Staged: a handful of VIP events is no substitute for normality

Wimbledon is back. The start of the tournament in June marks the opening of the British summer, sending a signal to everyone that it’s time to take it easy: enjoy a glass of fizz, some strawberries and some sporting drama on the grass. And this year, for the first time, we witnessed a roar of applause from the crowd on Centre Court for Britain’s vaccine success. It looks very much like life as normal.

The same was true at Wembley stadium, where thousands of fans cheered on England this week when they beat Germany. A few plays have opened as well. Several politicians were in attendance at the Garrick for the opening night of Maggie & Ted, a play about Ted Heath’s rivalry with Margaret Thatcher.

Behind the scenes, ministers have been planning this for months. The idea is to lay on a small number of showcase events for the cameras, let in the crowds and then send a picture to the country and the world. Events such as Wimbledon and the Euros are being used as show ponies to convince us — and the rest of the world — that normality has returned.

The hope is that other sporting and theatrical events will soon be back to pre-Covid normality, but the reality may be very different. As long as the government retains the right (and the inclination) to lock us down again, the entire industry is under threat. Using emergency powers, No. 10 can close every venue in the country with just a few days’ notice. The most worrying aspect of the crisis is that many of us have been successfully trained to acquiesce in the abolition of our freedom.

Livelihoods are at stake here. So is our cultural heritage. The uncertainty alone is itself crippling. Who would spend time and money planning a large festival in this climate? Andrew Lloyd Webber has said that predatory speculators are looking enviously at his collection of London theatres, but he has angrily rejected a governmental attempt to enlist him as an ally and to turn his new show into a Potemkin event.