Sycophant of the Month: October 2010

Total number of ProvGov press releases issued in October: 196 (-24 from September).

Total number with the phrase "Williams Government": 9 (no change from September).

Sycophancy index: 4.6% (+0.5% from September).


The index rose in October due to weakness in the denominator, not any strength in the numerator: the number of WilliamsGovernmenty releases was unchanged at nine.

September champ Jerome Kennedy was taking no chances in defending his title, opening the month’s scoring on the first day. After such a promising start, though, it was a full week before he answered himself to make it two.

Ross Wiseman, Kathy Dunderdale and Tom Hedderson each got on the board within three days of each other mid-month. It looked for a moment as if Kennedy might have a fight on his hands, but none of the others could quite build up a head of steam.

The cludgy rhythm of the game was further disrupted on the 22nd with an unorthodox play by Sullivan and King. Their strangely out-of-place name-dropping didn’t involve the Magic Phrase. The replay went upstairs, but unfortunately for both of them, the goal was disallowed.

Kennedy went on and tipped in two more on the 25th and 27th. Marshall was late to the game on the 28th, but it was all over then but the counting. Which was good, since Kennedy knocked in another on the final Williams Government business day of the month.

At Kennedy five, everyone else one, and the Mercy Rule on the edge of invocation, your Sycophant of the Month, for the fourth month running and the fifth of the past six, is Jerome Kennedy!