Thursday, November 16, 2006

Political Hotline

It seems I have a new career as a Dutch politician.

In the approach to the Dutch elections on 22nd November, my private home phone seems to be a hotline for various mad people who seem to think that I can answer their questions regarding the policies of my party, or just would like to engage in a bit of good old-fashioned verbal abuse.

This misunderstanding stems from the fact that I'm listed in the phone book as Mevrouw L. Griffith. Mevrouw Laetitia Griffith has (wisely) chosen not to be listed. I'm getting her calls. It's all very interesting and I'm getting lots of Dutch practice telling people to sod off.

It's very strange how persistent people can be. The conversation can stretch on for some time, and some people still won't believe I'm not her. You would think that the fact that I can barely speak the language might give them a tiny little clue that perhaps I'm not really the woman for the job.

Perhaps next time I'll try the "Yes, I'm her. What do you want to know?" approach. There goes the local loonies vote...