Boris - he only needs one name...

It is often said that the height of fame is when you’re known by just one name. You can say the name and immediately everybody will know who you’re referring to, even if it’s not actually unique to that person.

Think Rhianna. Think Beyonce. Think Adele. Or think of Pele (and think what would have happened if he didn’t use that name as his real name is actually Edson Arantes do Nascimento – and imagine that written on the back of his shirt.

The Material Girl - she only needs one name  

Of course you may argue that it’s easy to adopt such a monicker if you’re in sport or entertainment but surely nobody in public or civic life would be so well known that just one name (particularly if it’s a Christian name) is enough to identify them.

But you’d be wrong. For last week while most of the country went to the polls to vote for relatively anonymous figures Londoners were able to choose their favourite from the exciting ‘Boris v Ken’ show.

For yes, the battle to become London Mayor pitted the blonde haired bumbling Boris Johnson against the hardbitten genial Ken Livingstone in a battle that seemed to have far more glamour and personality than any of the equally important political battles in, say, Rotherham or Romford.

What's in a name?

The fact that Boris won the vote – which went against the tide of Conservative failures elsewhere – is because he has managed to cross the divide of party politics and actually engage people who just have an opinion of him rather than what he believes in. I mentioned his name casually to a die-hard Labour supporter relative on Monday for instance and he burst into laughter and said how much he liked Boris. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard him say he liked anybody from the Conservative Party and that’s because Boris has done that rare thing that all politicians dream of – he has become a bigger figure than the party he represents.

Of course politics is a serious business and the defeated Ken said, ruefully, that the vote wasn’t about who would be the best presenter for Have I Got News For You (which even he agreed Boris would be) but for a serious political office. But what Ken and others must realise is that in a political landscape where only 30 per cent of people even bothered to get out to vote in those aforementioned elections, the desperate lack of personality amongst most politicians is something which is a turn off to people who live in the sort of entertainment and celebrity-led world inhabited by some of the other one-name-only folk such as Cher, Bono and Sting.

Of course not everybody who can get away with just one name uses their Christian one. They may be as far apart musically as it’s possible to be but both Liberace and Morrissey both presumably have Christian names but you’d have to be in a musical section of a quiz to be able to find out what they may be.

So, clearly the way to get yourself noticed and to get your ‘name’ out there is to make that name as short as possible. So this is Sam signing off. Or should that be Holliday. Or should that even be James (which is my real name but that’s a totally different story. . .)

Liberace - and his first name is???

A night of political drama

Last Friday night while thousands of Bathonians were enjoying the opening night of the Bath Festival - which climaxed in a wonderful array of fireworks - I too experienced plenty of fireworks in Bath city centre. But of a wholly different kind.

For as one of those odd people who actually loves politics, I elected to attend and report on a meeting at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution which was supposed to be a chance for as many as possible of the 17 candidates standing in next week’s EU elections to make their case.

To be honest, I know precious little about the whole EU adventure and I thought this would be a good chance to improve my knowledge.

But that’s not the way the evening turned out. As the BRLSI had invited all candidates – including the highly controversial right-wing British National Party – I was aware that there could be a demonstration by local anti-racists but I wasn’t prepared for just how big that demo would be or how it would affect the course of a truly remarkable evening.

In the end, somewhat sadly, the presence of the BNP wasn’t just an issue – it was the ONLY issue of the night.

The fact that the BNP was there meant that several of the other candidates refused to take part in the debate – although to their credit many were still there to make their points known outside of the chamber (Labour and the Greens were particularly good at this I thought).

Some of the other parties like the Lib Dems and UKIP were actually prepared to debate (although the Lib Dems wouldn't share a platform with the BNP) but a human barricade of protesters stopped many of these getting into the BRLSI during a tense and unpredictable hour or so in Bath's Queen Square.

Eventually the debate did go ahead but only four of the minor parties got to speak (the Liberats,eu group, the English Democrats, The Christian Party and the BNP itself) and so the big question we should ask is: was democracy served by the fact that the BNP was allowed to be there or was it ill-served by the fact that the party were there at all and many other voices never got heard?

It’s a tough and difficult question – and one I can’t answer – but in spite of all this chaos, I came away with a lot of admiration for many people involved in a night of political drama.

Firstly, I greatly admired the BRLSI for having the guts to continue with the debate despite the protest. The truly splendid convener, Rodney Tye, genuinely believed he was being fair by inviting all parties and doggedly stuck to his guns even when it must have seemed easier just to pack up and go home. I also applaud all the BRLSI members who were determined to hear the debate and patiently waited for the protest to end to do so. It was an example of commendable stoicism and reflected very well on the BRLSI as an organisation.

I also respected the protesters themselves. In a time when political apathy is actually applauded, it was good to see people with a passion and belief to actually stand up and be counted for what they truly believe.

And, I also applaud the police for their actions. This could have got very ugly, very easily but the police were as patient and as understanding as possible and the way they removed all the anti-BNP protesters without making a single arrest among them was a textbook example of good policing in difficult circumstances. They probably don't get too many situations like this - but they performed with real professionalism.

As for the BNP, well, it just left me deeply depressed. Unlike many of the protesters, I did go in to hear the debate (because I believe you have to hear what people say before judging them) and the moment the party’s spokesperson tried to claim he wasn’t a racist but called black people “Negroes” was the moment I realised this party is wedded to racism – despite the fact that many of them now wear nice suits.

In my opinion ther word 'Negroes' is the language of the American Civil War and not 21st century British politics – and I felt chilled and angry to hear it.

It left me with the feeling that BNP should stand for 'Beyond Normal Politics' and on a night when genuine political debate should have been the winner the presence of this party turned the whole thing into something of a circus.

Sad.