Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

Crash, bang, wallop

The Power of Yes<br /> Lyttelton My Real War 1914–?<br /> Trafalgar Studios

issue 17 October 2009

The Power of Yes
Lyttelton

My Real War 1914–?
Trafalgar Studios

Here comes Hare. And he’s got the answer to the credit crunch. His energetic, well-researched and richly informative new work opens with an actor playing the writer himself (curious frown, Hush Puppies) as he sets out to discover why the markets jumped off a ledge last autumn. The result is less a play and more a commission of inquiry. Over many a lingering lunch Hare has leaned his inquisitive ear towards senior bankers, top journalists and leading economists. He then distilled their testimony into this fact-crammed pageant. The City’s major players saunter across the Lyttelton stage, their silk-lined suits softly whistling, to deliver gobbets of wisdom and insight. Gradually, the picture takes shape. For 15 years the financial world had been suffering from an acute case of overconfidence.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in