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						 Decision  making exercise  
  While on his morning  walk, Prime  Minister Gordon Brown falls over, has a   heart attack and  dies  because the accident and emergency dept at his   nearest hospital  is  too understaffed to treat him in time.  
  So his soul  arrives in  Heaven and he is met by Saint Peter at the Pearly   Gates.   
  "Welcome to Heaven," says Saint Peter,  "Before you settle in,  it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a  Socialist around  these parts, so we're not sure what to do with you."  
  "No   problem, just let me in; I'm a good Christian; I'm a  believer," says   the PM.
  "I'd like to just let you in, but I have  orders  from God Himself. He says that since the implementation of his  new  HEAVEN CHOICES policy, you have to spend one day in Hell and one   day in Heaven. Then you must choose where you'll live for   eternity."
  "But I've already made up my mind. I want  to be in  Heaven," replies Brown.
  "I'm sorry .. But we have our rules,"   Peter interjects. And, with that, St. Peter escorts him to an  elevator  and he goes down, down, down ...all the way to Hell.    
  The doors open and he  finds himself in the middle of a lush  golf course.   The sun is shining  in a cloudless sky. The  temperature is a perfect 22C   degrees. In the  distance is a  beautiful club-house. Standing in front of   it is Harold  Wilson and  thousands of other Socialist luminaries who had   helped him out   over the years --- John Smith, Michael Foot, Jim   Callaghan, etc.   The whole of the Labour Party leaders were there ..   Everyone   laughing, happy, and casually but expensively dressed.  
  They  run  to greet him, to hug him and to reminisce about the good times    they had  getting rich at the expense of 'suckers and peasants.'   
  They  play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and   caviar. The  Devil himself comes up to Brown with a frosty drink,  "Have a  tequila and relax,  Gord!"
  "Uh, I  can't drink  anymore, I took a pledge," says Brown, dejectedly.  
  "This is   Hell, son. You can drink and eat all you want and not worry  and it  just  gets better from there!"
  Brown takes the drink and finds   himself liking the Devil, who he thinks   is a really very  friendly  bloke who tells funny jokes like himself and   pulls hilarious  nasty  pranks, kind of like the ones the Labour Party   pulled with the   European Constitution and the Education, Immigration,   Tough on   Crime promises.
  They are having such a great time that,  before  he realises it, it's time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and   waves as Brown steps on the elevator and heads upward.   
  When  the elevator door reopens, he is in Heaven again and  Saint  Peter is waiting  for him. "Now it's time to visit Heaven,"  the old man says,   opening the gate.  
  So for 24  hours Brown  is made to hang out with a bunch of honest,   good-natured  people  who enjoy each other's company, talk about things   other than money   and treat each other decently. Not a nasty prank or   short-arse   joke among them. No fancy country clubs here and, while the   food  tastes  great, it's not caviar or lobster. And these people are all    poor. He  doesn't see anybody he knows and he isn't even treated  like   someone special!  
  "Whoa," he  says uncomfortably to  himself. "Harold Wilson never prepared   me for this!"  
  The  day  done, Saint Peter returns and says, "Well, you've spent a day in    Hell and a  day in Heaven. Now choose where you want to live for   Eternity."
  With the 'Deal or No Deal' theme playing  softly in  the background, Brown reflects for a minute ... Then answers:   "Well, I would never have thought I'd say this -- I mean, Heaven   has been delightful and all -- but I really think I belong in Hell   with my friends."
  So Saint Peter escorts him to the elevator   and he goes down, down, down, all the way to Hell.  
  The   doors of the elevator open and he is in the middle of a barren    scorched  earth covered with garbage and toxic industrial  wasteland,   looking a bit like  the eroded, rabbit and fox affected  Australian   outback, but worse  and more desolate.
  He is  horrified to see all of his  friends, dressed in rags and chained   together, picking up the roadside rubbish  and putting it into  black plastic bags. They are groaning and  moaning in pain, faces  and hands black with grime.  
  The Devil  comes over to Brown  and puts an arm around his shoulder." I   don't understand,"   stammers a shocked Brown, "Yesterday I was here and   there was a   golf course and a club-house and we ate lobster and caviar   and  drank  tequila. We lazed around and had a great time. Now there's    just a  wasteland full of garbage and everybody looks miserable!"   
  The  Devil looks at him, smiles slyly and purrs, "Yesterday we  were  campaigning; today you voted for  us!" 
											 _________________ "Ich bin bekannt für meine Ironie. Aber auf den Gedanken, im Hafen von New York eine Freiheitsstatue zu errichten, wäre selbst ich nicht gekommen."
					
  
						
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