Talking With the Select Committee About Poetry

The Commons public administration committee had a fascinating day. They heard from the singer Billy Bragg, and then from Sir Richard Mottram, the mandarin who runs the transport department.

One is famously foul-mouthed and leaves a trail of destruction everywhere. The other is a punk rocker.

Billy Bragg - or Sir William Bragg, as he will be soon - came in the morning. His gig at the Commons was part of his current tour.

Frankly, the authorities don't know much about running one of these mega-events. Where were the bouncers, or the souvenir stand selling programmes at £10 and T-shirts for £36? Where was the compere yelling "Ladeez, gemmun, give it up please for Mr Tony Wright, chairman of the select committee on public administration?"

It soon became clear that, in spite of his earlier existence as an anarchist ("Well, I had an anarchist haircut," he said), Mr Bragg has become something of a political anorak.

So he has taken the opposite path from Roy Hattersley, who used to dabble in politics but is now a well-loved popular entertainer.

"I have been very pro-active in the debate about reform of the House of Lords," he said. I doubt you'd ever hear Posh Spice say that.

"As Lord Wakeham recommended in his 'A' option... I would favour the use of a list system, if the lists were regional and would draw power away from London."

It would make the title for a single: "Take the A-option". (A colleague tells me that he has actually recorded a new song called No Power Without Accountability. Will Young may challenge it with "Subsidiarity, That's The Name Of My Game, Baby".) Much of what he said made much sense. He wants to convince young people that they can do more through politics than violent action.

"They think the only way to change the world is to smash up McDonald's. I think it might be better to form a trade union at McDonald's."

In an idle moment, I decided to help with a song along these lines:

Don't burn down your local McDonald's,

Don't take it out on Mickey D.

Instead consider forming a union,

Affiliated to the TUC.

Gordon Prentice asked how to get young people engaged with politics again, and he replied: "Conscription".

"You're taking the mick," said Mr Prentice, affecting the demotic.

"Nah, if they 'ad the chance to drive a tank, they'd be there!" the singer replied. It turned out he'd been a tank driver himself. "Queen's Royal Irish Hussars!" he barked, and suddenly he was ramrod, parade-ground straight. It was touching.

If Mr Bragg was persuasive, Sir Richard was dazzling. Smooth, calm, humorous and apparently much more frank than he actually was, the committee couldn't lay a glove on him. And even when he retreated behind civil service language ("I'm sure I would be able to reconcile our two accounts," he said of someone who had disagreed with him completely) he cheerfully added: "He said, in his civil service way!"

Before the session started he said his mother had been shocked by his celebrated "We're all fucked" outburst.

I longed for him to say, "she phoned me to ask, 'why did you use language like that, you wanker?'" but he didn't.

Though he did say he was sorry. "It was over the top. I have dealt with much more serious matters, such as nuclear war [at the Ministry of Defence], so it was over-hyped."

Personally I'm glad. I'd far rather have someone be cool and calm about nuclear war, and save their demented rage for the late-running 8.53 from Darlington.