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                        UPI 22-Nov-1990

In a dramatic twist to the "big-endian/little-endian" controversy raging
on the European networks, the British Prime Minister Thatcher Margaret
today announced that she is standing down as leader of the Conservative
Party and government.  After weathering many storms in which She Stood Alone
against the European hordes on Exchange Rate Mechanism, European Monetary
Union, European Political Union and German Reunification, the final straw
was the insistence that the UK maintain its network addressing structure
exactly the opposite way around from everyone else.  Speaking from no 10,
Downing Street (known within the UK of course as "Street Downing, 10"),
she announced that she would quit rather than adopt the Internet standard.

"We have our traditions and our standards", she said, "and though they are
at variance with everyone else, I believe that it is the rest of the world
that has got it wrong".

Heseltine Michael, the man who put himself forward for the leadership would
not confirm whether he would reverse the domain ordering if he were to
succeed the Prime Minister, but it is well known that the decisive factor
in his decision to stand was the many letters he received from domainless
sources in Austria, urging him to "reverse the anti-European trend at the
top".

The JNT, who devised the UK addressing standard (Advanced Retroactive
System for Expressing Worldwide Addresses in Yellowbook Standard or
ARSEWAYS) were not available for comment; our requests for statements
meeting with non-delivery messages in Czechoslovakian.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Wade            |  Internet:    T.Wade@cc.ucd.ie  (all domain mailers).
Speaker To VAXes    
EuroKom             |  PSI-Mail:    PSI%27243154000712::T.WADE
University College,  Belfield           
Dublin 4          
Ireland          

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