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| I’ve just
read on your site that you report someone claimed
that someone said that The Labour Party here in
England used the Smiths’ Please... in an
election broadcast. Well, I’m pretty
sure/positive that this is, in fact, untrue! Although Tony Blair (our new PM) is an admirer of Morrissey (TRUE- I’m not sure if you are aware that he was a guest speaker at the 1994 Q Awards - where Morrissey was presented with the best songwriter award - and during his speech he name-checked Morrissey - something along the lines of "...like the music of the kinks/stones before them...I believe that the music of today - the music of U2, Morrissey and the Smiths - will live on for a long time to come etc etc") the Labour Party media machine is not quite enlightened enough (or stupid enough?) to use the Smiths to sell themselves to a public who see Cliff Richard as inspiring. In fact their election anthem was THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER (pop/dance type thing) by one-hit wonders D:REAM. I believe that this mis-information may have arisen as a result of the following: a news programme in Britain called NEWSNIGHT, in a piece covering Labour’s election campaign, used PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE as accompanying MUSIC. I know this as I saw it! Now, clearly I cannot claim to be a truly authoritative voice and I may be wrong - but I follow both Morrissey and the LP very closely and so... I think it is really exciting that we have a leader who is aware of/recognises and listens to, Morrissey. Incidentally, the previous labour leader (who fought and lost the 1987/1992 elections) was Neil Kinnock. During the ‘92 campaign he was mercilessly crucified by our popular right-wing press - really soul destroying, evil vitriol. He fought honourably and is a sensitive man and these attacks visibly affected him and would have destroyed a lesser man. Well, at the time of southpaw I wrote to neil and sent him the opening to the teachers... as it WAS written just for him! (your spirit’s on trial/you understand change its essential/they’re not listening/ profession= humiliation /etc/etc). I was surprised to receive a very swift reply in which he was extremely candid and thoughtful. he had heard of Morrissey but had not read/heard the ‘poem’. He was very ‘moved’ by it and also amazed at how people understood exactly what happened to him. he urged me to carry on the fight so that one day the spirits on trial can finally be acquitted!
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