A Very British Coup (1988) User Reviews

Well Made and Absorbing

[Caps Fan · 8/10 · 5 May 2004]

I'd like to think that this isn't particularly credible, but, allowing for that, this is a well made and gratifying piece of television drama.

It's all built around a towering performance from Ray McAnally, who simply doesn't put a foot wrong. The blend of kindness and steel we see in his portrayal of Harry Perkins is perfect. He is ably supported by a cast of British stalwarts, of whom Keith Allen and Marjorie Yates deserve special mention.

Whatever your politics, it's impossible not to be swept along in the sheer exhilaration of the opening twenty minutes or so as Perkins wins a landslide victory in a General Election and becomes Prime Minister at the head of a radical Labour government. After that, the pleasure comes mainly in some clever scripting and interesting use of Mozart's music.

The conclusion is pleasingly ambiguous. Too many dramas these days wrap up everything neatly, giving us nothing to think about. That's not the case here.

Excellent effort all round then. Rating: 8/10.

good British behind the scenes politics

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 18 May 2012]

Ray McInally stars in a three-part miniseries, "A Very British Coup," from 1988.

The story is set in the 1990s, when the Conservatives are ousted from power by Labour, and the new Prime Minister, Harry Perkins (McInally) is one of the common folk, a steelworker and union organizer. One of the common folk, but no dummy. He plain-speaking, down to earth, and his heartfelt speeches and ambitions for the country are met with a large mandate from the public. The Conservatives, of course, are miserable. Harry for one thing isn't part of the good old boy network, and his socialist policies are viewed as disturbing. The other side, the Establishment, goes to work with the help of MI5, the CIA, and the tabloids, to bring him to his knees.

Excellent three-parter done with a wonderful performance by McInally, who died shortly after this. His character displays both political and street smarts, as well as a sense of humor and a keen understanding of how he is viewed by the Establishment.

Very, very enjoyable, and could easily have been filmed a day ago. That's one thing about films and TV shows about politics going back to the classic film days -- it seems that nothing has changed in the world of political chicanery.

Brit real-politiks at its best...

[canuckteach · 9/10 · 2 July 2012]

** only minor spoiler (hints) in this review **

VBC is a slick, insightful look, not just at politics in the U.K., but throughout the domain of the world's democracies, wherein 'the voice of the people' - typically represented by left-wing socialist or labour parties - is espoused as an ideal. As far as the frustrating mechanics of British government itself go, those who enjoyed the series 'Yes, Minister' and 'Yes, Prime Minister' will see familiar themes in VBC. Those who watch the 'Spooks' (or 'MI-5') will also note the similar elements involving potential conflict over military interests with the USA. VBC presents an intriguing scenario: what if an incorruptible and adept party leader of strong socialist ideals got elected, and actually began to implement good ideas? What if he wasn't a typical incompetent, looney left-wing crackpot? Would that frighten those who manage the tentacles of power behind the scenes? What would they do, if a military coup, or a forced election were not available to send the idealist packing? You will love the prospective solution proposed in VBC. Finally, I noted that the Press, during the press conferences shown in the episodes, despite having called for a transparent and truly-representative style of government, continued to harangue, harass and disrupt this PM, although he is exactly what they claimed to crave. Ultimate irony.

First-rate political thriller

[robntracey · 10/10 · 19 April 2002]

A British Channel 4 mini-series, and one of the finest political thrillers ever made. From the first shot of the opening titles, a molotov cocktail striking the ground in front of Big Ben, this film moves with breathtaking speed and energy, and is guaranteed to push the emotional buttons of any political junkie.

It is sometime in the early 90s, and the Conservatives have been tossed out of power by the Labour Party in a landslide- not led by Tony Blair, but by a charismatic and unapologetically socialist steelworker and union organizer, Harry Perkins. Ray McInally plays the canny, unpretentious Yorkshireman to perfection. The vultures of the upper-class Establishment, the gutter media, the MI5 and the CIA gather to try to undermine Perkins' effective and popular government.

