Pigeon Shit, the Poll Tax and Margaret Thatcher
During a Q & A, following the screening of ‘East End Lives’ at a festival in France recently, I answered a question which suggested the people in the films were damaged by the policies of Margaret Thatcher. I enthusiastically agreed that Thatcher had a negative impact on the country and the lives of millions but pointed out there was still solidarity and a resolve to defend living standards in the UK which Thatcherism had not broken.
Recent events in terms of protests in the UK demonstrated the anger against Thatcher and her current heirs: the ‘coalition partners’. As I stumbled through my answer I tried to restrain my personal anger against the politics of Thatcherism and appear coherent, reasonable and resolutely socialist. Then I remembered an image which best summed up my feelings; the photograph (above) was taken outside Lambeth Town Hall. The Thatcher mask and laughing skull framed by a smattering of pigeon shit summarise my feelings for that damaging era. I only wish I had it to hand when I was asked about Thatcherism. It would have made a splendid visual aid.