Alex Massie Alex Massie

The Problem with Mo

David enjoyed the Mo Mowlam biopic Channel 4 showed on Sunday; I wish I could say the same but am not surprised that I can’t. (You can watch it here, incidentally.) Yes, Julie Walters was just as excellent as one imagined her to be and, yes, it’s carping to complain about what wasn’t in the film (though an acknowledgement that the Peace Process didn’t start on May 2nd 1997 would have been usefu) and it can’t be terribly surprising that the movie gives the impression that the Peace Process was somehow Mowlam’s own possession.

Despite that I thought the film was, in terms of the politics of the matter, quietly devastating. For it showed the limits of Mowlam’s approach to politics most effectively: brilliant on the PR side of the equation, hopeless on the detail and equally flawed in terms of judgement. The film also provided a portrait of political vanity that, while intended to be sympathetic, reminded one that more than anything else, power deludes.

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