Economics are the method,
the object is to change the soul

In 1987, the year Pristine Christine was released, Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister for a third consecutive term and Gordon Gekko told us all that greed was good. The miners had been beaten, unemployment had doubled to over three million, and a million council houses had already been sold off; by the end of the year, Red Wedge would have drifted apart and legislation for the Poll Tax and Clause 28 would be just months away. Meanwhile, indie labels had discovered 12″ singles and multi-formatting; though their bosses celebrated the triumph of Capitalism in leather trousers rather than red braces, of course (I’m not sure what the women would have been wearing, had there been any).

We want to write something more substantial at some point; for now, here’s a graphic from SARAH 4: the words are Margaret Thatcher’s, the image is adapted from the cover of I Just Can’t Stop It, the Beat’s glorious 1980 debut: I see no joy, I see only sorrow, I see no chance of your bright new tomorrow, so stand down Margaret, stand down please…

Below the image are some related press-cuttings etc.

Artwork from Sarah 4