Willett FJ

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The Poisoned Chalice

by F J Willett

This play was first performed in 1995 by Jimmy Zoole Presents

Cast:

Jock
Beth
Anne
Harry

THE PLAY TAKES PLACE IN THE GARDEN OF JOCK'S HOUSE. THE ACTING AREA IS A BRICK PAVED AREA AT THE BOTTOM OF JOCK'S GARDEN AND OVERSHADOWED BY A LARGE PLANE TREE. AT LEAST THERE IS BELIEVED TO BE A PLANE TREE SOMEWHERE IN THE RIOT OF GROWTH. FOR AT FIRST GLANCE THAT IS HOW THE GARDEN APPEARS; A GARDEN GROWN OUT OF CONTROL. A TANGLE OF GREEN WITH THE ODD SPLASH OF COLOUR. THE PARTICULAR DISORDERED DISPLAY ONLY ACHIEVED BY NATURE. HOWEVER CLOSER EXAMINATION WILL SHOW THAT THERE IS FORM HERE. THE PLANTS GROW TO ORDER, A COMPLEX ORDER, CERTAINLY, BUT THE GARDEN IS MORE THAN THE SUM OF IT'S PLANTS. IT REVEALS THE HAND OF A GREEN FINGERED ARTIST. SCENE 1 AFTERNOON JOCK ENTERS WITH BETH BETH So this is the famous garden. JOCK Such as it is. BETH And it's all your own work? JOCK Well, the plants do their own growing. I just add water. And keep the weeds down. BETH It's quite something. JOCK Thank you. BETH This is all you do? Garden? JOCK That's all. BETH And what about the best political brain of the seventies. The Peoples Premier. The Light of the Left. Is all that forgotten? JOCK Hopefully. Along with the other sins of my youth. BETH You don't see it as a waste? Standing out of politics, I mean. JOCK No. BETH And there are no pangs of remorse for lost careers. No twinges of guilt for things undone? JOCK None. BETH You keep in touch with events. JOCK Well, with friends. I'm not a hermit, Beth. BETH Political friends? JOCK It's not an oxymoron. I had - have - many friends. In politics and out. BETH Don't be modest Jock. Your lunches are legendary. JOCK Yes, I have a few friends around for lunch on Wednesdays. BETH And politics is on the menu? JOCK Not especially. People talk shop, of course. I believe people come to see the garden more than me. BETH That is...something. JOCK Why did you come here Beth? BETH To see you. To talk. JOCK With all the demands on your time, you can find time to "just visit". BETH I value your advice. JOCK Visiting an old relic. BETH An ex-leader. A great leader if I may say so. JOCK That you've not visited once in the fifteen years of my retirement. BETH Much to my shame. But as you noted I do have a heavy work load. JOCK And all you want to do is chew the fat. BETH There is a small job. JOCK Ah. BETH The smallest of things. JOCK Beth, don't waste your time. I'm out of politics and I'm staying out. BETH Remember Harry? Harry Vine? He was a campaign worker in your branch wasn't he? JOCK Harry, yes. I remember him. A nice bloke. Not particularly astute, but a good worker. BETH I want you to talk to him for me. JOCK No. What ever it is Beth, no. BETH Just talk. Ten minutes. An hour tops. JOCK No. Beth. BETH Jock. For the party. JOCK Not for the party either. BETH Well for the state. For the country. JOCK Honour, flag and apple pie? BETH At least listen to me. Hear me out. JOCK Look at this. Come on. Come here. Look. BETH At what? JOCK What is it? BETH That? A plant? JOCK That's right. A plant. BETH So. JOCK A plant. That's all it is is it? What kind of a plant? What sort of soil does it grow in? Acid, loam, sand? Does it like shade? Half sun? How much water. How much cold. Can you even tell me its name? BETH Jock. We've got a crisis. The party's in trouble. We need you. And all you can do is rabbit on about some crappy little plant. JOCK When I left politics I was lost. I admit it. I moped. I was unbearable. My wife had died. BETH I know. JOCK I didn't know how to live without the hurly, the burly. The rat race. I tried to write a book - never got past the first chapter. I moved. Up-rooted myself lock, stock - and moved. That probably saved my life. A new house to sort out. Away from the past and the memories thereof. Here. When I moved in there was a work to do. A house to decorate. Walls to paint. It gave me something. It gave me a new life. Purpose. Then the house was finished. The last of the painting was done. The last of