[Albion] Was Paul Weller a Thatcher supporter in the 1970s?

[Goldstone Rapper]

I'm hoping NSC's mass army of Jam fans can give me the definitive answer to this. Obviously, he became staunchly anti-Thatcher in the early 1980s. However, before that, I know that he announced that The Jam would be voting Conservative. I seem to remember hearing that the words made it into sleevenotes of a Jam record, but I don't know if this is true.

So, was it a joke? PR stunt? Or some early political dabbling, before Weller had fully calibrated his values?

 

[Icy Gull]

What is it with musicians and bandwagon jumping? One of our most celebrated fans even did it from Palace to us, which I guess is more understandable.

Have to confess I can't see Weller as a Thatcher fan..ever

 

[Gwylan]

He was.

I remember an interview that he gave to the NME in which he strongly stated his support for the Conservatives and announced his intention of voting Tory in the forthcoming election.

This would have been in the early days of punk and could have been seen as someone finding his way politically or could have been a reaction to The Clash who were firmly left-wing from the early days.

 

[simon swagbag]

I'm hoping NSC's mass army of Jam fans can give me the definitive answer to this. Obviously, he became staunchly anti-Thatcher in the early 1980s. However, before that, I know that he announced that The Jam would be voting Conservative. I seem to remember hearing that the words made it into sleevenotes of a Jam record, but I don't know if this is true.

So, was it a joke? PR stunt? Or some early political dabbling, before Weller had fully calibrated his values?

Well, you've got to remember how young he was.
He wasn't joking, neither was it a PR stunt.
They were starting to play gigs at punk venues. Punk was still art school, middle class, trendy. The Jam had been playing in Woking for a few years, honing their style. They had little in common with the punks & probably wanted to piss the liberals off & distance themselves.
Put this against the backdrop of violent, discontented Britain at the time & Weller, like the majority, wanted change.

 

[marshy68]

Paul Weller: My Ever Changing Moods - John Reed - Google Books

 

[Gwylan]

Punk was still art school, middle class, trendy. The Jam had been playing in Woking for a few years, honing their style. They had little in common with the punks & probably wanted to piss the liberals off & distance themselves.

Not sure about that. The Sex Pistols were solidly working class lads, so were The Damned. It could be applied to The Clash and The Buzzcocks perhaps but I certainly don't recall it as being particularly middle class. Don't forget there were some right-wing punk groups around then too: the obnoxious Screwdriver and Chelsea with their anti-union anthem, We've got the right to work.

Just found this interesting interview with Weller from '78

"What about your famous quote of “We’ll all be voting Conservative at the next election”, what prompted you to say that?
Well that... it was more like a private joke. I mean it’s easy for me to justify myself, now, but I suppose at the time it was... We was on The Clash tour at the time and everything was like left wing and socialist maaan, and all that crap. I just thought I’d, you know...
-Get yourself hated?
Well in a way. I was just trying to make the point that we’re not into whatever they want to do. We’re just our own band and that’s that. It was a stupid quote anyway, and I regret it now, but there you go...
-Would you vote in The next election?
I dunno, maybe I’ll vote for Labour. I don’t really wanna talk about politics, I’m not clever enough."

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Well, you've got to remember how young he was.
He wasn't joking, neither was it a PR stunt.
They were starting to play gigs at punk venues. Punk was still art school, middle class, trendy. The Jam had been playing in Woking for a few years, honing their style. They had little in common with the punks & probably wanted to piss the liberals off & distance themselves.
Put this against the backdrop of violent, discontented Britain at the time & Weller, like the majority, wanted change.

And who better for a band that dressed in Union Jack colours, and harked back to an idealised old fashioned England, to turn to than the party that wrapped itself up in the Union Jack and harked back to an idealised old fashioned England?

 

[simon swagbag]

Not sure about that. The Sex Pistols were solidly working class lads, so were The Damned. It could be applied to The Clash and The Buzzcocks perhaps but I certainly don't recall it as being particularly middle class. Don't forget there were some right-wing punk groups around then too: the obnoxious Screwdriver and Chelsea with their anti-union anthem, We've got the right to work.

Cook & Jones yes, Lydon no. Matlock? Don't know.
I'm only going from documentaries & articles though, I wasn't on the scene.
I did got to Rat Scabies' dad's house once. Middle/upper class eccentric!

 

[kevo]

As above, he said it possibly as a joke or to shock people who thought he was a socialist but songs such as Eton Rifles easily give away their real political affiliations!

 

[Pavilionaire]

Cook & Jones yes, Lydon no. Matlock? Don't know.
I'm only going from documentaries & articles though, I wasn't on the scene.
I did got to Rat Scabies' dad's house once. Middle/upper class eccentric!

Lydon's parents were Irish immigrants who lived in a two room flat in Holloway. I think it's fair to say he is from working class stock. Steve Jones described Matlock as a "middle class mummy's boy". No wonder he ended up leaving the band.

 

[Stat Brother]

Joe Strummer was the son of a diplomat.

It's fair to say that didn't come up much in interviews.

 

[fire&skill]

'Time For Truth' on 'In The City' has the lyrics 'I guess it's time for truth and the truth is you've lost, Uncle Jimmy. Admit your failure and decline with honour while you care'. Seems to be a rant by a nineteen year old against the government of the day?

 

[pork pie]

Not to my knowledge. In fact he was more to the left as a big critic of the NF.

 

[kevtherev]

He probably did pre 79 and deffo didn't post 79...It's called being anti establishment, sells records and gets your name in the papers. But when your young, as I was in the early 80's you will buy into anything your fed. When you get older you see it all for what it really is, propaganda.....I think it's great all the musician's who made million's in the 80's singing and doing anything anti Maggie.....They are probably all sitting in their million pound houses tonight with their feet up, counting the zero's on their bank statements.....oh the irony!!!!!

 

[Vegas Seagull]

He probably did pre 79 and deffo didn't post 79...It's called being anti establishment, sells records and gets your name in the papers. But when your young, as I was in the early 80's you will buy into anything your fed. When you get older you see it all for what it really is, propaganda.....I think it's great all the musician's who made million's in the 80's singing and doing anything anti Maggie.....They are probably all sitting in their million pound houses tonight with their feet up, counting the zero's on their bank statements.....oh the irony!!!!!

No corporations for the new age sons

 

[The Large One]

He probably did pre 79 and deffo didn't post 79...It's called being anti establishment, sells records and gets your name in the papers. But when your young, as I was in the early 80's you will buy into anything your fed. When you get older you see it all for what it really is, propaganda.....I think it's great all the musician's who made million's in the 80's singing and doing anything anti Maggie.....They are probably all sitting in their million pound houses tonight with their feet up, counting the zero's on their bank statements.....oh the irony!!!!!

Why is it ironic?

You can be anti-Maggie and have a few quid.

 

[User removed 4]

As above, he said it possibly as a joke or to shock people who thought he was a socialist but songs such as Eton Rifles easily give away their real political affiliations!

Songs such as eton rifles show wellers hypocrisy as his kids go to private school , Bruce foxtons son went to er, eton , believe it or not.

 

[kevtherev]

Why is it ironic?

You can be anti-Maggie and have a few quid.

Ironic,,as in most of the things people sang about, slagging her off about, was at the very period where they made their millions...Isn't there some sort of irony in that

 

[Leighgull]

He is from Surrey.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Ironic,,as in most of the things people sang about, slagging her off about, was at the very period where they made their millions...Isn't there some sort of irony in that

I'm pretty sure Paul Weller was destined to be very successful in music (and financially successful) whoever was in government in the 1980s and 1990s. Coincidence is not the same as irony.