St. Albion Parish News, Book 5

0/5 ( ratings)

Son of Blair--the Sequel is the third collection of Private Eye parodies in which Blair is refigured as a village priest broadcasting his views via the parish newsletter. Satire frequently uses a change of context to throw fresh light upon its subject and part of the brilliance of these parodies is the way they squash life played at an international level into the small confines of an English village. The Dome becomes a tent and concerns with presentation are brought down to the level of Mr Dobson having to shave off his beard if he wishes to do well in the pantomime . This translation of scale works so well partly because politics at any level is necessarily played out in a narrow circle; a community consisting of a few key players close to a central figure. In this way, the comedy is always firmly tethered to reality; politics really is this petty--witness the de-moustaching of Livingstone and Mandelson--and the joke has a life outside metaphor. Similarly, Blair really does sound like a not-quite-trendy vicar and his forced joviality and over-stretched informality are perfectly captured throughout. The comedy is beautifully crafted, the humour stemming not only from the content and style of the letters, but also from their structure. At the same time the satire is kept fresh by shifts of focus and a sense of threat underlying what the Rev Blair writes. These parodies are sharply observed and very funny--and, hey! isn't that, in a very real sense, all any of us want from a book like this? -- Anoushka Alexander