British politics can’t match the hair-raising lunacy of Washington, but the divisions between U.K. political parties are ferocious. Right now, the incumbent Conservative party has been facing a series of scandals, is still recovering from the brief but disastrous Prime Ministership of lettuce rival Liz Truss, and seems to be on a crash course for election humiliation.
Beyond that, there remain deep divisions over Brexit, passionate calls for Scottish independence, and decades-long splits over Northern Ireland. But it seems that there’s one person who can unite the country: the living legend, musical icon, and universally popular star Dolly Parton.
Multiple members of Parliament have signed a motion for the House of Commons to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Parton’s classic song “I Will Always Love You”. They desire:
“That this House celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Dolly Parton’s hit song I Will Always Love You; notes the sentiment behind this song and what it means to so many, including the wife of the hon. Member for Strangford; highlights the contribution this song and her music in general to the industry, especially in the late 1960s, early 1970s and over the last 50 years; further notes the large scale event held at the weekend in Dolly Parton’s multi-million dollar theme park at Pigeon Forge in East Tennessee as part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the song, that was written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Peter Wagoner; and wishes Dolly continued success as she entertains and encourages so many through her music and inspirational character.”
Who could argue with that? MPs from across the political spectrum have signed up to it, ranging from the centre-left wing Labour Party, the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, and hardline Northern Irish unionists the DUP. Sadly it looks like the majority of Conservative party MPs aren’t on board the Dolly express, as only Fiona Bruce has expressed her support for the motion.
There’s no fixed rule on how many signatures a motion needs to be debated, but we can only hope more MPs tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen, pour themselves a cup of ambition, and join this truly worthwhile cause. And hey, if it does succeed, perhaps the famously rowdy House of Commons can set aside its many differences for a group singalong.
So, we wish Westminster joy, and we wish it happiness, but above all, we wish it love in its quest to honor this magnificent song and the wonderful woman who wrote it.