The show is witty, fast-paced, and deliciously paranoid. Acting, dialogue and editing (almost MTV-like compared to the usual sober pace of British TV dramas) come together perfectly. Even if the cold-war setting is a bit outdated and even if you don't share the film's left-wing politics, you will be moved to man the barricades by the time the last chilling image fades.

This film deserves video revival, as a true masterpiece of television craft. Search the web regularly for re-releases- you won't be sorry!

A First Rate Poltical Thriller

[timdalton007 · 10/10 · 22 November 2008]

A left wing candidate is elected after a hard fought campaign by his right wing rivals. No I am not talking about the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. That is the in fact the beginning of A Very British Coup, an excellent and all too plausible miniseries about a left wing British Prime Minister who radical policies lead to members of the right wing establishment trying to bring him down. In fact it for interesting viewing especially in today's world.

Any good production needs a good cast and A Very British Coup has an excellent cast. Ray McAnally gives the greatest performance of his all too short career as Prime Minister Harry Perkins. McAnally captures perfectly the plain-spoken, charismatic leader in both good times and bad. As Perkins, McAnally makes you want to stand up and cheer for him especially with his final speech. McAnally of course is just the tip of the cast. As Perkins biggest enemy is Alan MacNaughtan as Sir Percy Browne, the almost and quietly threatening head of MI5 who sits at the center of the web of conspiracy to bring down Perkins. The supporting cast is made up of some Britain's finest actors from Keith Allen to Tim McInnery, Philip Madoc, Marjorie Yates, Geofrey Beevers, Jim Carter and Oscar Quitak amongst others. Even in small parts like Inspector Page (Bernard Kay) and Annette Newsome (Caroline John) are filled with terrific actors.

The real star of A Very British Coup is its script. Alan Plater takes Chris Mullin's novel and crafts it into a fascinating study of a government under siege from within. Often in political films or series the plot takes head over the dialogue which leads to stifled dialogue. Plater doesn't let that happen and the dialogue never seems stifled but real and urgent. In fact the whole script seems real and urgent despite some of the issues being dated (such as nuclear disarmament). The fascinating thing about watching this is that change an issue or two and this could be today. The result is a story that has the ability to fascinate some twenty years later.

Another important aspect of the productions is its visuals. Director Mick Jackson and cinematographer Ernie Vincze use the camera and screen time wisely. The result is that A Very British Coup is as much a visual feast as anything else with moments in parts two and three that stand out even today. The miniseries is, as a result, a dark and grainy world full of enemies and thinly veiled threats. This even truer when combined with the music of John Keane and the performances of the cast.

The result of all this from the exceptional performance of Ray McAnally, the performances of the cast, an excellent script that's all too plausible and a visual feast makes A Very British Coup a first rate political thriller. It may be twenty years old and somewhat dated at times but it makes a fascinating viewing that still carries weight today. For at its heart A Very British Coup carries an important and time less message: the greatest enemy of a democracy is not from without but from within. It's a message we shouldn't ignore.

Nice one Harry...!

[masonx · 10/10 · 12 April 2000]

Very fine underrated british drama released in 1988 and now sadly passed into oblivion. Alas by all accounts there are no copies on video or dvd. The story focuses on one Harry Perkins. Former coal miner and popular left wing leader of the british parliamentary labour party. Following a landslide election he is soon to be sworn in as prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, first lord of the treasury and the Kings first minister, with whom he appears to get along fine. Others however take more convincing. His arrival to say the least causes consternation amongst the mandarins of the civil service and their underlings, a few media barons not to mention the white house, britains NATO allies, the head of the BBC and a few others besides. It is not an auspicious beginning. Their main concern of course is how far left the Kings new first minister is going to take them. Old Harry has a few radical policy changes in mind which is sure to rattle a few established institutions and practises of whom he is quite prepared to ignore. He has a manifesto to follow, promises to keep his electorate and more important matters to ponder over. It is then that a few partisan members of his own intelligence service together with a powerful media baron(shades of R.Murdoch) decide to take matters into their own hands and initiate measures to ensure that Harry Perkins is brought back into line. They do this in the most unsubtle ways. Like opening his mail, prying into his past life and even manipulating his bank accounts to show unaccounted deposits. To a wider degree and on a more machiavellian scale they also manipulate the head of one powerful union and there is suspicion about their involvement in the unexpected death of the PM's chief scientific adviser on the eve of an important meeting. Most of this is accomplished through the old boy network within the civil service and other organs of the government where the 'old school tie' comes into prominence. It is the start of a very british coup...! Harry of course is not entirely ignorant of this skullduggery behind his back and pretty much knows who is behind it. He bides his time and with only a few trustworthy helpers in his inner circle including the blunt spoken chief of his security detail, he ponders over how to foil their plans and pinpoint the traitors in their midst. Enough said.

