Londoner's Diary: Tracey Emin taxes Theresa May at Hix Art Awards

In today's Diary: Emin taxes May at Hix Art Awards | Eddie Izzard gets NEC nomination thanks to Momentum | What goes around stops at the Olivier Theatre | A double Nelson in honour of Prince
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Londoner's Diary27 October 2017

THE movers and shakers of the art world were at Mark Hix’s Shoreditch restaurant Tramshed last night for the annual Hix Award prize-giving ceremony. Painter Sam Bailey was crowned the winner but it was the ever-outspoken Tracey Emin who caught our attention.

Sipping on a Dark and Stormy, we approached the former YBA, who was admiring the artworks. She took the opportunity to bemoan the state of her tax bill. “Why should I pay my taxes to people who aren’t working?” she complained. “I know of seven generations who are on benefits. I look after [relatives] with no money. I’ve no problem helping them, but why am I paying so much tax for people to live in council houses on benefits who are capable of working?”

Emin, who married a rock in a ceremony in France last year and is famous for works including My Bed, thinks compulsory community service is the answer. “Everyone should be contributing something to society, whether it’s sweeping the streets, picking up rubbish or looking after the elderly,” she said, prompting The Londoner to wonder if her attitudes reflect a defection to the Conservative Party. “It’s not Tory thinking, it’s not socialism,” she scolded. “I will debate with anyone who argues with me. I work really hard and I look after people. What I’m annoyed about is that the Government won’t inject those ideas and do stuff.”

But her sharpest words were reserved for Theresa May. “She is just useless,” Emin complained. “She’s a puppet Prime Minister. She didn’t want to be there. Well she certainly wasn’t someone who was invited there.”

Emin for Downing Street?

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NANCY Dell’Olio, historian Helen Rappaport and actress Justine Waddell were in the audience at Barbican Hall last night for a Kino Klassika screening of Eisenstein’s 1928 film October. An opening scene, set in 1918, features the destruction of a monument three years before it was taken down in real life, with the director citing metaphorical truth and saying “for the sake of truthfulness, one can afford to deny the truth”. An eloquent defence of fake news.

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EDDIE Izzard is standing yet again for a seat on the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee, and he has Momentum to thank for that. At this year’s conference, the grassroots movement backed a motion to remove the requirement for candidates to be nominated by their home constituency, which was lucky for Eddie as Cities of London and Westminster did not choose him. We’re told the comedian and Labour activist failed to attend his constituency’s meeting on NEC nominations on Tuesday night, and members chose to nominate Momentum candidates Jon Lansman, Rachel Garnham and Yasmine Dar instead. This would previously mark the end of the road for Izzard, but as a veteran, he won’t be daunted by a difficult race.

Quote of the Day

A C Grayling mocks the Government
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"I can confirm academics are biased in favour of gravity, the existence of the moon, and not standing in the path of oncoming trains."

A C Grayling gives his view on th Government asking universities to release details of their anti-Brexit lecturers.

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You might find some Fantastic Beasts in Highgate Cemetery, partially closed to the public for the past fortnight as film crews come and go. Locals whisper that the scenes are for the follow-up to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. According to Ham & High, signs bearing the production name “Voltaire” have been seen. That’s believed to be the codename for JK Rowling’s Harry Potter prequel. So far, no sightings of Eddie Redmayne or Jude Law — a young Dumbledore — but one spy did see a set-piece reading “Le Prevost de Basserode,” suggesting scenes would be set in France. C’est magique.

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ARNOLD Oceng has appeared opposite David Oyelowo in Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom and Reese Witherspoon in The Good Lie but says he’s still being typecast. “You know after I appeared in Adulthood I was only being offered these rude boy parts even though I’ve been in other big movies,” the Brixton actor told The Londoner this week. But he’ll next be seen in BBC drama Age Before Beauty, where he’ll play a French Man City player. Score.

What goes around stops

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WHEN the National Theatre announced that its revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies would not include an interval, some theatregoers balked at the prospect of keeping their legs crossed for nigh on three hours.

But fate stepped in last night when the Olivier Theatre’s revolving stage brought the show, starring Imelda Staunton, pictured, to a sudden halt.

A member of the technical team made his stage debut to explain that the revolving drum beneath the boards — “a bit like an iceberg” — was experiencing problems and announced a brief break. A friend of The Londoner spotted ITV News political editor Robert Peston making the most of the unexpected intermission by popping downstairs and returning with a bottle of champagne.

The issues could not be rectified last night but the show did go on. The entire cast took the problem in their stride — quite literally — by re-choreographing the show to make up for the lack of spinning stage. “It was magnificent,” our pal in the stalls says.

Tweet of the Day

Gent of the day: after Jon Snow found that a child had inadvertently locked their bikes together, the Channel 4 News anchor was seen using boltcutters to liberate it. He replaced the lock and left a note.

A double Nelson in honour of Prince

Trevor Nelson and Tyka Nelson attend a private view of "My Name Is Prince" at The O2 Arena
Dave Benett/Getty Images

No one Purple Rained on Tyka Nelson’s parade last night as she celebrated her brother Prince’s legacy at the O2 Arena’s private view of My Name Is Prince. Nelson was joined by Radio 1Xtra’s Trevor Nelson, who took to the decks. It’s unclear if Tyka left the O2 in a little red corvette.

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