Flyer
Dave Haslam, Hedd, Lorna Gee, Paulo Hewitt
The Hacienda
25th February 1987

Showing Neil Kinnock the luv.....pity his paddling skills left something to be desired. Still there was no alternative but to fight, as On- U Sound would say. And if that meant Neil had to get jiggy in a Tracey Ulmann video, well so be it. I remember being in The Hac on me birthday on the night of Thatcher’s attempt for a third term election and I knew, and everybody knew she was gone! She was almost a gonner the previous time except for inventing the misnomered Falklands War in The Malvinas. Headlines like “Gotcha" and "Stick it up your Junta" from you know what.....what a disgrace! So the mood was buoyant and the club was rammed but none of us trendoid urban dwelling young folk had factored in the silent majority of Home Counties, Middle England and council house dwellers who, under the oh so clever divide and rule policies of the Tories , had access to buy their houses.
Well as the night proceeded and the whole election affair was being broadcast up on the big screens it became obvious we couldn’t have been more wrong even if we’d tried really hard; and so the mood slipped and that woman ruined my birthday!! I’m sure Benchill Conservative Club had a right ole knees-up. Actually I remember the likes of “Little and Large” (who started out as Wythenshawe window cleaners; another W/shawe claim to fame; as well as giving Dave Lee Travis to the world (soz!), Michael Wood the historian (who also used to play in an R & B band around town) , being a twin town with Leningrad, (though I doubt our fellow comrades in the Soviet Union knew too much about it); and oh so much, much more.....Don Estelle (as in "sing it out Lofty..."), and Clodagh Rogers also did the odd appearance at this mecca of showbiz talent to rival the nearby Golden Garter. I think the first showbiz star I ever did see was Jimmy Clitheroe when I was about 8 and he looked younger than me!
Strolled off the yellow brick road again...think it’s the Saturday morning hangover starting to kick in....
“Red Wedge Washing Away The Blues”....it seems with hind site, a slogan without the requisite amount of "umph' for such a divisive time.....