Raising the tone for Nicola
MR WEiNSTEiN’S lawyer tried to defend him as a man bewildered by social niceties, such as not asking young women for naked massages. Harvey seems to regard this argument as his lifeline too: ‘i came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, when all the rules about behaviour and workplaces were different,’ he said in a statement. ‘That was the culture then. i have since learned it’s not an excuse.’
He’s right, it isn’t an excuse. And it wouldn’t wash as an excuse back in the ’60s and ’70s either. Mr Weinstein is only 65, so he must have started working in the mid-70s – the era of women’s lib, not Mad Men. And even in less liberated TODAY Nicola Sturgeon will take to the stage at the SNP conference with the same kind of fanfare all parties like to confer on their leaders.
You know the drill: a breathless introduction from a disembodied voice, throbbing music and then a triumphant reveal, as if we were at the launch of a midrange family car.
The SNP knows how to milk these moments; this is the party that likes to fire off glitter cannons when grey men totter to the podium and adjust their specs. I just hope they’ve sorted out the walk-on music.
Calvin Harris and Florence Welch both objected to having their work used by the Tories last week. Political parties also have a bad habit of picking music without listening to the lyrics: Bruce Springsteen’s Born in The USA is still a go-to for American politicians who don’t seem to have listened to the biting criticisms behind the song’s ironic chorus. Personally, if I go into politics, I’d like the theme tune to Top Cat, please.
But Nicola might also consider the Velvet Underground’s live 38-minute version of Sister Ray, while forcing the party faithful to stand for the duration. And Derek Mackay, the Finance Secretary whose dodgy arithmetic forced a U-turn on his very first Budget, should definitely enter to Everything Counts by Depeche Mode.