‘Labour needs to be in the room where it happens – it needs to think long-term’
Wednesday night, I went to see Hamilton at the theatre.
I’ve been waiting since 2017 to see the acclaimed musical. Couldn’t get tickets, then there was the pandemic, until finally the big day arrived.
I’d been looking forward to it on two counts: one, it’s supposed to be ace. Two, I’d never read a bad review of it.
This is the crucial bit, because the last time I bought tickets for something the play was so bad that the character I went with and I have only just started talking again.
So Hamilton was supposed to redeem me, to be a banker. Turns out it wasn’t.
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Really bad. If you haven’t seen it don’t. If some loved one gets you tickets ask for the money instead. If they put it on in your garden, as they say, close the curtains. So bad.
I mean, I don’t know where to start, but the thing that’s plunged me into a bad mood all week is that there’s a song, a song mind, with: “I put myself back in the narrative” in it. I mean, that’s hardly catchy.
Also, if you’re going to break the fourth wall, be subtle about it, like Brecht, or Francis Urquhart, or Fleabag.
Gone in to my all-time top ten disappointments, which is a shame, because I was beyond excited about the prospect of seeing it.
Which bit of amateur theatre reviewing brings me to the point: be careful what you wish for.
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Earlier this week there was a thing held by the Enough is Enough campaign.
This is a fantastic idea, getting people together to tackle the cost of living crisis and has about 400,000 members so far.
This is a good thing. I did not attend – did I mention, I was at the theatre – but those who went say it was packed, the energy in the room was something else, and the speakers electrifying.
Again, great news. But what’s coming out of it is the idea, once again, that the time is right for a new political party.
This has been getting some play lately, as people disillusioned with Labour and cancelling their membership decide to seek a new home.
For me, I think the Left would be better writing off the next couple of leadership elections and thinking longer-term.
There is a lot of good work going on at the moment that the Labour Left don’t do enough of promoting.
Lots of interesting stuff has been going on, all over the country very quietly, for a while now.
Preston, for example, where they are setting up a council run bank, paying proper wages, building co-operative housing projects.
In North Ayrshire, brilliant energy policy and holiday hunger schemes transformed the local area. Salford, housing, jobs, all the rest of it.
There are good ideas, good candidates from these places, and that’s the way to rebuild – from the bottom up.
Starting a new party would have the effect of ghettoising the Left and killing it off. Better to enjoy this new energy, revitalised Trade Unions, all these protests springing up and bide your time.
Things are looking better for a Labour election win, Mr Starmer is polling nicely, the ascendency of Truss just adds to that.
The last thing needed is more division, although I reckon this year’s conference might be tasty.
Meantime, when it comes to a new party: Let it Go. Which is from a different musical, a better one than Hamilton.