the carpet laid. I turned to the garden, and that was a mess. A jungle. Plants untended for years; shrubs that had grown into river red gums. The garden called. I picked up a spade and walked out into the garden. BETH Jock, I know this is interesting to you, but what is the point of this story? JOCK Patience Beth. That's what I learnt in the garden. Patience and respect for living things. I walked out of the house intending to "do the garden" and I discovered a world I'd never known. A world that holds me in its thrall still. That plant - It's just a humble crocus by the way - is more interesting to me than any political problem you can possibly present me with. BETH I don't want your interest Jock. I don't care if you hate this job. But it must be done. Nor do I want to drag you away from your precious garden. If this moribund existence is what you crave then that's fine with me. Nor would I ask you to tackle this job if there were anybody else in the whole wide world I could ask to do it, but there isn't. It has to be your job Jock. It has to be you and only you to do it. JOCK I'm sorry. No. BETH At least hear me out. Let me put my case to you, and if I can't convince you... JOCK You'll try again. BETH (LAUGHS) Of course. You don't get to the top of the political heap by being put off easily, but if you've heard me out and I still haven't convinced you, well I haven't got all day to waste. JOCK You didn't exactly say you'd give up. BETH No. If I can't convince you to help willingly I'll resort to the "here catch" principle. JOCK The what? BETH Here catch. (THROWS HIM A PEN. JOCK CATCHES IT) It's almost impossible to stop yourself plucking the pen out of the air. If I just dump the matter in your lap and walk away you'll find it impossible to resist. You understand I'd rather have your whole hearted co-operation. JOCK Understood. (HANDS BACK THE PEN) But I might drop it. (DROPS PEN) BETH So I've budgeted another thirty minutes to convince you. (DOESN'T PICK THE PEN UP) JOCK As long as that? BETH It's important, besides, I'm generous to a fault. JOCK Alright. The floor is yours. Convince me. BETH You keep an interest in politics. JOCK I hear the usual gossip. BETH Then discount ninety percent? JOCK Something like that. BETH You know about Harry. JOCK I know Harry. And I've heard rumours. BETH Which are? JOCK I've heard that he's considering a court action. BETH More than considering. He's done it. JOCK Is that what this visit is all about? BETH Harry's court case. Have you talked to him about it? JOCK No. BETH The trouble with Harry is he's Harry. JOCK That's Harry. BETH Talk to him, Jock. Find out exactly what he's doing. We need to know. JOCK Why. It's a private case, isn't it? Why should you care what Harry does. BETH You know how fragile our hold on government is. If Harry is rocking the boat it could be disastrous. Talk to him Jock. Find out what he's up to. You've been a loyal party man all your life. Do this for the party. We really do need to know. JOCK Just talk to him? BETH That's all. JOCK Surely anyone could do that. Why not one of your bright young apparatchiki. BETH He won't talk to them, or me. But you know Harry. He will talk to you. (HER BEEPER BEEPS. SHE LOOKS AT IT) I've got to go. Talk to Harry for me Jock. (JOCK PICKS UP THE PEN) JOCK Here's your pen. BETH See. I knew you'd pick it up. JOCK (PAUSE) Don't always count on it. I'll speak to Harry. But I promise nothing. BETH Good. Nothing is enough. THEY EXIT. THE LIGHT FADES TO: SCENE 2 SAME. LATE AFTERNOON. TWILIGHT. JOCK AND ANNE COME DOWN THE PATH FROM THE HOUSE. JOCK (ENTERING) I've had some lights put in since you were here last. ANNE No, not lights. JOCK Yes. Lights. It's all very well to have deep shade in the heat of the day, but the evening makes it dark and gloomy. ANNE That's character. Mood. Cherish it Jock. JOCK Ah. Wait. Tell me what you think. (HE TURNS ON SOME OUTDOOR LIGHTS BURIED AMONG THE FOLIAGE) How's that. ANNE No. Too artificial. Like coloured lights in a limestone cave. sides, it attracts the insects. JOCK (TRIES A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF LIGHTS) That? ANNE No JOCK Well that? ANNE Turn them off Jock. JOCK Alright. (JOCK TURNS OFF THE GARDEN LIGHTS. THEN OPENS THE PORTABLE BAR AND POURS DRINKS) ANNE This is much better. You let everyone think you're a great gardener, but I know your secret. JOCK What's that? ANNE Benign neglect. You sit here with a tumbler of gin and everyone thinks you're gardening. JOCK And so I am. ANNE Is that how you used to run the state? JOCK Not at all. I was a hands on Premier. As you know very well. And how is the state of the state? ANNE As well as can be expected. JOCK The polls show you in trouble. ANNE You're always in trouble in government. The polls will swing back to us closer to the election. JOCK I hope so. What's the mood in your electorate. ANNE Good. What ever happens to the rest of the party I'll hold my seat. JOCK Because you work your electorate. You get out there and press the flesh. Meet people. Talk to them. Find out what they think and want and hope and fear. ANNE As you taught me. JOCK You were a good student. That's why you got the seat when I retired. You paid attention to the detail. ANNE I try to. JOCK So, Where's Harry? ANNE He'll be along in a few minutes. JOCK Thank you for getting him to come. ANNE It's nothing. In fact I had a motive. JOCK Which is? ANNE Harry. He's always been loyal to the party. The party should stand behind him in this. JOCK Perhaps they should. Perhaps not. Has he told the party what he's up to? ANNE No. JOCK Then he can't expect the party to support him, can he? ANNE You could put his case to the party. JOCK Why don't you put his case. ANNE I don't have your political clout. JOCK My what? ANNE You'd be surprised. You could still sway the party. JOCK I don't even know what Harry's case is. ANNE Talk to him. JOCK I intend to. ANNE And listen. JOCK I intend to do that to. Do you know what Harry's case is? ANNE I know what he want's to achieve. JOCK Which is? ANNE The republic. An Australian republic beholden to no one. An Australian republic that isn't compromised by ties to the British monarchy. JOCK And how does he intend to do that? ANNE The guts of it is a constitutional challenge in the Supreme court. If he wins the government are forced to reform the constitution. JOCK Can he win? ANNE You'll have to judge. JOCK What's his case? ANNE You'll have to ask Harry. JOCK You're ducking and weaving. ANNE It really is Harry's idea. He should tell you. JOCK But how much of Harry's idea is your idea. ANNE Mine? JOCK Harry is a good bloke, but he's no lawyer. You are. Are you coaching him? ANNE He came to me for advice. JOCK Did you dream this scheme up? ANNE It was Harry's idea. He deserves the credit and the party's support. HARRY (OFF) Hello? Are you there. JOCK (INTO INTERCOM) Hello Harry. We're in the garden. Hang on I'll let you in. HARRY (OFF) Oh. Sure thing Jock. ANNE Talk to Harry. Listen to what he's got to say. You'll find you want to support him. JOCK Get Harry a drink. JOCK EXITS. ANNE OPENS THE FRIDGE AND GETS OUT SOME LEMONADE (WOODIES) AND DECANTS IT INTO A JUG. SHE ADDS VARIOUS BITS AND PIECES FROM THE FRIDGE. IT'S CLEARLY A NON-ALCOHOLIC CONCOCTION. ANNE Hello Harry. Where's Jock? HARRY The phone rang. He said you'd have a drink for me. ANNE Try this. HARRY What is it? If it's not got froth on I don't want to know. ANNE My dad's recipe. You haven't lived until you've tried this. HARRY Ta. Well it's not beer. You know this is one hell of a garden. I thought I had a green thumb, but it must have been mildew. My garden's nothing compared to this. Nothing. ANNE Are you all right Harry? HARRY Nervous is all. I worship that man. ANNE Jock? HARRY I joined the party because of him. Worked through five elections. He's a great man Anne. I was devastated when he stepped down. He didn't have to. ANNE We all miss him. HARRY Yeah. But I stayed with the party. Because I believe in it, you know. I believe in what the party stands for. ANNE You just tell that to Jock. HARRY I will. I have. I've know Jock longer than you can spit. ANNE Harry, don't ask Jock for money. HARRY