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This is where I say I told you so: Kate Bush puts out ‘I’m not a Tory’ statement. Theresa May devastated. Possibly

Kate Bush has issued a rare public statement clarifying she does not support the British Conservative Party after quotes from an interview published in 2016 by Canadian magazine Maclean’s resurfaced. She was quoted as follows:

“We have a female Prime Minister here in the UK, I actually really like her and think she’s wonderful. I think it’s the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time. She’s a very intelligent woman but I don’t see much to fear. I will say it is great to have a woman in charge of the country. She’s very sensible and I think that’s a good thing at this point in time.”

Maclean’s magazine, November 28, 2016 interview with arts reporter Elio Iannacci

Kate has now clarified those comments on her website, to say that the quotes could make it appear that she is a supporter of the Conservative Party, which she is not. A statement issued today reads:

“It’s been very exciting to hear all the positive feedback around the Remastered project and the lyric book. Thank you so much for embracing both of them. It means a great deal to everyone involved.

“I didn’t do any interviews for either project hoping that the work could speak for itself. I read some articles that included a number of inaccuracies and usually I don’t respond. However I do feel I need to address one story which came from a phone interview I did two years ago. 

“I was very disappointed that the use of a quote out of context was timed with the release of the live album and it seemed as if the focus went on to the quote rather than the work. It was deeply frustrating. At the time I discussed the idea of responding to it with close friends and we all agreed it was best to let it go. It seems the quote keeps being used and so I’d like to present my side of the story.

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“Over the years, I have avoided making political comments in interviews. My response to the interviewer was not meant to be political but rather was in the defence of women in power. I felt he was putting a really negative slant on powerful women, referring to a witch hunt involving Hillary Clinton

“In response I said that we had a woman in charge of our country, and that I felt it was a good thing to have women in power. I should have been clearer when I then said it was the best thing that had happened to us for a long time – because I greatly disliked the behaviour of the previous PM (the fool responsible for Brexit, David Cameron), who at that point I felt had abandoned us and everybody felt angry and let down.

“Again with no response from me to the latest resurfacing of this article, it could make it seem like I am a Tory supporter which I want to make clear I am not. I won’t be commenting further on this, but feel it’s become so pervasive that I felt I needed to clarify this matter once and for all. Happy new year, Kate.”

At this juncture, I should point out that in a feature to mark Kate’s 60th birthday last August I did offer the following analysis:

“Rather than outing herself as a Tory voter, Kate was merely responding as a feminist to being asked if “the fear of women’s power” she cited in 1985’s Waking The Witch (a barely concealed put-down of the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, of which Bush was rather less keen on) was stronger than ever after Hillary Clinton’s defeat to Donald Trump. In the interests of political balance it’s only fair to point out that in 1990, Kate also allowed Waking The Witch to be used in The Comic Strip’s comedy satire of Thatcher’s spiteful dismantling of the Labour Party-dominated Greater London Council in the satirical BBC television film GLC: The Carnage Continues.”

In November last year, all of Bush’s studio albums were reissued in a series of box sets under the Remastered project banner, which also contained rare tracks, a collection of cover versions, along with the previously unreleased composition, Humming.

Moreover, my article theorising that the song was written about David Bowie became the most read feature on stevepafford.com in a matter of days.

Over 9,000 readers and counting…

Steve Pafford

 

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