This is an amazingly good drama as only the brits can produce these days. Ray McAnally shines in his portrayal of the politically savvy and down to earth Harry Perkins. It is one of his best roles and sadly one of his last. Alan McNaughton stands out also as Sir Percy Browne the treasonous MI5 chief and Tim McInerney as his able but weasley paranoid assistant Fiennes. It is a story of excessive political manipulation at its worst and written by Chris Mullin at the height of the Thatcher years when despite the economic upturn only a few people were actually benefiting from it. It was also a time when Great Britain had never actually been so close to the USA in their foreign, defence and economic policies. Thatchers close working relationship with Reagan outlined all that very clearly. Hopefully the drama will be released in video form so that others can also appreciate this low budget but very canny political tale.

Still Superb

[GrahamEngland · 10/10 · 30 June 2012]

Firstly, I should perhaps counter the two negative reviews by pointing out the novel this was based on was written in the early 1980's when a left wing Labour government could have been a distinct possibility. Thatcher was VERY unpopular as Chris Mullin was writing his novel. But, had Tony Benn replaced the ineffectual Michael Foot as Labour leader - again very possible then -he would have been no Harry Perkins. Lacking the fictional characters street smarts and possibly, wider appeal. But this is fiction after all.

By 1988, when this superb drama was made, Thatcher was still there but the adaptation, with now great foresight as current events show, made more of Perkins rise being due to uncovering massive scandal and criminality in big finance.

Mullin himself was a left winger, though he moderated his views with maturity and, as he himself admitted, the changes in the political landscape. As a well respected MP for Labour from 1987 to 2010, he would vote for Tony Blair as leader in 1994 but against the Iraq war in 2003.

Mullin represented a seat in Sunderland in NE England which suffered terribly under the Tories. He was a very effective Parliamentary Select Committee Chairman then had a series of junior ministerial appointments, the often 'Yes Minister' or even 'The Thick Of It' like events he had then are recounted with his trademark humour and self deprecation in his dairies,

The Novel and this adaptation crop up in these widely acclaimed dairies of his life, political and personal, that have been published over the last few years, he kept them from 1994 to 2010.

If there was a 'Mullin' character in the book and TV show, it's 'Fred Thompson' played by Keith Allen, like Mullin when he wrote the book, a campaigning journalist, though as described in the book as rather more physically like the author than in the TV film, not to take anything away from Allen's performance.

I cannot add much more to the mostly positive reviews, that this was shown in 30 countries, won a stack of awards, was cited by Mullin's political allies and opponents years later, is testament to the novel and this excellent, so well made and acted drama.

I will add that though I'm left of centre, I would not have supported Harry Perkins anti nuclear, anti NATO policies. Not that this in anyway reduced my enjoyment of this drama which I've watched and enjoyed many times.

Alternative History

[shell-26 · 10/10 · 19 February 2000]

"A Very British Coup" was a turning point in my life. Aged about 18 and having spent much of that time in Mrs Thatcher's Britain, this mini-series illustrated what might have happened had a Michael Foot, Tony Benn or a Ken Livingstone been elected Prime Minister.

Ken Livingstone wrote a book called "If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish It". Harry Perkins the new socialist British Prime Minister, like all the best idealists fighting a hopeless cause, simply doesn't know when he is beaten, or rather he chooses to carry on regardless of the storm clouds looming.

