UK Theatre Network

A View From The Foothills: An Evening with Chris Mullin MP

The Customs House, South Shields, Tyne & Wear

The diaries of Chris Mullin MP, Sunderland South, have already created a bit of controversy since they were serialised in The Daily Mail. However, the dissident Labour MP discussed the launch of his memoirs, A View From The Foothills, in front of an audience at The Customs House on Tuesday evening.

Initially, Mr Mullin seemed awkward and ill-at-ease as he fumbled and fidgeted with his notes at the lectern, but he soon began to relax.

The MP, who has represented Sunderland South since May 1987, has decided to stand down at the next General Election and concentrate on “other projects.” Before he goes, though, he has a few parting shots.

In his talk on life at Westminster, Mullin captivated the audience with his observations – some wry, some humorous, some profound and others downright scathing.

He found John Prescott to be “hopeless at delegating, but a fundamentally decent human being” during his time at the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. His boss at the Department for International Development, Clare Short, was a “brilliant Secretary of State” and “a role model.” Jack Straw, he said, is “a professional right down to his fingertips.”

Mullin, the only person to have been appointed to the government who voted against the Iraq War, said that “the belief of British Prime Ministers to ‘keep-in’ with the US at any cost is wrong.” He was scathing of the relationship that Tony Blair shared with George W. Bush, whom he referred to as “the worst American President in living memory.”

Although Mullin thought Blair was “mistaken” in his involvement with the War in Iraq, he said that he is “not a liar.” Moreover, he considers Blair to be one of the most “outstanding political leaders of my lifetime.”

Despite the fact that most of what Chris Mullin has to say is fascinating and insightful, he did tend to waffle during the question and answer session.

Overall, though, the evening was really rather informative.

Steve Burbridge.