Speaker of the House of Representatives Harry Jenkins delivered a stirring speech to the bright eyed new members of parliament this morning. And what words of wisdom did he impart to the likes of Adam Bandt, Andrew Wilkie, John Alexander and other first-time MPs feeling their way around those hallowed halls for the first time?

He cited Chumbawamba.

He got knocked down, Harry, but he got up again. “You nay ever gonna keep me down,” as those British one-hit-wonders sang.

A song to work by, Harry told the new kids…

21-09-2010 12-13-11 PM

Let us take a moment to contemplate the prose of Tubthumping:

Pissing the night away, pissing the night away
He drinks a whiskey drink, he drinks a vodka drink
He drinks a lager drink, he drinks a cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times
Don’t cry for me, next door neighbour…

Um… Perhaps Harry, kept waiting at the dispatch box as his own party searches for someone better, is having a tough time of it.

Chin up, Harry. You guys still won. And as they say:

We’ll be singing, when we’re winning, we’ll be singing…

(Don’t blame us for sticking the song in your head — direct any correspondence to the speakers’ office where Harry resides … for now.)

UPDATE: Harry’s office came through with a transcript. At least he was in on the joke…

You will often hear advice and some of it you can get from popular music.

There is this song, “I get knocked down.”  So, “I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never going to keep me down.”

Unfortunately, when I got the words out and this is by a group named Chumbawamba, I didn’t actually remember that aspect, the basis of the song, is about the drinking of alcohol.

Now I will leave it to the Whips when they come in, but I think that for many of you that are under tight party discipline, the type of knock down as a result of alcohol, won’t be allowed.

You will often hear advice and some of it you can get from popular music.
[1:30:55 PM] Tom Cowie: There is this song, “I get knocked down.”  So, “I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never going to keep me down.”
[1:31:04 PM] Tom Cowie: Unfortunately, when I got the words out and this is by a group named Chumbawamba, I didn’t actually remember that aspect, the basis of the song, is about the drinking of alcohol.
[1:31:10 PM] Tom Cowie: Now I will leave it to the Whips when they come in, but I think that for many of you that are under tight party discipline, the type of knock down as a result of alcohol, won’t be allowed.