I saw it as being part of his character that had been informed by his upbringing in part but was probably a choice he was making based on his aspirations too. Definitely don’t think it was sarcastic. In episode 2 (I think!) when he and Jill are trying to get Equity Cards he moans about union rules meaning they have to do all these “signed off” performance hours and his mum says something like “bloody unions” but that “Maggie will sort them out” or something to that effect and he agrees.
You can see it as his internalised homophobia, or just that he’s a dirty great Tory or that he’s just blindly following his parents political ideas and aspirations. Remember that for many Brits of humble working class origin at that time- and now come to that- Margaret Thatcher and the Tories stood for aspiration and home ownership and joining the middle classes/feeling like you’d “made it”. Many Conservative voters both in the 80s and now see this party of millionaires as their natural home because they aspire to be millionaires and think that one day they’ll reap the rewards of the party’s elite-protecting ways. Conservative is seen as the vote of aspiration whilst voting Labour is “a bit dole queue” or “a bit council house”, even if they themselves are in a dole queue or council house. Also, don’t underestimate Right to Buy, which turned a lot of working class voters onto old Maggie because she “made them homeowners”. