Harry Potter and the nanny state
Saturday, July 21, 2007 
Last night, like many parents, I found myself standing outside my local branch of WH Smith. It was 12.15am. Luckily it had stopped raining and we only had to queue for 30 minutes to collect two pre-ordered copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, one for my son (12), the other for my daughter (10), who were with me.
Several people walked past shouting "Harry Potter dies!", another yelled "I can't read, I'm illiterate", and someone pointed at my daughter and declared (with some justification) "You should be in bed!", but it was mostly good-humoured. (Yes, some people had had too much to drink, but not enough to justify Liam Donaldson's crusade against binge-drinkers.)
Earlier in the week we went to see the new Harry Potter movie. Based on the fifth book in the series, it's rather good. (I speak as someone who fell asleep during the first two films.) If you haven't seen it, it's worth it if only for Imelda Staunton's performance as Dolores Umbridge, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Interviewing Staunton for the Telegraph, Tim Auld writes:
More than any of the previous books, in this one Rowling does manage to make direct connections between her fantasy world and our own nanny-state age. Staunton's performance, in which, tight-mouthed, apple-cheeked and clad in pink, she smiles sweetly as she makes dull ministerial announcements, or burns detention lines into the hands of miscreant pupils, reminded me of nothing so much as a certain vintage of female Blairite politicians - Hazel Blears, Margaret Hodge et al - whose dedication to the righteousness of their leader's cause has etched a permanent smug grin upon their faces.
Staunton herself is quoted as saying:
'The whole thing about the children not being allowed to use spells - just read about them - the whole bloody health-and-safety aspect of our world today, which is so terrible for children, you know, "Don't touch it, don't move it, don't have any experience because I'm telling you what to think." It's just yuck.'
Sadly, that's as far as Staunton - and probably Rowling - will go. But it was nice to laugh - along with hundreds of other people - as yet another 'Thou Shalt Not' sign was nailed to the wall at Hogwart's. For once (it could be argued), the silent majority was making itself heard. Is anyone listening?
Reader Comments (1)
I found it very funny to see Harry Potter on the top of the page this morning - since I spent all day and most of last night reading the final book in the series.
There is no question in my mind that all the major political parties have become overwhelmingly populated by Slytherins!
I'm proud to be mudblood! Don't let the mission for purebloods win!
I really must get some sleep now...