CityLife

Activist Thomas takes on MPs and economy

THREE-NIGHT STAY: Thomas

UNLESS he stages a demo after the gig like he did last time he was in Manchester, Mark Thomas’ shows aren’t usually of an interactive nature.

The political comedian and activist is more likely to interact with his audience via e-mail - sharing political ideas or during a protest to right an injustice.

This time though Thomas has opened the floor to people’s suggestions to create a People’s Manifesto, taking on board any issue you like whether it be what to do about the latest errant politician or illegal war or a petition to get Mars to put the cardboard bit back in a Bounty.

"Yeah, there’s been some lovely suggestions, the shows have been a great deal of fun actually, I think the interesting thing from my point of view is every gig there’s always an idea that you go, ooh hello that’s interesting… that’s a really vibrant interesting idea.”

Needless to say the current politician’s expenses expose has provided plenty of inspiration.

“We’ve started to do bits and bobs along the way, which are great fun. We had an action outside Keith Vaz’s (the MP for Leicester East) constituency surgery who’d claimed over £400 for silk cushions on his expenses.

"So we had a demo demanding a right to have a go on the cushions as they’re ours.”

They weren’t allowed a go on the offending cushions but they did pique a large level of interest amongst the general public.

“It was amazing the amount of people (who were) in support, people honking their horns and shouting in the street. And people turned up with cushions, their own cushions. One had a cushion with, ironed on it, ‘it only cost me two quid and it still keeps my arse comfy.”

Plus the audience’s interaction and engagement has the added advantage of keeping it different every night for Thomas too.

“The show has gone from banking to MPs and that’s fine because I ask people for their ideas of what we should do to get out of the state we’re in and people put suggestions forward and we discuss them and vote on them.

"We voted last night that MP’s houses should be open to the public on a daily basis as we’ve paid for them and I’m kind of like yeeeaah, I like that idea so we’re actually going to do some stuff.”

Perhaps we should demand that they supply us with tea and a sticky bun too.

Pensively

“You know,” considers Thomas pensively, “I think there’s something along those lines, yes.”

The show originated earlier on this year as a response to the state of the economy, or rather Thomas’ realisation that he didn’t really know much about it and how the financial collapse had come about.

“I started doing this because I didn’t know what was going on. The economy kicked off and people were talking about fractional reserve banking and I was going I don’t quite know what that is so I went and did a series of shows where I interview people about the economy.”

When he started to talk to people he was impressed at some of the ideas out there and realised that now is the time to employ them.

“It was just amazing the amount of ideas they’d had that were really apposite and normally you’d ignore them; why on earth would you sit and spend time with someone going, ‘yes, we should de-merge the banks and re-neutralise the building societies.’

"Now that stuff’s really important so it suddenly struck me that the best ideas are the ones that we kind of have around but we don’t give much credence to but actually now’s the time for all of those ideas to come out of the woodwork, because we’re in a state of flux, a state of crisis.”

Surely when the show reaches Manchester the recent announcement of the introduction of voluntary ID cards in the city will come up?

“I know, Jesus! This is the interesting thing about it Labour are just government by stealth. When they do something that’s really unpopular they just have this attitude – we’ll put it in Manchester before the whole country and see if it works there and you just know it’s going to be sh*t.

"Manchester just rejected the congestion charge. The interesting thing is whether Manchester can organise against it and I think actually there’s enough folk with good heads on them to do that.

"I know that NO2ID have been chomping at the bit on this one it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.”

Yeah the idea of asking Northerners to put their hands in their pockets to shell out for a card they don’t need is a ludicrous one.

“I just love the idea of Manchester going, why do I need an ID card to tell me who I am? Why would I pay thirty quid to do that?”

Who knows what mischief Thomas and the good folk that come to see him at The Dancehouse will come up with, but across the three nights there should be scope for plenty of it.   

Mark Thomas plays the Dancehouse Theatre from Tuesday, June 2 until Thursday, June 4. £10, £15. Call 0161 237 9753.