold a sensible conversation right now, and Sam's got to be desperate to stay. Ruth's cow-love baffles me somewhat. I've seen a lot of criticism of this storyline, and the writing of it, but I do think it's been quite well done, though I know I may be alone there.
Ian and Adam are thankfully not reflecting trauma; though Ian seems to me to be a man overburdened with stereotypes, well, rather a child overburdened, he and Adam bring me great joy, if only for their Brian-annoying skills.
he and Adam bring me great joy, if only for their Brian-annoying skills. Brian's response to the "we're getting married" squee was a joy to hear (I rather like Brian - he's a good-value character).
And I sympathise about the relationship trauma - I had similar feelings about the Kirsty business, although the underlying circumstances were quite different.
The other thing I'm always amazed no-one ever remembers is that Sam has a real history of hitting on women who are neglected by their partners... and then turning distinctly cold on them.
Particularly Ruth, who's spent all this time being a chummy confidante...
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Date: 2006-11-07 09:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-07 09:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-07 09:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2006-11-08 11:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-08 05:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-07 10:02 pm (UTC)Sam as a marriage wrecker? Before he's pushed out somehow? I can't believe Ruth could cope with him being around.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-08 09:08 am (UTC)Perhaps they'll remember (for once) that Sam's an agency worker and can thus be chucked no trouble!
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Date: 2006-11-08 10:23 am (UTC)David's going to need a reason to get rid of Sam, and I don't know if Ruth is going to tell him, given her behaviour over the Sophie nightmare. And no doubt she'd rather have some time on her own, but I think she should be hot-footing it back to the farm to get there before Sam does.
I had my marriage proposal replayed to me courtesy of Ian and Adam, and now relationship trauma I had hoped not to see again.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-08 11:07 am (UTC)I am afraid that Ian and Adam give me pain purely by existing – I’d hate to have it reflect any RL trauma.
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Date: 2006-11-08 11:36 am (UTC)Ian and Adam are thankfully not reflecting trauma; though Ian seems to me to be a man overburdened with stereotypes, well, rather a child overburdened, he and Adam bring me great joy, if only for their Brian-annoying skills.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-08 12:42 pm (UTC)Brian's response to the "we're getting married" squee was a joy to hear (I rather like Brian - he's a good-value character).
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Date: 2006-11-08 05:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-08 05:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-08 05:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-08 03:19 pm (UTC)Particularly Ruth, who's spent all this time being a chummy confidante...
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Date: 2006-11-08 05:53 pm (UTC)