Shortly after his election he receives the traditional congratulatory phone call from the US president. A formal script is placed in his hands which he refuses to follow much to everyone's consternation and the scene is set.

The Americans cannot risk losing control of their huge static aircraft carrier off the coast of France (it used to be called the UK). Big Business tries to starve the Perkins government of funds. Harry responds brilliantly surviving on low cunning and simple honesty in this capitalistic, high-brow, dishonest world.

There is no way his government can survive, it will not be allowed. There are dark forces gathering......

Do I really scare you that much..?

[thegulls1 · 10/10 · 17 September 2020]

Asks Harry Perkins, the newly-elected Labour Prime Minister. He is speaking to an appointed-for-life cabinet minister Sir Somebody or other, whose property & title go back centuries. 'O yes, you do.' he replies. 'We could count on your predecessors to mess up, but you are no fool.' Thus, the reason why a 'Coup' has been orchestrated to oust poor Harry from office.

IMDB lost my previous review of VBC, and so, here is my replacement: this is a brilliant unique story of an imaginary Labour Leader who 1) cannot be corrupted 2) keeps his election promises 3) runs an open government, with frequent question periods. Even t h a t will not buy him unanimous Press support, as they badger Harry when a sensitive policy session is conducted behind closed doors. Harry is irresolute, however: even when a key labour union threatens to shut down the country with blackouts, Harry sticks to his guns and uncovers the culprits, restoring order.

Harry runs afoul of the Americans, as he has a mandate to rid the country of their Nukes on British soil. He recruits a brilliant Professor of Physics to consult on the process. He makes fools of the U. S. officials who try to impede--the Americans decide a grim response is required. Can Harry beat these guys?

If you can find this presentation on stream, or DVD, watch it!

Thoughtful, well acted, well directed, only let down by a narrow party political script

[sublimineyes · 27 July 2020]

This is an excellent example of the sort of quality production that UK television used to be so capable of turning out. It is quiet, directed and acted without any overblown or cliched soapishness, a well chosen length, paced well, all around just really well made as a piece of storytelling.

What lets it down for me is the narrow party political bias with the 5 advisors listed at the end of the credits including 2 former journalists on Communist newspapers, and a certain Alistair Campbell (could this be the man who, as the unelected Alastair Campbell, was so central and powerful in Blair's governments?). I don't recognise the other 2. Unsurprisingly the script comes across wit a heavy dose of extreme left tropes and dreams, sprinkled here and thee with enough honesty, to act as a propaganda piece.

But it is so obviously a propaganda piece (none of the subtle type of fake news propaganda of today) that this can be tuned out or listened to for what it is. Which is interesting in itself.

I do knock 3 stars off for it though (I would have rated 9 stars otherwise) as it wasn't necessary. OK the recent history of the UK Labour Party at the time included people like Michael Foot but imagine how much better the script would have been if it had been based on an only slightly left of centre Labour Party.

It has also weathered the years very well and with obvious writing changes could have been made recently with either pro or anti Brexit politicians/groups in pace of MacAnaly's extreme left Labour as there are clearly establishment figures on both the "left" and "right" who could be portrayed as the scheming, unelected bad guys.

Brilliant Drama But The End Does Rather Miss The Point

[spanishflea50 · 7/10 · 25 June 2008]

SPOILERS- My criticism of this drama involves the ending o I cannot really avoid giving it away- do not read if you haven't watched the drama first Having thoroughly enjoyed the book that this drama is based on i was delighted to be able to watch it for free on Channel 4's on demand service. This was a brilliant adaptation of an excellent book and even though the kind of government Perkins sets up is as distant now as Gladstones it still holds some pertinent lessons about the constraints that an elected leader operates under in this country. My only reservation about this drama is the ending which seems to imply a military coup against Perkins. This was changed from the book which ends about 15 minutes before the end of this drama with Perkins forced into retirement. The end scene is tense and brilliant in it's own right but it does rather undermine the whole premise of 'A very British coup' as this implies a coup behind the scenes with no bloodshed or public panic. This is in a sense a minor point as the drama is superb but it does make it more outlandish than the book

Excellence in Drama

[ed-627 · 10/10 · 26 August 2007]

Harry the Steelworker... it could have happened... discontent was growing with Maggie and her ilk. Where would be now? I for one would have voted for Harry.. totally believable in almost every respect, including the scenes with our American "friends". Harry could be as hard as steel (excuse the pun) but his heart was totally in the right place. Ray McAnnaly was born to play this role. And the musical score... what more could be said... I believe it won a major (well deserved) reward.. and quite rightly so...

