Last night, Em and I went to see Ken Livingstone speak at the Southbank Centre. I don't agree with all his views and I certainly don't want to hang out with him constantly, but he was extremely entertaining and enlightening - even after the pinch of salt had been administered. He confirmed that he will definitely be running against Boris in the 2012 mayoral elections, which I'm pleased about. In the questions session afterwards, I mentioned that he'd said that political ideology had been subsumed by celebrity, and that hardly anyone is engaged in the issues any more, and I asked what he would do to re-engage the electorate. His answer was along the lines of the old 'what we need is a good war' argument, basically saying that the combination of the fall-out from the economic crisis and the forthcoming and inevitable ecological crisis (which he made sound absolutely stark raving terrifying) would engage people for sure. A faintly depressing picture - if we're happy, we don't care, if we're unhappy, we switch on - but that's probably been the case throughout humanity.
I have nothing funny to say. Apologies.
Did Ken say what alternative polices the Mayor should adopt to tackle these problems? He has a tendency to posture about things that are beyond his brief.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly did posture beyond his brief, admitting happily that, if he were given the opportunity to rule the world, he would accept with glee. He only had a minute or two to answer each question, and I wasn't really asking what he should do about those issues, just how to re-engage people in politics. However, on the environment, elsewhere in the talk, he did say that Boris' cancelling of the £25 gas guzzler charge was a silly decision. More than that, I struggle to recall. I have a terrible, terrible memory. It's why I write a blog. If I don't write it down, I'll forget it all, and my life will be like Guy Pearce's in Memento, but I won't want to get all the tattoos, so it'll all end awfully.
ReplyDeleteHeh! Having a poor memory can be a boon, I assure you. I have a perfect memory for every embarrassing incident in my life from the age of 5. These flashbacks occurs unpredictably, causing me to swear aloud in public places.
ReplyDeleteOh, I can remember embarrassing incidents - they're crystal clear, and like you, I have fallen victim to the sudden flashback swear. I can also remember song lyrics to almost every bad record from the 80s and 90s. What I can't remember is anything remotely useful. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteWell they say almonds are good for the memory. When I say "they", I mean my lecherous cousin who fled the country in the 90s. I also have a blog, but I don't use it to make a note of things I'd otherwise forget.
ReplyDeleteRe: "His answer was along the lines of the old 'what we need is a good war' argument"
ReplyDeleteHave you seen 'in the loop' yet?
Yes.
ReplyDelete