In 1977, Isaac Ronald MP (Deanshanger East) became Britain's first - and so far only - Secretary of State for Disco. Ronald's greatest success was in persuading his Cabinet colleagues to support an initiative for greater public spending on disco in the UK. His ministerial duties included - in the words of PM Jim Callaghan - "making Britain a funkier place", and also holding talks with senior figures from the world of disco (such as Sylvester, McFadden and Whitehead and Sister Sledge). Ronald caused a political storm in March 1978 when he refused to speak in the House of Commons without the accompaniment of an eight-track cartridge of the aptly-named funk band Parliament. The post was scrapped following the Conservative's General Election victory in 1979.