This must rank as one of the best Dramas in British Television History. I have no hesitation in calling this a classic. Totally deserved.

A very British dramedy

[=G= · 7/10 · 2 March 2005]

"A Very British Coup" is a very British 3x50 minute TV dramady laced with typically British wry wit which tells of the election to Prime Minister of a Labor Party candidate who is determined to turn the conservative iron fisted grip on the UK into government by the people. As the new PM, Harry Perkins (McAnally), sets about to rid the country of nukes and American military bases his own government's secret snoops conspire to ensure his failure and resist his liberal attempts to change the status quo. The result is a clever and very well stitched together tale of one-upmanship at the top of the Brit government. Should be an enjoyable and entertaining DVD watch for anyone interested in British government and a sort of British version of "An American President". (B)

Rooting for the bad guys

[BarnabusRex · 1/10 · 6 November 2019]

The source material for this drama is a novel written by a socialist Labour politician.

So I sat there in utter disbelief as an avowed Marxist became Prime Minister of Britain, a man supposedly with no flaws, who then proceeds to bankrupt the country, but saves the economy by selling out to the central bank of Moscow. This was filmed shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 - from bankruptcy. I was supposed to be for this person? He withdraws from NATO, disarms the UK and shoos the Americans from our shores all to the background of operatic music highly reminiscent of Zadok the Priest, which is reserved for the coronation of a monarch.

Yes, only on TV can you enact policies designed to turn a country into a bankrupt, communist hellhole, where all dissent is controlled by malign forces, have zero negative consequences except to be conspired against by those malign forces which is nothing but the 'aristocratic classes' and the Americans and walk out a winner. This is nothing but pure and open commie propaganda.

That said, the acting and directing and music are really rather good, which just goes to show how propaganda works, if the acting, directing and music had been terrible, no one would have paid this any notice. But frankly anyone who took part in this, and that includes some of my favourite actors, should be ashamed of themselves.

Compelling political drama

[peterrichboy · 10/10 · 26 March 2017]

Imagine a working class steelworker from a council flat in Sheffield,winning a landslide election victory. On a policy of telling the truth removing all nuclear deterrence and using the money to create jobs improve the NHS and schools. How that would throw the establishment. And here we have the premise for a Very British Coup. This may hay have been made 30 years ago but it is as relevant today as it was then. The late Ray Mcaulley is fantastic in the lead role and the support cast including a young Kieth Allen are all superb. A timeless classic.

Brilliant and scary. It should be shown before any national election.

[LShepard-1 · 10/10 · 21 February 2006]

The quality of the acting is very high. The pacing is excellent, there are no slow moments. It is interesting to watch the interplay between the Americans and the British, especially regarding the Blair government's position on Iraq, even in light of the famous Downing Street memorandum. One must listen to the interview with the author of the original book, who now serves in the UK government, to see how chilling this story is. I would rank it along side the excellent film The Siege, which was a prescient view of NYC under attack pre-9/11. Several years later there were BBC/Masterpiece Theatre stories about UK politics which starred Ian Richardson. This work ranks with those productions. American films, like The Manchurian Candidate or Seven Days in May have some of the same power but seem much simpler in their construction. One could make a fascinating film about the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention, or the 2000 Florida recount drama.

One of the best

[safenoe · 10/10 · 29 October 2016]

A Very British Coup has to be one of the best political dramas ever. It's based on the book by Chris Mullin, a long serving British Labour MP who for a time served in the Blair Ministry. The acting is authentic, and the writing impressive. The only thing that sort of was a bit contrived as the death of a scientific expert that Perkins relied on - he was killed (or assassinated by those in the know) when crossing a train line.

