Pet Shop Boys' Labour snub

London Evening Standard
Mar. 01, 2006

The Pet Shop Boys are to use their new album to attack the Government. Lead singer Neil Tennant regularly donated thousands of pounds to the Labour Party during its first term in office between 1997 and 2001 but he now votes Liberal Democrat.

Tennant and Chris Lowe, the other half of the synth-pop duo whose hits include It's A Sin and West End Girls, went to several party functions hosted by Tony Blair, including the notorious "Cool Britannia" celebration at Number 10 in July 1997.

Now, however, Tennant and Lowe vehemently oppose the Government's plan for ID cards and the "special relationship" between George Bush and Mr Blair. One song, Integral, is scathing about the aims of the New Labour project.

A spokesman for the Pet Shop Boys said: "Neil has always been a Labour Party supporter but at the last election he voted Liberal Democrat because he is completely against the idea of ID cards.

"The Pet Shop Boys think we should try to increase our freedom, not limit it. They don't believe ID cards are an effective way of countering terrorism.

"Some tracks are about the climate of fear that is being exploited so people can push through ID cards. I'm With Stupid is inspired by the relationship between George Bush and Tony Blair."

The lyrics of I'm With Stupid include: "Call you every day/ Fly across the ocean/ Just to let you get your way/ No one understands me/ Where I'm coming from/ Why would I be with someone/ Who's obviously so dumb?"

The song also has homoerotic overtones: "I have to ask myself like any lover might/ Have you made a fool of me?/ Are you not Mr Right?.../ Is stupid really stupid or are you really smart?/ That's how you stole my heart."

The group's website contains a link to protest website Our World Our Say, which encourages visitors to impeach Mr Blair for leading the country into war with Iraq.

The duo's new album, Fundamental, is released on 22 May.