London Day 3
On Monday night I popped along to a pub meeting with new UK Conservative MP Steve Baker. Baker was addressing a gathering of the “Progressive Conservatives”, which is the classical liberal group within the Conservatives.
The group was co-founded by my mate Shane Frith, whom I was in Young Nats with. I co-founded the equivalent group in NZ, the Blue Libs. So sort of amusing that we’ve both managed to set up classical liberal groups in two separate countries.
At the function, had a nice ego boost when one of the women there asked if I was David Farrar, and said how much she enjoys reading Kiwiblog. I thought I had finally gone global, until she mentioned she used to work in NZ.
The IYDU Chairman, Tim Dier, also turned up and I got him hooked onto Four square. So blame me for his location updates!
The following night I went to see Les Mis at the West End. I can only describe it as magnificent. No wonder it has been playing for 25 years. The songs are so good I am still singing them to myself a day later, and the cast were real stars.
Javert is the real figure of pity, unable to comprehend why his enemy saved his life. I loved Gavroche, and his death is one of the few sombre parts of the production.
Wellington has great cultural events, but my God if I lived in London I would be going to shows every few weeks.
If you have never seen Les Misérables, then go do so the next time you are in London. If you don’t enjoy it, you need to seek medical help 
July 29th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
The Progessive Conservatives used to be one of the main parties in Canada. Trust me, they weren’t very classically liberal.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Your always on bl**dy holiday!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Seeing Les Mis at the West end is one of my life goals – My favourite song is the soliloquy between Jean Veljean and Javert. Very jealous David!!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
“Progressive Conservatives”… ?????????
Holy shit, how fucked up politically can those pommies get??
July 29th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I still get royalties for my investment in Les Mis.
Strada was a division of Challenge Corporate services and for several years was the world’s largest financier of musicals.
Strada played quite a major role in the revitalisation of Times Square because we financed the musicals that re-established it as a musical mecca.
Strada financed Cats, Les Mis, Time, Phantom of the Opera, Guys and Dolls (rerun), Les Cages aux Folles, Starlight Express, Chess and so on.
We were developing a major venture capital industry but then the reformist Labour Government threw out the Special Partnership legislaton (in the US called Limited Partnerships) because a whole lot of fake movies had used SPs to rort the tax department. They were throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Those musicals were making NZ a heap of real money and still are.
Sad story. At the time we were one of the few countries with three of the four ingredients for a thriving venture capital industry.
I persuaded govt to put in place the fourth (the prudent manager rule) but without the Special Partnership legislation we could not succeed and lost all the business.
There is a good doco to be made here. Especially if linked in to Times Square/.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Bah. Les Mis was a total rip-off of the South Park movie. “Tomorrow night” medley –> they totally stole that for “At the end of the day”. Fantine’s death…the Mole’s death…
Also, Shakespeare horked the script from the Bob & Doug McKenzie movie when he wrote Hamlet.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Les Mis in Wtn a couple of years ago was very good.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Taste is as taste does, but to go to Les Mis it helps if you have no musical taste. At least it’s not Webber & Co. (This is IMHO, and YMMV, each to their own etc etc,)