When I first watched A Very British Coup in the late 80s, I was intrigued by the somewhat ambiguous ending, so intrigued that I wrote to Alan Plater, one of the writers of the mini-series. I was hoping he would explain and I was thrilled that he took the time to write to me and explain (letter dated 7 Feb 1990):

"We had long hours of talks along the way but essentially it was my idea that Perkins shouldn't resign but should go to the country and tell the truth; and Mick Jackson's idea that the election should be held in the shadow of a possible military takeover.

The ending was deliberately ambiguous and I have no idea what happens next!"

So that explains it - from the writer himself.

I also wrote to co-writer Chris Mullin (he also wrote the book on which the mini-series is based) and in his letter dated 19 February 1990 he kindly explained:

"You ask about the hint at the end of the film of a possible military coup. The end of the film is deliberately vague in order to leave open a number of possibilities, of which a military coup is one. You will recall that there is also a line from a BBC World Service news bulletin, which says, 'A statement is expected today from Buckingham Palace.....' In other words, the Queen is not necessarily obliged to call the leader of the largest party after an election. She could, for example, call Wainwright in the hope that he could put together a Government comprising right-wing Labour rebels, with the support of other parties, including Conservatives."

Mr Mullin also wrote he preferred Mr Plater's ending in the film to the one in his book. Wainwright is Perkin's arch-rival and the one whom Perkins fired from the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Classic Political Flick

[sydneyswesternsuburbs · 10/10 · 22 June 2011]

Director Mick Jackson who also created other classic flicks, Volcano 1997 and Threads 1984 has created another gem in A Very British Coup.

Starring Ray McNally who has also been in other classic flicks, My Left Foot 1989 and The Mission 1986.

Also starring Majorie Yates.

Also starring Geoffrey Beevers.

I enjoyed the whole game of "Politics" on display.

If you enjoyed this as much as I did the check out other classic political flicks, Salvador 1986, Nixon 1995, JFK 1991, In the Name of the Father 1993, Gandhi 1982, Bob Roberts 1992, Clear and Present Danger 1994, The Battle of Algiers 1966, Vantage Point 2008, Shooter 2007, Safe House 2012, The Devil's Double 2011, A Good Day to Die Hard 2013, Tough and Deadly 1995, White House Down 2013, London Has Fallen 2016, Angel Has Fallen 2019, Big Game 2014, Unthinkable 2010, Wag the Dog 1997, Survivor 2015 and The Defender 2004.

Very thought provoking

[Kiers77 · 9/10 · 12 January 2010]

What if the PM of UK told the US to take it's bases out 18 months? Do it, period! You get a glimpse of a lot of the "friction" (putting it mildly as bodies pile up) that exists unseen in democratic government. AVBC allows you to imagine being a left leaning prime minister in a system where many civil servants are all rather far right leaning blue bloods, especially the secret services. In the end, only true political skills and thinking on his feet saved the PM in this series.

PS: the same situation could apply in US (lest you think this is all N/A). I imagine the US State Department is really no different, heavily cliquish, unbalanced-ly pro national corporate interests, covert and everything. Good luck getting through them. It brings to light conspiracy theories about the annihilation of the Kennedy family in the 60s (even though they were NOT at all that far left; certainly not as far as McAnally's character, which is hard to swallow).

I thought the dismantling of ONE war-head on prime time TV was gimmicky. McAnally's straight on but deep acting is a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

I was surprised to hear the phrase "hearts and minds" in the 2nd episode.

It was interesting to hear how the conflicts being played out in the political theater date back to the middle ages! Once an outsider....

PS. this is out on DVD at least my mail order DVD rental service ;) I think we might get to see a decent US movie remake of this but hopefully NOT like what they did to "State of Play" YUCK.

A very modern Aussie take on this excellent film

[blindfreddy8 · 10/10 · 27 November 2006]

I saw this first as a complete film on Australian TV some years ago. It's message is still pertinent to today's political intrigues here in Oz, except that the "Harry Perkins" character is the current Leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley; he is facing destabilising comment from one group of newspapers, and it appears a concerted effort is being made to remove him by putting forward a more "acceptable" alternative.