Me? I wouldn't do that, Not Jock. But.. ANNE No buts Harry. The party will come in behind you. You'll see. You've just got to let Jock find out for himself how important this is. HARRY Sure, Anne. I understand that. ANNE Just hang in there. HARRY I am. I will. (PAUSE) I will. (JOCK COMES DOWN FROM THE HOUSE) JOCK Well Harry. Did Anne get you a drink? HARRY Is that what it was? It's a great garden Jock. A great garden. JOCK It gives me something to do. ANNE Can I use your phone Jock? JOCK Sure. Help yourself. ANNE I'll go inside. Get out of your hair - what's left of it - and let you talk to Harry. (ANNE EXITS) HARRY Eugh. Can I have a real drink Jock. Anything. Before I cark it. JOCk Alright. JOCK GETS HARRY A DRINK. HARRY Ah. That hits the spot. JOCK Well Harry, what's all this about? HARRY You know the Prime Minister is pushing for a republic. JOCK Isn't that what we've always wanted? One of the prime planks of the party. HARRY Sure. But will they stick to it, or will they dump the republic if the going gets too tough. They have in the past. JOCK I know it. HARRY And what if the Liberals get in? Howard doesn't want a republic. JOCK Conceded. HARRY And even of you get past all those hurdles there's still the States. JOCK So what do you plan to do? HARRY So I want to force their hand. The Federal government. The opposition. The states. The lot of 'em. JOCK How? HARRY Ah. That's where my court case comes in. JOCk (PAUSE) Harry if I'm going to put your case to the Premier, bless her woolly sox, I've got to know what you're up to. Every "t" crossed. Every "i" dotted. HARRY I'll have to give you a little background. This is thirsty work Jock. JOCK Alright. But make it march. GETS HARRY ANOTHER DRINK. HARRY Back in 19 something Britain signed an agreement to subsidise the production of beef in the EC. It was part of the political tooing and froing in the lead up to the Uruguay round of GATT. JOCK So? HARRY The EC suddenly flooded the market with cheap subsidised beef.It cost Australia billions of dollars in lost trade. People lost their jobs, Abattoirs closed, companies went to the wall. Farmers had to sell up and move off the land. Do you see where this is heading? JOCK No. HARRY The Queen has signed into law the EC subsidies on beef. Subsidies that cost Australians billions of dollars, thousands of jobs. With the stroke of her pen the Queen has destroyed lives, decimated communities. Not in England. Here, in Australia. My lawyers will go into court and argue that as Queen of Australia signing that law - and other laws - was an act of treason. JOCK And that's your case? HARRY The bones of it. Once you start to look into it you can find a lot of the Queens actions have damaged Australia. That's treason. JOCK You know your case is nonsense, Harry. There's a fair chance the court will throw it out before you even begin. HARRY Why? JOCK There is a very well defined principle in the law. It's called Divisibility. What the Queen does as Queen of England is different and seperate from what she does as Queen of Australia. Take it from me. As Queen of England she could declare war on Australia. It still has no effect on her role and actions as Queen of Australia. HARRY You know that's a legal fiction. JOCK Of course. HARRY It's got to be challenged. The Queen can't just wash her hands and say "I'm not responsible for my actions." That's not right. She's got to be challen ged in court. JOCK Fine. But you won't win. HARRY You don't understand. It doesn't matter if we win or not. The real battle is in the papers. The government will be forced to defend the Queen against charges of treason. Think of what the papers will do to them. "Queen a traitor." "Liz for the gallows." JOCK And how are you going to pay for all this, Harry? HARRY I don't know what you mean. JOCK Q.C's aren't cheap. Where's the money coming from. HARRY I've got a morgage. JOCK On a house in Davoren Park? (HARRY NODS) That's pocket money to a silk. HARRY I thought the party... JOCK Yes? HARRY Isn't that why you wanted to see me? To find out how much money I need? JOCK No. HARRY But I