Blair bitch project
Be it globalisation, the war in Iraq or the empty greed of Blair’s Britain, politics is back at the centre of the Fringe. i Steve Cramer
’m not ahout to xuggext to ton that our prime minixter lied through hix teeth in order to drag trx into an uniuxt \\ar. unxupported h_\ international 1a\\ and the people o1. hix o\\n countr_\. I’m xure )ou ha\e the common xenxe to make
up _\our our] mind. What xeemx clear ix that \xe are all under
direct threat l'rom xomeonc tip there \\ho ix ahle to mohilixe hullxhit at .15 minutcx' notice. .\ recent xingle death. albeit a tragic one. hax mohilixcd more media attention than the multitudcx ol' innoccntx who died and are xtill d)ng ax the t'exult ol' the oln ioux1_\ ongoing \Hll' in Iraq. But “ill thix death o1 a xcicntixt hecome _\et another occaxion on \xhich to a\oid the real ixxuc ol \\ hether \xc \\ ere deccn ed ahout the \\ ar'.’
Remember that ruxh acroxx the dcxert in \\ hich \arioux late night corner xhopx and pie lactoriex \\ ere lahelled chemical \\eaponx plantx'.’ 1th there \\ax that harrel ol' xtul'l' l‘or killing algae on hoatx that \\ax alxo xuxpected. iiiltix ueapon ol moxx dextruction ix. 1 think. ax c1oxe ax \xe'll get to iuxtil'}ing the \\ar. xhort ol' planting the e\idence ourxel\cx. hen the go\ernment hax admitted a lack o1 intelligence.
Intelligence ix a problem that particularl} al‘llictx the ['5‘ prexident. 11ix xtor_\ ol~ ho\\ \\elcome 1'8 and Britixh troopx \\ott|d he \\hen the people o1 Iraq. \\ ere liherated doexn‘t ring true. So tar. our troopx look ax \xelcome ax a tart in a crouded e|e\ator. But that'x not Mr Buxh'x lirxt ‘duh' moment. and it wont he hix Iaxt.
But Blair and Bitxh are not the problem. .\'o. our concern xhould he \\ ith the collection ol‘ kna\ ex that reprexcntx the oil and hanking induxtriex. 'l‘1ic_\'re the onex \xho brought about the \\;11‘ and are xtampeding l‘or prolit. regardlexx o1 reaxon. moderation or common decenc}. In thix atmoxphere. it ix unxurprixing that the 1‘ringe xhould rexpond: and rexpond in an e\p|oxi\e \\a_\ it hax.
50 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE
The reaction ol' the great militar} po\\erx to e\entx pter- 0/] 1 time prompted a truextioning arra} o1 neu \\ork. Some look at ho\\ the \\ot'1d hax changed. Vanexxa Hadham’x Camarilla t(‘. ()3711 Ttll 51115. until 24 :\tlg1 iniagincx the conxequenccx ol' a terrorixt homh in London. uhile comic Henr} .\'a_\|oi”x xatire. Finding Bin Laden t(}i1ded Balloon. 320 2151. I 35 .>\ug. not 13. 3.45pmi. ix an accotrnt ol' a
journalixt'x _iot1t'ne_\ through .-\l'ghanixtan and heyrnd. lt‘x a
dark e‘xploration ol the \Vext'x moti\ ex in the e\pattxionixt project ol' the Iaxt tuo )c‘;tt'x.
Bin 1.aden ix town]. at a 1’1orida xhopping mall o1 all placex. in Andre“ Hallme} er‘x Wanted Dead or Alive t('luh\\ext.11‘7211285 551). 3 23 .’\ug. (ipmi. ()n a microcoxmic 1e\e1. the light-hearted allegot‘} Babba Ghanoush and Bagels illill Street. 220 0523. I 25 Aug. not 13. IlJllpmi xpeakx ol' the religioux conllictx originating lrom the Middle liaxt through t\\o xtall holderx in a local
market. So. too. the e\ce|1ent K.‘\()S 'l‘heatre‘x next \erxion ol‘
Titus Andronicus l(iale\\a_\. 317 303‘). 14 35 .\ug. not 17. 3pmi e\p|orex the idea o1 a xuddenl} militarixed world through Shakexpeat‘e‘x elaxxic.
\otahle among the rexponxex to international militar} ad\enturixm ix the xuperh American compan}. the Riot (iroup. and itx Pugilist Specialist tl’leaxanee ('otitt};rt'd. 550 MS“. 3 25 .-\ug. not 13. 1.15pmi. \\hich te11x the xtot’} o1 lottt‘ l'S mat'inex xent to axxaxxinale a Middle 1iaxtet'n leader. .-\rtixtic director .v\driano Shaplin e\p1ainx that he \xantx hix audiencex to reel implicated in the action. ‘.I\ lot ol' political theatre prexentx ghoxtx and monxterx. ligurex ue can \ie\\ lirom a dixlance.‘ he xa} x. '1 \xant the audience to e\p|ore their out] rexponxex. 1 had to e\plore the darker xide til 11]} xell' \\ hen W1 1 occurred. 1 had to h}paxx thix l'eeling that thix \xax
‘THE MOST HORRIBLE THING ABOUT 9/11 WAS THAT PART OF ME JUST THOUGHT IT WAS F UNNY'