There are down sides to being a hoarder. You risk slowing the emergency services down when they try to break into your retirement flat packed with columns of yellowed copies of the Bridlington Gazette. You instil fear in fire safety officials, and horror in librarians. Some archives truly lie beyond the salvation of Dewey Decimal.
However, holding a political library carries its own rewards.
Excavating old files can reveal treasures whose full significance can only be discovered well after the event. So I share with readers a random discovery from a particularly dusty folder that emerged yesterday into the light, which strangely combines two Labour stories in a single thread never evident at the time.
Back in 1997, with New Labour scarcely in power, the popular beat combo Oasis came up with a not completely worthless song. D’You Know What I Mean eventually reached Number One. I can still sort of remember the tune; Wonderwall heard through a partition.
The issue was that the video clearly starred two army helicopters. What on earth were these doing in a video from New Labour’s then-friends in the music industry?
Sir Teddy Taylor, a vigorous stalwart of sensible public spending, wrote to the Ministry of Defence and reply there came from the then junior minister, one Dr John Reid. That is the note that has re-emerged. For fairness and completeness, I quote it in depth;
As my reply of 18 July to your Question on the loan of military personnel and equipment to the private sector pointed out, my Department considers requests on their merits. In this case, it was viewed that the task offered considerable benefits to the military. The music video provided a very prominent means of reaching out to a youthful audience and presenting the military as an exciting career choice. It also afforded our helicopter pilots a rare opportunity to practise flying in a built-up area (an essential skill for combat warfare). With this in mind, and as the two army helicopters could be provided without penalty to the unit’s operational or other duties, we agreed to the video producer’s request for military support. The costs incurred by the military in providing the assistance have been charged to the music video producers. The charge was calculated using a standard rate of some circa £1500 per flying hour, with our fuel and administration costs being added to the final bill. In this way we were able to ensure that no additional costs fell to the defence budget as a result of our assistance in this venture. I believe that the publicity gained, at no additional expense to the Ministry of Defence, was amply justified. At a time when the Army needs to attract more recruits, this video has been seen, and continues to be seen, by millions of eligible young people.
Fair enough in principle, even if (given the lyrics and end product) the rationale in this case was amply stretched by the SpAd.
Another letter from Dr Reid, this time to another battler Sir Richard Body dated from January 1998, also informs us of a loan to BBC Scotland. This covered the period of 5 August to 3 November 1997; "RAF supported the filming of the BBC Scotland drama series ‘INVASION EARTH’. The assistance provided included about 22 RAF personnel per day, a small number of various types of land vehicles and (on the 17 Sep only) a Chinook and Puma helicopter." On 25 September and again on 8 October "A Sea King was used during the filming of a feature film." In December a Puma was hired for BBC filming.
I am not a killjoy, and certainly approve of measures that gain income from the hiring out of state assets, if done in an appropriate way that doesn’t affect the public need for having the item in the first place. A good example lies in how a Lynx was seemingly repeatedly loaned to the makers of Soldier Soldier, which had massive PR and recruitment value. I am also personally quite happy (and intrigued), for instance, that a Hercules aircraft at this time was used to assist the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust to move gorillas to a new location. I see less public service worth in sending another Hercules to help Sir Richard Branson shift his balloon from Tindouf airfield in Algeria over to Marrakech on 16 December 1997.
But from an historical perspective, there is an immense irony attached to this. It would take ten years to unfold. Oasis and the MoD would later have a run in; the pop star dream died; and then of course there was the issue of the reported shortage of front line equipment.
A cynic might today now say that New Labour was interested in army helicopters for as long as they were useful props for Cool Britannia.
I think such a charge would be vastly unjust of John Reid, whom I personally greatly respect, and of his MoD colleagues. I am not sure about some of the other people then around.
In any event, we are now able to look on the current government with an historical perspective almost as formed as our view today of its predecessor. That is the disadvantage that faces long-term incumbents in any election; interpreting the evidence of time.
Another lost file discovery anon.
