Battersea Power Station has been featured many times in music, film, television and even election launches over its 70 year history. Pink Floyd used it on the cover of their 1977 album Animals, Hitchcock used it as his opening shot for his 1936 film Sabotage and Margaret Thatcher used it (to fire a laser) and then announced that it would be demolished and turned into a theme park.

Thatcher and her developers demolished the roof and most of the walls nearly destroying it. I was lucky enough to be allowed inside in 2008 during an open day which showcased a community redevelopment of the station, restoring it and developing the surrounding area into housing, shops and parks.

The author re-launching a music device

As Anthony Painter points out:

On 6th June 1988 PM Margaret Thatcher fired a laser gun to signal the start of the John Broome theme park which he claimed would be opened on May 21st 1990 at 2:30pm. The site is still derelict over 20 years later.

Yesterday Tory leader, David Cameron, launched his Tory Party Manifesto at Battersea Power Station. I’m not quite sure the symbolism he is going for here. Many remarked via Twitter the irony of the launch being outside a “…hollowed out, crumbling relic”. But was Cameron using Battersea as a metaphor for New Labor?

I’m guessing he hopes people have short memories. Those who grew up in Thatcher’s Britain on the underside of the economic divide would see the irony – Thatcher used it as a metaphor to symbolise the misery of the underclass blaming union-controlled workforce and past socialist governments. Thatcher promised to turn Battersea and their lives into a wonderful theme park. “A fanfare of hype and superficial hope”.

Just like Howard won over his battlers by handing out cash like a drunken socialist, Cameron may be trying to re-brand himself using socialist imagery and spider pigs.

Tags: Battersea Power Station, David Cameron, Pink Floyd, The Simpsons, The Tory Manifesto