STATE TERRORISM
The week saw British, American and Australian governments redouble their efforts to terrorise their own publics in an attempt to foster support for a war against Iraq. In the US President Bush announced an 'Orange Alert', while Australian Prime Minister John Howard issued 'terror kits' to households - complete with fridge magnets displaying a national help-line - at a cost of A$20M. Meanwhile in London it emerged that the announcement of a terror alert at Heathrow the previous week was scoffed at by journalists at the parliamentary lobby, though their editors duly announced the security measures, which included siting armoured cars and troops around the airport, as good coin (Private Eye, 21 February).
The human cost of the state of panic might seem trivial in relation to the proposed assault on Iraq, but it is real nonetheless. In America, panic buying of duct tape (recommended against poison gas by the authorities, no less) and food cleared shelves. More tragically the stampede at the E2 nightclub in Chicago on 17 February appears to have been exacerbated by fears of terrorist attacks. The New York Times reports that cries of 'poison gas' and 'terror attack' fuelled the chaos (18, 19 February). In Britain, the security chaos caused misery for holidaymakers. Finger pointing at Muslims has also led to race attacks in Finsbury Park, near to the mosque raided by police last month. Australians, at least, did protest by dumping their 'terror kits' in front of the Prime Minister's Sidney residence.
PHONY PROTESTS
The Queen of TV presenting Davina McCall invited bad behaviour and political protests from the podium at the start of Thursday's popular music 'Brit Awards', but she need not have bothered. Where once the Brits saw Chumbawumba's Danbert Nobacon soak deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, this time around the protests were carefully stage-managed. Ms Dynamite - the rap star who earned the adoration of the powers-that-be for denouncing Black Britain's gun culture - had a carefully rehearsed duo with George Michael, who's hit 'Faith' was re-written to include the line 'I don't want blood on my hands', to fit the anti-war theme. Ms Dynamite is the British Press's own favourite rap star, whose mother is a teacher from the Hebrides. Her guest appearance at last weekend's anti-war rally showed how safe the anti-war protests have become.
With the full weight of past expectations on him Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin, already in the public eye for dating Gwyneth Paltrow, tentatively wrote a slogan on the back of his hand so that the camera would film it as he sang: 'Make trade fair'. Two hundred years and twenty years after Adam Smith first said it, free trade seems to count as a radical statement. In fairness, Martin did manage to blurt out that the awards do not count because Bush is going to blow us all up anyway on his second walk to the podium. But by that time the singer's evident joy at success made the protest seem like an afterthought, or just another fashion statement.
Of course, even Jarvis Cocker was seen rehearsing his celebrated mooning of Michael Jackson, but Thursday's awards were a model of sobriety, with alcohol banned and seats priced at £750. Musically, the influence of TV talent shows was all that was new, while the US fielded punk thrashes from Pink and April Lavigne that dated to before they were born.
-- James Heartfield
http://www.heartfield.demon.co.uk/james1.htm