Here’s a little quiz – and a few smiles for you

Do you like “Who wants to be a millionaire?”

Here’s your starter for absolutely nothing.

His father was a successful writer. He himself was a novelist, dandy and wit. He was one of Queen Victoria’s favourite men. He was so bad with money when young that he had to find a rich – older- bride; but when much older he did one of the best financial deals in British history.

Here are some of his best jokes.

“Thank God for something warm at last” – when they served champagne at
a country house dinner where the food kept arriving lukewarm because the
kitchens were so far away.

“No, thank you. She’ll only ask me
to take a message to Albert” – on his deathbed when the Queen asked if he
would like to see her.

“It would be a disaster if Mr, Gladstone
were to fall into a canal – and a catastrophe if anyone pulled him out” –
on being asked the difference between the two words.

Have you guessed?

He was the first – and last – person of his origin to become Prime Minister of this country.

And this is him.

Do you know who it is?

It is Benjamin Disraeli, the only person of Jewish birth (though not religion) to become prime minister of this country.

Among other clever things, he bought shares in the Suez Canal on the government’s behalf – without consulting anyone – which proved an astoundingly good investment.

Here’s something clever he said, which prompted this little piece.

“What we anticipate rarely occurs. What we never expect invariably
happens”

And that came to mind when this morning I found in my “junk mail” file a message I had sent myself. I certainly didn’t expect that.

I mean, I know YOU may find my stuff junk, but I love it.

Not for the first time, I thought that software causes a lot of needless problems because it can’t think.

From a marketing point of view it makes life a pain.

That’s because the spam catchers often prevent you putting the one thing in a subject like that you know works in all other media: news of a benefit or offer.

I’ve had to completely retrain myself – and it’s been damned hard work.

Drayton Bird Copywriting Services