I’ve just read the full transcript of Quayle’s ‘State of the Nation’ address to Tynwald. (Link below if you can stand it). Let’s begin by establishing what it wasn’t. It wasn’t a state of the nation address. It offers no information about, for example, the economy, government strategy, future intentions, or the effect of social policy.
What it actually contains is syrupy, shallow, tepid and trite sentiment designed to show Quayle as the affable, but put-upon ordinary good guy who’s had to deal with 12 months of simply awful misfortune. Despite the manifest defects in content, Quayle isn’t