ED2013 1/5 Reviews ED2013 Words & Events Reviews

Polly Toynbee – Reasons To Be Cheerful (Lakin McCarthy Limited / The Assembly Rooms)

By Stephen Maughan | Published on Saturday 31 August 2013

This is a very misleading show. Polly Toynbee’s lecture entitled ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’ promises to pick apart David Cameron’s rhetoric and predict a rosy future for Britain’s left-wing political forces. In reality, she doesn’t outline any “reasons to be cheerful” at all, instead serving up a dull critique of the Coalition government with many of her points lifted from her column in the Guardian. Taking to the stage with her writing partner David Walker, the pair read their lines from a script, which was incredibly disheartening. On top of that, the material lacked a coherent argument, and the speakers’ poor delivery made all their points instantaneously forgettable. In short, if you want some insight, you’d be better off buying a newspaper.

The Assembly Rooms, 25 Aug, 12.30pm.
tw rating 1/5 | [Stephen Maughan]