New Order and Politics

from the forum archives

Hmmm. A kind of follow up to the "are NO religious" thread

All of the choices I would say

This question crops up with some regularity: my glib input here is that they've always kept their (political) cards so close to their chest that you can only guess/project. I think the consensus around here is that all the benefit gigs they did in the 80s were largely at Gretton's insistence, and I have absolutely no doubt that HIS politics were unambiguously leftist.

Fuck all to do with us, basically. My politics are nothing to do with them or you, your politics are nothing to do with them or me, their politics are nothing to do with you or me.

Don't trust any politicians myself but i always vote for NEW ORDER.Can't say theyhave ever done a POLITICAL SONG of note.And we don't care.................

Well, Ian voted Tory. I know that much for sure.

On the video NewOrderStory when Barneys havin his hair cut i seem to remember him sayin he couldnt write songs with a political message,cos he isnt political (or words to that effect).

I don't think they've done enough in their music to really reveal which way they are (though I recall Barney's anger at Blair having something to do with Macclesfield's airport in the Mojo interview a few years back). It's possible that they're either way, but most likely (like most people not named Michael McDermott :p ) they're somewhere in the middle with leanings on both sides depending on the issue.

No, I take it back: they're Nazis. The British press is right on that one :D

I dont think they give a fuck! and would probably piss themselves laughing if they saw this and tell us to stop wasting our energy wondering about circumstancial bullshit and go out and get pissed and keep buying their records!!

they're not exactly rage against the machine, are they?

don't know...don't care.

Power Corruption and Lies seems their most political work, but political how I'm uncertain.

Like many have said, totally irrelevant. Thank fuck they're not like U2.

Isn't a flying pigeon a bit repetitive?

Leftist I think. Not sure what they make of New Labour though. I think I remember Steve saying somehting to the effect that Labour spends too much on pulicity and not enough on services.

New Order's music isn't political, and I'm glad it isn't. The few times Barney tried with politics (Flicker) it's been a bit embarassing. But New Order's cultural environment wasn't apolitical. Ian was a Tory because he was disappointed with Labour. When punk started, England was going through a big crisis, and Labour were at the Government. Some punks saw the Conservatives as the only alternative, a change to try to adjust things, especially in economics. They found a bit silly trusting again the same party which brought the nation into that mess. And they couldn't imagine that Margaret Tatcher would have been such a bitch destroying the Welfare. Maybe they thought their rights were given by nature and that she would have just improved economy and then went home, but so it wasn't. Anyway Factory was born in a Situationist environment, and also the band's image strategy is, more or less consciously, properly Situationist. The most Situationist was Tony Wilson, the only one properly knowing something about it since his college days. Situationism is a derivation of the anarchic theory (and of course anarchy was the main trend with punks), though I think Tony was just a Labour and liked the philosophical attitude of Situationism, more than wishing it to be applied. Rob Gretton was left-field to Labour, more like a continental socialist. New Order played some benefit concerts, one for the striking miners, I think. The bands surrounding them, and the open minded cultural exchange means they can't be right wing racists, certainly. I think New Order aren't very much into politics actually, and are generally left-field. Barney actually said he voted the Green Party last time, because he's concerned with the future of his children, can't remember if it was him or Hooky saying they were disappointed by Blair and looked to the left of the Labour hoping for a change... Finally I think them covering Vietnam is quite clear about their opinion about the last Iraq war.

So don't tell me about politics Or all the problems of our economics When you can't look after what you can't own You scream and shout all day long

This is as pointless as the religion question.

they're probably individual anarchists.

"We could break every rule anytime we wanted to"

Originally posted by This blue-eyed boy that wants to be Isn't a flying pigeon a bit repetitive?

Well, it could´ve been a sitting pidgeon or a clay pidgeon, couldnt it?

Even a stooling pidgeon I guess.