Dave: backing David
Amid the Lords Alli and Sainsbury contributing to David Miliband’s Labour leadership campaign, one name further down the new list published by the Electoral Commission stands out.
Dave Rowntree, Blur drummer, has given a non-cash donation of £6,000 to Miliband senior. Rowntree of course has been pursuing a political career for some years and stood for Labour in the Cities of London and Westminster seat.
With Blur on downtime again following last Summer’s reunion gigs, Rowntree isn’t giving up on his political ambitions. He described the election result as ”humiliating for Labour, who have lost a record number of seats, and got tossed out of Number 10 with a boot up our backsides.”
drumming up support
Endorsing the former Foreign Secretary, Rowntree says: ”It is essential that we elect David Miliband as the next leader of the party. He is the candidate with the vision, experience and popular appeal to lead Labour to victory.”
Dave the drummer’s backing for Dave the politician has to be a blow for Andy Burnham, the indie music loving rival candidate, who wrote the sleevenotes for the 20th anniversary of The Stone Roses debut album and owns more albums by The Wedding Present than the band can remember recording.
Rowntree, who has been training to become a solicitor, is also addressing Labour party meetings to drum up support for his candidate. His £6,000 donation in kind is apparently in the form of an “intern” working for Miliband for the duration of the campaign.
Blur: on hiatus
We know rock stars have all manner of PAs, PRs and stylists in their entourage but interns too? Do they photocopy album sleeves and sneakily correct the bassist’s errors in the studio, uncredited of course?
To be fair though, Rowntree’s assistant is being paid more than most musicians are earning, since the advent of illegal downloading.