His health is also being questioned.

I thought Ray McAnally, Alan McNaughton and Philip Madoc in particular were excellent; indeed Madoc's character "Fison" does have a few similarities to a current newspaper proprietor.

But then it is all a work of fiction!!! I am hoping the film is available on DVD, or will be.

Find it on YouTube

[keithcdaniels · 10/10 · 20 November 2018]

You can find all the episodes on YouTube. I don't know when this review was written but it has been on YouTube for the years.

One of THE best political films courtesy of the Brits

[catnapbc · 10/10 · 11 October 2022]

Although a little dated by now, I have watched and re-watched this engrossing and still scary look at a time in British politics which still has relevance. The intrigues, back-stabbing, foreign interferences, and cynical take on politicians and power are far too familiar to us even today in 2022. The acting, especially by Ray McAnally, is top-notch by many well-known names, giving both male and female characters strong roles. If this were only fiction it would be frightening and 'democracy' would be in trouble, and unfortunately many incidents shown have actually transpired. Foreign interference and anti-democratic forces from with the system have become a reality in many countries. The subject may be a 'socialist government, but the issues and policies covered are ones we can all relate to.

The role of the media and personal issues all impact the power structure, just as it does now, with the added pressures of social media in today's political outcomes. A scary yet well-made political 'thriller' that should be required watching for all history buffs. Another excellent British export.

A Very Bad Hate-Filled Paranoid Cartoon

[trpdean · 17 January 2005]

What a load of gibberish! This is really atrocious stuff - cartoon stick-figures of good and evil, a protagonist seething with silly class hatred and childish hatred of the U.S. -- wallowing in self-pity for his grandpa, a plot that is just ludicrous. This is definitely one to avoid.

**** SPOILERS **** The plot is as absurd as one can imagine: i) two people have both done lecture tours in the U.S., so they must have conspired to bring down the government. ("A word from the CIAl that's how it happens"!!!); ii) as soon as a trade union goes back to negotiations, everything's instantly fine; iii) during the 1980s, the Moscow Narodny Bank had billions on billions to simply lend to other governments; iv) perhaps most absurdly, unilateral disarmament will somehow harm the U.S. more than Britain during the Cold War - "Well, we dismantled a bomb last night, and I didn't see any Russian paratroopers when I looked out the window this morning" -- this is truly the 5 year old level of political reasoning in this movie. Whether or not to disarm should depend on a variety of circumstances - largely of course a consideration of whether the reasons for building nuclear arms in the first place have disappeared - such considerations are never even mentioned, let alone discarded.

**** SPOILERS END **** This is a pathetic, deeply silly and immature daydream by some lunatic -- harboring heroic dream of "fighting against the overwhelming forces against us" when in fact there are no such overwhelming forces and the "us" is determined by people's bank accounts.

Bigotry is a terrible thing - whether it's against others due to race - or their nationality - or their means. This movie promotes it. It's an ugly thing to see.

If only....

[thelivingguano · 10/10 · 2 March 2006]

AVBC is a sort of dystopian dream of what might be in British Politics.

Like The West Wing and The Contender do for the US political system, it takes the opposition party in British and presents a vision of how it might be if people finally voted for change; including the inevitable backlash from the unelected shadow-rulers of the military and aristocracy.

Harry Perkins is the great socialist hero of the small screen - motivated purely by his will for political change and entirely sleaze-free: "I now sublimate my sexual urges into enacting the will of the people, and I have a signed letter from Mr Freud in Vienna to say so." The supporting cast is fantastic, there are no weak links in this film as far as performances go, and in particular Sir Percy is the epitome of aristocratic indignance and despotism, at times frankly scary.

In the real world of course, the left were forced to achieve political power by becoming more right-wing than the rest. But dramas like this give us the chance to continue dreaming of a time when a real government of the people might come to power, and the rulers of our nation might become accountable for their decisions.

We must keep dreaming. If you keep dreaming it, it will come to pass.