The Londoner: Global chilling time for XR

XR encourages downtime debrief | Sir Mark Sedwill's feline favourite | Douglas Carswell back in the Tory fold | Alec Douglas-Home's flying lunch
The Red Brigade
Barcroft Media via Getty Images
6 November 2019

After the protests, it’s time to XR and chill. Extinction Rebellion has produced a debrief guide to help activists revive themselves after October’s rebellions. Though as this morning the High Court ruled in favour of its challenge against the Metropolitan Police’s ban on protests across London, activists might not have much time to absorb the document. “Hands up if your rebellion was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, at times joyous, at others frustrating and challenging. Rebellions aren’t easy!” reads a dossier included in XR’s most recent newsletter. More than 1,400 activists were arrested during the eight days of XR action in London.

“They’re full of achievements, disappointment, deep connection and a deep sense of loss. Some of us can be left asking…what is our purpose post-rebellion?” Activists are encouraged to debrief and reflect together on their shared experiences of rebellion.

“We don’t exist just to disrupt the degenerative system that surrounds us, now is the time to embody and co-create the regenerative culture we wish to live in. Debrief can be tense and challenging,” the missive continues. “For it to be as constructive as possible, it is important to take the time to reconnect with each other, to rest, have a party, share a meal, walk together in nature, share your appreciation for each other, celebrate what we’ve achieved as well your grief and losses.”

Despite the downtime, Extinction Rebellion activities have continued apace. The cream of British music, TV and film turned out for One Lifetime, a short film developed by Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis and shot by photographer Rankin.

Elsewhere in the debrief guide activists are encouraged “to learn and generate constructive feedback for each other”. After foul-ups with an errant hose outside the Treasury and the heavily-criticised action at Canning Town, there’s a fair amount to talk about. Will they come back stronger?

Purr-fect diplomat

Sir Mark Sedwill, the Cabinet Secretary and National Security Adviser, knows every kind of diplomatic trick in the book.

So when The Londoner approached him at Anthony Seldon’s May At Ten book launch to ask which was his favourite Whitehall mouser (Larry the Downing Street cat, or Gladstone at the Treasury, perhaps?), we were expecting a non-committal answer. Not so.

“Evie,” he replied instantly, adding: “She’s the one in my office. If things get difficult I use her to communicate with Larry.”

That’s Civil Service innovation — a feline ambassador.

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Simon Heffer, author of Staring at God: Britain in the Great War, told The Londoner at the Oldie literary lunch yesterday that when Herbert Asquith was PM during the First World War, he read “a Jane Austen novel in the afternoons”. Heffer added: “I’d rather like it if our present Prime Minister did that... the country would be less damaged.”

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Also there were Carry Akroyd and John McEwen, authors of A Sparrow’s Life’s as Sweet as Ours. McEwen recalled of another PM: “Sir Alec Douglas-Home shot a woodcock which fell into the tender of a passing Flying Scotsman. It was left for him at Berwick-upon-Tweed with the compliments of the driver.”

Fashionistas rush for Joe's vacancy

Dave Benett/Getty Images

The London fashion crowd supported artist Joe Sweeney at the private view of his new exhibition, Vacancy, at The Cob Gallery. Sweeney, who cites his influencers as “Francis Bacon and my GCSE art teacher”, drew guests including designer Henry Holland, supermodel Edie Campbell, Instagram model Jazelle UglyWorldwide, artist Flora Huddart, stylist Yohana Lebasi and the editor of Love Magazine, Harriet Verney. Verney recently spoke of her late aunt Isabella Blow: “She would pick me up from school in those amazing hats and then my mum would arrive in a US army boiler suit — to me these were the most mundane things. And living with the Blows, all these creative minds and depressives... it was just normal.”

Across town, social butterflies Tinie Tempah, Jamie Redknapp, Professor Green and Terry Gilliam were seen sipping cognac at the after party of The Broken Butterfly screening at The Arts Club in Mayfair.

SW1A

Douglas Carswell, the ex-Tory MP who defected to Ukip in 2014, appears to be back in the Conservative fold. Carswell, who is no longer an MP, is now being offered to broadcasters by CCHQ to promote Boris Johnson’s campaign, according to an LBC radio producer. Asked if this was true, Carswell did not reply. Requests for comment from CCHQ went unanswered. Perhaps they were too busy blushing.

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Labour’s Laura Pidcock hasn’t got the heal-the-divides memo. Constituents ask her: “Why don’t you just all get together and sort this out?” she tells Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking. “What I try and do is tease out the inherent conflict in the political ideologies we represent.”

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Boris Johnson appears to make no mention of Brexit — or the fact that he is Prime Minister — on an election leaflet said to have been delivered in his constituency. Axel Antoni posted a photo of the flyer which kept schtum on Brexit. Shy Tory?

M.I.A fires some rockets for Assange

Singer M.I.A. marked Guy Fawkes Night by blasting social media, private jets and international wars at a multi-protest held for Julian Assange outside the Home Office yesterday. Speaking between songs, M.I.A. told the crowd: “We live in a time where I have to like somebody driving in a private jet on Instagram. And they have a million likes on that s**t. And nobody gives a f*** about where that fuel comes from. And there were a million people who got bombed for that s**t.” Lots of bases covered.​

Quote of the day

'I am still a political addict'

Outgoing Father of the House Ken Clarke says he won't be going cold turkey any time soon.

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