thought.... JOCK Beth asked me to see you. But money wasn't discussed. HARRY Will the party consider, you know, helping me? JOCK You're a private citizen. The party won't... HARRY But they've got to. I've started the case, but I haven't got the money to carry it right through. JOCK I wouldn't count on the party, Harry. You do understand. HARRY I need help Jock. JOCK I'm sorry. HARRY I'm only doing this because... JOCK Because? HARRY For the party. It's for the party. We want a republic, don't we? JOCK Of course we do. HARRY Well then. JOCK How long have I known you Harry. Twenty? Thirty years? HARRY Something like that. JOCK In all that time - You're a hard worker. Don't get me wrong - but you never once displayed a talent for this sort of Machavellian scheming. HARRY I dunno. You were a good teacher. JOCK Me! HARRY You played your cards so close to your chest. JOCK Is that how I seemed? HARRY You were the master. It's taken me ten years to work this out Jock. You would have done it in five minutes. JOCK This idea is really yours. HARRY Yes. JOCK Not Anne's. HARRY I've been in the party all my life. All my life I've worked for other people's ideas. Other peoples dreams. I'm not complaining mind you. I'm not a political genius like you. But just once I'd like to put up my own idea. Mine. And say "Hey. I did that." This is my idea Jock. JOCK It's a dilly. HARRY It is, isn't it. JOCK But it comes back to money. What if the party won't back you. Where will you get the money? HARRY Nowhere. I'll be bankrupt. JOCK Can you face that? HARRY I've got to. (PUTS HIS DRINK DOWN) Will you speak to the Premier for me? JOCK I'll speak for you. Go home Harry. HARRY It's a lovely garden Jock. THEY BOTH EXIT. FADE. SCENE 3 THE SAME NIGHT JOCK ENTERS WITH BETH. BETH Let's get some light. (SHE TURNS ON LIGHTS) That's better. It makes it into a fairyland. JOCK Appropriate. BETH Did you find out what Harry is up to? JOCK Yes. But you know that already don't you. BETH Do I? JOCK Beth, I'm not senile. I had over 30 years in politics. I know how the system works. The moment Harry's suit was filed the Chief Justice would have been on the phone to the Attorney General. A copy would have been in your office within thirty minutes tops. You know a darn sight more about the suit than Harry does. BETH You're right, of course. JOCK So why spin me a yarn. Why did you really want me to go and see Harry? BETH To show the flag. JOCK With or without the Union Jack in the corner? BETH Remember how John Bannon had to call the parliament together at half past eleven on a Sunday night to shore up the constitution. JOCK I remember it. I was there. BETH You remember what happened? JOCK Yes. Someone challenged a law we passed. They argued the act was incorrectly gazetted. They won. The judge ruled the act was incorrectly gazetted. The law was invalid. But the judgement meant that if that one law was invalid then every act of parliament since god knows when was illegal too. The government had to act before the entire constitution unravelled. BETH That could happen here. JOCK How? Harry's case is legal nonsense. BETH But there's enough truth in it to make the papers jump all over it like measles. It could be politically embarrassing. No. It will be politically embarrassing. JOCK Possibly. BETH So I do need your help. JOCK I've given it. BETH I appreciate it. But I need more. JOCK What? BETH Is Anne the force behind Harry? JOCK I should think so. Harry is a good bloke, but he's no lawyer. She is. BETH I thought as much. JOCK Is this what it's all about. Anne? Do you see her as some sort of threat. BETH You should know. JOCK What? BETH She has been busy beavering away building her network, here at your Wednesday lunches. JOCK Is that what you think? BETH It's what I know. JOCK So you want to nobble her. BETH Not at all. I just don't want her destabilizing the party. Can you predict where all this will end? At the end of the day who wins? Who loses? Do the republicans come out on top or the monarchists? JOCK Can't say. Too many variables. BETH Precisely. JOCK Equally you can't move