Dizzee Rascal for Prime Minister ??!!0

“A black man, a purple man, a martian man can run the country….as long as he does right by the people.”

The interview below took place on the BBC’s Newsnight programme the week of President Obama’s election in November of 2008. Although this is only an abridged version of the interview, when you watch the full interview, it should be clear to all that Jeremy Paxman (the interviewer) is inferring that the topic of conversation was above Dizzee’s intellectual capabilities (even though I do like how he calls him “Mr Rascal”)! In truth I think Dizzee more than holds his own (even if he could have been better briefed – Aspecks is available for such tasks!), he clearly appreciates the positive effect the election had and understands the importance of having a President who is mixed race, who can be held up as a symbol of unity.

‘Mr Rascal’ also makes some interesting points regarding political parties and appears happy to admit his slight ignorance of their activities and importance to the political process. He also reveals his apathy towards politicians (not exactly a revelation but one that reflects a wider public sentiment), effectively stating that they are all fairly similar irrespective of party allegiance and that every now and again you might get a ‘genuine one’. However, he then points out that change occurs when everybody comes together to make a difference and that whilst a high-profile individual such as Obama can have a morale boosting effect, it is the people, the community who can affect real positive change in society.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that we need to start shoehorning celebrities into positions of political influence just because some Members of Parliament can not keep their hands out of the cookie jar! However, there is clearly a public desire to see honest politicians speaking their minds, sticking to their guns (metaphoric ones!) and representing the people that they were elected to serve. Dizzee is clearly serving the hip-hop community that he represents well (how many other rappers/musicians get interviewed by Paxman?) by pointing out the contribution the genre has made in helping Obama connect to the American youth. More young people voted than ever before in the 2008 American Election and elected the first mixed race President in their history. Could the same happen in Britain? Dizzee Rascal thinks so, as he says. ‘there is a first time for everything’.

So how about it then Dizzee? You said yourself that running to be Prime Minister sounds like a good idea! Aspecks will even offer to help run your campaign for you? Hey at least we’d keep you looking fresh! But on a serious note, if we are determined to make a positive change in society Mr Rascal is right – it is us, the people who can make the difference by working together, even if we need assistance from a morale boosting individual. What is more Dizzee has already written his own campaign song, Fix Up, Look Sharp!