hannah!

primogeniture isn't applicable here: sons of william i / sons of new labour (a sequel of sorts to my promises webweave)

the idea:

i selected a range of film and television either depicting or inspired by new labour produced during their time in government to use as primary historical evidence

i wanted to look into how new labour was viewed at the time using fiction to identify a set of characteristics, sort of "how to spot a new labour"

i concluded that the single most significant common characteristic was spin/strategic communications

sources:

the deal and the thick of it were my "main" sources, supported by others... my shows yay

findings:

i examined three broad characteristics: political presentation being prioritised over policy, the dominance of unelected power over elected, and injustice and reckoning

looking at the deal & the project (a similar nulab origin story but shitter), you pretty clearly see a transition from an ideologically-driven 80s labour to a slick, superficial 90s labour, where they focussed on political presentation at the expense of policy + i argued this was bc govt communications were drawing much more attention

basically all ukpol satire/drama has unelected power figures because yes minister was SUCH a big deal it's like the matrix you can't unsee it and it's everywhere, under nulab though the unelected figures went from civil servants or lobbyists (honourable house of cards mention) to the new trope of the spin doctor... malcolm tucker looking at you

right so here's the iraq chapter. sources from 2005 onwards are often much angrier about nulab and focus on it having immoral/illegal aspects and there being some sort of judicial reckoning for these. the thick of it and the trial of tony blair are verrry big on this bc they have overt crime + punishment narratives, i argued this was bc people were frustrated at the lack of real-world consequences

yes, minister and the thick of it as (social) mirrors

first in the series inspired by @1virginiastreet about the connection between melodrama and new labour and the first track on the album. in other words, how i manage to make a break up song about former chancellor gordon brown.

makeup in cars is quintessential to new labour and frenzied media rounds, also reminds me of this gb incident. tbgb are fundamentally different people, hence different drinks despite being at the "same bar" (same party, same movement, different approaches and personalities)

this feels like post-deal, gb wanting to tell the truth of everything of everything tb promised, which ultimately turned out as lies (depending on who you believe). in general, one of the biggest strains on their relationships i think was tb's lies/equivocations meeting gb, who tended to hear what he wanted to believe

great whites = white lies! they did come back to bite him when he dragged out his resignation which soured the relationship. obviously gb hopes they bite him in the back anyway.

tbgb breakup anyone?? they were so close for so long and then the leadership and power ruined, but they are both haunted by the ghost of their relationship (tony more so imho)

again, inescapability of their connection, but here we get to the chorus which is so gb - he spent 13 years waiting for his green light to lead. if anyone is the embodiment of waiting it's gordon brown.

this line is the most new labour line in the whole song. the toxic cycle of briefing against each other? whispering things to journalists that get sung back in the headlines the next day?

repeat of the first part but i wanted to mention how it changes to rumors. gb fights the lies with the endless briefings and rumors...