against Anne or Harry without causing a split in the party. BETH Who said being Premier gives you freedom of action. JOCK I can't help but sympathise with Harry though. He's only doing this for the party. BETH How's he financing this court case? JOCK Mortgage. BETH A big risk for a working man. JOCK Very big. He wants you and the party to support him. BETH To tear down the constitution? JOCK To impliment party policy. To make Australia, and the states of Australia into republics. BETH I can sympathise. But from my position there is little more that I can do. (BETH TAKES OUT A MANILLA ENVELOPE) Jock, will you do one last thing for me. There's nothing more after this. JOCK What? BETH Jock I want you to give this to Harry. JOCK What is it? BETH A cheque. JOCK I thought you wanted to stop Harry, not support him. BETH I do. Tell Harry this cheque is all the support as he can hope for. JOCK You're not feeling generous then. BETH Just give it to Harry. (SHE DROPS THE ENVELOPE ON THE TROLLEY) JOCK Is that it? There's no "please don't do this Harry" message. There's no appeal to Anne. BETH You've been Premier. Tell me. What can I do that won't hurt the party or damage the constitution. JOCK Not much. BETH Give Harry the envelope. (PAUSE) Is that too much to ask? JOCK No. BETH Well then. Goodnight. (EXITS.) PAUSE. JOCK PICKS UP THE MOBILE. PRESSES A BUTTON. JOCK Anne? Hello. JOCK MOVES OFF. FADE. SCENE 4 THE SAME. NIGHT JOCK ENTERS WITH ANNE. ANNE Where's this fabled envelope. JOCK There. (ANNE GOES TO PICK IT UP) I'd be careful. ANNE Why? JOCK I suspect it's a poisoned chalice. ANNE A what? JOCK I wouldn't even get my fingerprints on it. ANNE You're serious. JOCK Perhaps I should just let you pick it up. ANNE What? JOCK You haven't really played fair with me have you. ANNE In what way? JOCK You're not just a simple little back-bencher concerned with the fate of poor old Harry. ANNE Did I ever say I was? In politics you always have a hundred things on your mind. A hundred issues on the boil. You know that Jock. JOCK But when you presented Harry to me it was as a simple proposition. "Support Harry," you said. "Show him some loyality." You never mentioned the other agenda you were running. ANNE What other agenda. JOCK Destabilizing the party. Undermining Beth. You're after her job. ANNE No. Yes, I am pushing an agenda. Aren't we all in some way? If I manage to get Beth and the party to adopt my agenda that's fine. That's what I want. That's what I'm in politics for. That's what everybody's in politics for. But undermining the leadership? No. I've never gone outside the party. I've never campaigned against Beth, or anyone in the party. JOCK Yet you're building quite a network. You're widely seen as a future leader. ANNE Maybe. In the future. But attacking the leadership now, 12 months out from an election? Give me some credit Jock. JOCK Never the less Beth sees you as a threat. ANNE Yes. You think this is booby trapped? JOCK I'd bet on it. ANNE It's addressed to Harry. JOCK And those near him will get caught in the fallout. ANNE Then you should open it. JOCK Me? ANNE Yes. Understand me Jock. I love you as a political mentor. JOCK But you would ask me to sacrifice myself. ANNE Yes. For the issues. JOCK Anne I'm out of politics. ANNE You're never out of politics. JOCK I thought I was. I was never a political animal. Politics was something I did because it needed to be done. And when I left it I thought "We must tend our garden." When people tried to get me to re-eneter politics I'd tell them "We must tend our garden." I was Candide. Opting out. Pretending the world out there couldn't get inside these walls. But it doesn't seem to work, does it? ANNE No. JOCK You would really ask me to open it? ANNE You have no choice. Do you want to see all the things we worked for over the years thrown away. Open it. (PAUSE) You know what I want out of politics Jock. Haven't we talked about it often enough. The heritage this state has. South Australia the great social laboratory. Votes for women. We were one of the first. The Torrens Land Title Act. Invented here. The