It was all better under Thatcher

We were brought up under Thatcher, There was a work ethic – if you were unemployed, the obsession was to find work. Now, these kids brought up under the Labour Party and whatever this Coalition thing is, it’s like, »Forget that, I’m not interested. I wanna be on TV.« It was a different mindset back then. (...)

Under Thatcher, who ruled us with an iron rod, great art was made. Amazing designers and musicians. Acid house was born. Very colourful and progressive. Now, no one’s got anything to say. Write a song? No thanks, I’ll say it on Twitter. It’s a sad state when more people retweet than buy records. (...)

Anyone in my position, you owe it to your children to send them to a school where they don’t have to walk through a metal detector in the morning. There were riot police outside our local school the other morning. Turns out there’d been a stabbing. Rival gangs. We shouldn’t need riot police at schools. This is Maida Vale. This isn’t Handsworth or Tottenham, do you know what I mean? I don’t want my kids going to a school like that. I’d rather they were at a school with Russian oligarchs’ children. (...)

Last August I was on tour in Europe and people were asking me about the riots. All over the world, Syria and Egypt, people were rioting for freedom. And these kids in England are rioting for tracksuits. It’s embarrassing. (...)

Up until the last election, I voted Labour all my life. But I’ve lost all faith in the Labour Party. After the expenses scandal and what happened with the banks – that »There’s no money left« note and all that – I just look at them and think the Labour Party should really be ashamed of themselves for the way they let the country down. I voted for a pirate at the last election.”