The Arts Desk- 10th October 2012
Over the past few years, the 1970s have made a cultural comeback. On television, there’s been Life on Mars and White Heat, in the bookshops tomes by Dominic Sandbrook, in the theatre revivals of plays such as Abigail’s Party, all to the soundtrack of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The decade that time forgot has become the decade you can’t escape. But can a documentary about the Westminster politics of 1974-79 really make gripping drama?
At first the signs seemed almost positive. After all, the cast includes Philip Glenister - Mr Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes - and the live soundtrack features David Bowie (as well as a variety of punk chords). There was also some backstage drama, as Phil Daniels, who was due to play the Labour whip Bob Mellish, had to pull out due to a bereavement. But pretty soon it’s clear that James Graham's new play is a documentary that is very much a specialised interest.
It takes place in the House of Commons during the 1974-79 minority Labour government. The protagonists are not so much the major politicians - Heath, Wilson, Callaghan and Thatcher - but the whips, the behind-the-scenes team responsible for getting MPs to vote for or against the government. And as we all know, if the government loses a vote it can’t pass the law being voted on; and if it loses a major vote, it is vulnerable to a vote of no confidence. If it loses that, it falls.
Okay, it’s not quite as boring as it sounds. This was a tumultuous decade, with runaway inflation, huge strikes and massive social change. It was a time that made us who we are today (at least, that’s what the ubiquitous Sandbrook can be relied on to argue). And at Westminster there was a hung parliament and then a minority Labour administration that had to make deals with fringe parties, like the Liberals and Scottish Nationalists, in order to govern. This made every vote a potential disaster.
At the heart of the play are the two teams of whips. On the Labour side, there’s doughty Michael Cocks and his sly old dog of a deputy, Walter Harrison (played by Glenister). Bob Mellish, now played by Andrew Frame, Joe Harper and the only woman in the office, Ann Taylor, make up the rest. Yes, I’d never heard of them either. Well, apart from Taylor, who went onto greater things and is now a Baronness in the Lords.
On the Tory side, there are some wonderfully arrogant public school types with Yes, Minister names: Humphrey Atkins, Jack Weatherill and Fred Silvester. In their office, it’s no surprise to encounter an ex-military man — and grown men tremble for fear of offending Thatcher. The play then shows us the various tricks involved in getting the bodies of MPs through into the lobbies during voting times. One of the many arcane points about our unwritten constitution is that MPs have to be physically present for their vote to count.
At first the signs seemed almost positive. After all, the cast includes Philip Glenister - Mr Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes - and the live soundtrack features David Bowie (as well as a variety of punk chords). There was also some backstage drama, as Phil Daniels, who was due to play the Labour whip Bob Mellish, had to pull out due to a bereavement. But pretty soon it’s clear that James Graham's new play is a documentary that is very much a specialised interest.
It takes place in the House of Commons during the 1974-79 minority Labour government. The protagonists are not so much the major politicians - Heath, Wilson, Callaghan and Thatcher - but the whips, the behind-the-scenes team responsible for getting MPs to vote for or against the government. And as we all know, if the government loses a vote it can’t pass the law being voted on; and if it loses a major vote, it is vulnerable to a vote of no confidence. If it loses that, it falls.
Okay, it’s not quite as boring as it sounds. This was a tumultuous decade, with runaway inflation, huge strikes and massive social change. It was a time that made us who we are today (at least, that’s what the ubiquitous Sandbrook can be relied on to argue). And at Westminster there was a hung parliament and then a minority Labour administration that had to make deals with fringe parties, like the Liberals and Scottish Nationalists, in order to govern. This made every vote a potential disaster.
At the heart of the play are the two teams of whips. On the Labour side, there’s doughty Michael Cocks and his sly old dog of a deputy, Walter Harrison (played by Glenister). Bob Mellish, now played by Andrew Frame, Joe Harper and the only woman in the office, Ann Taylor, make up the rest. Yes, I’d never heard of them either. Well, apart from Taylor, who went onto greater things and is now a Baronness in the Lords.
On the Tory side, there are some wonderfully arrogant public school types with Yes, Minister names: Humphrey Atkins, Jack Weatherill and Fred Silvester. In their office, it’s no surprise to encounter an ex-military man — and grown men tremble for fear of offending Thatcher. The play then shows us the various tricks involved in getting the bodies of MPs through into the lobbies during voting times. One of the many arcane points about our unwritten constitution is that MPs have to be physically present for their vote to count.
Original article can be found here.
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