This has been superceded by the longer post above which is the full comment piece on how far we really are re-living aspects of the 1980s: major strikes, job cuts, recession, Two Nations. Since the Royal wedding in April I’ve been thinking about parallels and differences a lot. Particularly as the 80s has, like the 60s was for me, been repackaged into a selective set of icons.
Here’s a clip from maverick film maker, Peter Watkins’ cult movie, Privilege. His vision of 60s popstars exploited by the political and Religious Establishment may seem heavy handed, and is certainly not a literal prediction come true. The Church of England’s decline being the most obvious difference. But there is something to ponder in his dark view of media manipulation and propaganda to divert public attention from social division and unrest. The posh accents of the corporate executives and politicians captured the inconvenient truth about the 60s which, like the early 80s, saw inherited money and privileged people dominate the major spheres of influence, even if we’ve chosen only to remember the working class heroes of pop music and art. Jerusalem is of course the anthem they sang at Prince William and Katherine Middleton’s wedding.
