Chris Coltrane: Left-Wing Propaganda Machine

As Chris Coltrane bashfully admits during his new collection of affably furious broadsides, the Conservative Party’s election landslide back in May did at least prove beneficial for one group of struggling low-earners: political comedians. This afternoon soiree in the snug Banshee Labyrinth could almost be a meeting of a clandestine resistance group: there are people standing at the back, squeezed onto the stairwell and crouched on the stage. Now, Comrade Chris, what say you?

Well, you can guess a big chunk of the first part of this show, Coltrane scratching his austerely-cropped head about what on earth went wrong (outside of Scotland, at least). His facts and figures present a convincing argument that the population suffered a collective aberration, and there’s certainly no dissent from this pre-converted congregation.

In truth, there are as many digs at Labour as there are at the Tories here, particularly the uninspiring candidates for the leadership battle, Jeremy Corbyn aside. Indeed, he even manages to work in a new bit about a bizarrely vapid video Liz Kendall had uploaded the night before. Such an ongoing supply of ammunition should keep things fresh throughout the run.

While the first half is a glorious orgy of character assassinations and policy pot-shots, Coltrane then takes a more personal approach, focussing on our drug laws with particular reference to his own newfound fondness for a certain narcotic. It’s a bold admission, although this lengthy single-issue detour does rather detract from the overall power of the Left-Wing Propaganda Machine. He’ll need to keep it running for a few years yet.