It's the season of roaring log fires, Christmas trees, a pint of stout, and a good book. Luckily, I've just bought myself a hardback copy of "How They Broke Britain" by LBC mid-morning presenter James O' Brien.
On Tuesday night, my friend Stuart and I went to the rather lovely New Century Hall in Manchester to see James in conversation with Robin Ince, talking about the book. It felt like a really posh lecture hall, far nicer than most of those where I studied politics at the University of Liverpool in the 90s!
I'll start with my only complaint...the tickets clearly stated the evening would begin at 7pm prompt, so we managed to break the chicken burger eating record before hotfooting it from the Arndale in time for 6:59...and were confronted with a huge snaking queue outside the venue, akin to one you might see at a theme park. Luckily, there was some good old British queue camararderie as we waited, and once inside, the lights came down at 8pm and the night began.
Boris Johnson, his brief successor Liz Truss (remember her?) and Nigel Farage all featured heavily, and surprisingly there was only a fleeting mention of Barnard Castle eyesight test king Dominic Cummings. I guess so much has happened in British politics in the last decade, it's hardly a surprise that some topics had to be skimmed over quickly. I've not had the pleasure of reading the book yet, but I got a really good sense of it from the hour-long chat with the excellent host Robin Ince, who asked insightful questions and allowed James the time to give detailed answers. I got the sense the conversation could have gone on past midnight, had time allowed!
The second half of the show consisted of questions from the audience, and my sense leaving the venue at the end of the event was one of hope. In spite of the hateful, bile-filled narrative spouted by so many of our national newspapers, it's clear that many in the country share my sense of horror at events since the divisive Brexit vote and during and after the pandemic. It's worth noting how little coverage many titles are giving the Covid inquiry, in spite of genuinely jawdropping revelations most days in recent weeks.
One of the most thought provoking questions texted in from an audience member was asking what three things Labour should do, assuming they carry the delicate ming vase over the ice rink at the next election and assume power (if they don't, there will be serious questions for opinion pollsters). It's clear we are at something of a political crossroads, and I can't wait to get stuck into the book now I've watched the discussion of it. I was amused by the description of the writing process, when James's publisher begged him to draw a line in the sand and stop adding new events to the introduction, which threatened to become never-ending.
I wonder if the current appearance of Farage on I'm A Celebrity will be the fillip to his political career that he was clearly hoping it would be? The descriptions of his bonhommie and skilful obfuscation in all media interviews were on the money, as were the observations about the way in which left wing voices are treated in organisations like the BBC. Remember the row about Emily Maitlis's Newsnight introduction during the Cummings row? Plus of course the Gary Lineker Twitter storm. As O'Brien wryly observed, Lineker spends the first ten minutes of Match of the Day giving his views about small boats and Suella Braverman.
I've long hoped we get a better calibre of politicians at the top of Government, but there were many moments I'd forgotten about mentioned during the discussion. How have things sunk so low? Reviews for the book have remarked on its angry tone, yet I get the sense James really is striving for a more fair and equitable world. His passion comes across in his shows.My only other disappointment, aside from the queue to get in, was having to run for my tram before getting my copy of the book signed.
How They Broke Britain is available now in hardback and on Audible, with a paperback to follow. A really great way to spend a Tuesday evening in Manchester.