very state itself was a noble experiment. We lead the way in this state. Or we used to. Look at us now. A bunch of timid politicians who daren't rock the boat for fear of offending some blue rinsed fossil in Colonel Light Gardens. I'm not ashamed of advocating reform. To rest on our laurels; to lean back, put our feet up and say this is "the best of all possible worlds," would be an abdication of responsibility. A cop out. JOCK Are you saying I copped out? ANNE You had reasons. Good reasons. Don't condemn me for staying in the kitchen. You know I use a number of weather marks to tell me the state of the state. Would you like me to list them. JOCK No. ANNE Just one then. Just one barometer of how the state is going. Mount Lofty kiosk. Burnt down in the Ash Wednesday bushfires 15 years ago. It is the one spot every tourist goes. For fifteen years nothing's been done to rebuilt the lookout. For fifteeen years it's been a second rate carpark, an eyesore and nothing more. Jock it's time we got our political finger out. Things need doing. That's what politics is about. That's what I want to see happen. This state made great again. Open it. Open it. JOCK No. Not even for you Anne. BETH ENTERS. BETH Congratulations. A man of principle. You should lock your door. JOCK I tried that. It doesn't seem to keep the world out. You should be ashamed of yourself Beth. (GIVES HER THE ENVELOPE) BETH What am I supposed to do? Stand idly by while Anne and Harry tear the constitution apart? JOCK Perhaps they're right. Perhaps it's time we had a new one. BETH Jock, you know I can't let that happen. Any government must be about stability. A stable environment where people can get on with their lives. Harry's court action threatens that stability. I had to act. JOCK Hence this? BETH I asked you to give the envelope to Harry. JOCK Knowing I'd think twice. BETH Which you did. JOCK If I didn't give it to Harry how did you expect to discredit Anne? BETH I didn't. When a back bencher is giving you trouble there's only one thing to do. Promote her to the ministry. JOCK Anne? BETH Harry by himself doesn't matter. Without Anne his court case will die a natural death. The status quo will be maintained. My only problem is, was...you. JOCK Me! BETH You under-rate yourself. You always did. As your protege Anne has your support, your prestige behind her. JOCK I've never campaigned for her. BETH You're perceived to be the power behind her. ANNE It's true Jock. BETH I asked Anne to come into cabinet. She accepted. All I demanded in return was your head on a plate. JOCK Is this true. ANNE Yes. JOCK And you agreed. ANNE As a minister I can achieve things Jock. I can impliment our programs. What can I ever achieve stuck on the back bench? JOCK I could say something about ends and means. BETH You should have taken the envelope when it was offered to you. You would have felt noble. Up-lifted. You could have spent your declining years feeling good about your great personal sacrifice for Anne. Now what have you got. Just this. Here catch. SHE OFFERS THE ENVELOPE TO JOCK. HE DOESN'T TAKE IT. BETH DROPS IT. JOCK I won't pick it up. BETH It doesn't matter. It's there whether you pick it up or not. It will always be there. ANNE I'm sorry Jock. SHE EXITS. BETH You should examine the poisoned challice. You'll find its design exquisite. JOCK I'm not interested. (LONG PAUSE.) Alright. I give up. What is your poisoned challice. BETH A cheque. JOCK A cheque. That's it? BETH Not just any cheque. You'll remember this one. JOCK No....Oh. That cheque. BETH Your case won't come to trial. It won't even make the papers. It will be hushed up "in recognition of your past service to the state". No damage. No fallout. Only your influence will be gone. (PAUSE) I've budgeted 5 minutes for maudlin remarks. JOCK SMILES. PAUSE. BETH EXITS. JOCK LOOKS AT THE ENVELOPE ON THE FLOOR. HE PUSHES IT WITH HIS TOE. FADE. THE END. COPYRIGHT 1995 F.J. Willett 49 Metala Rd Paralowie S A 5108 ph. 08 82812524

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The Poisoned Chalice

copyright © 18-4-2001 Fred Willett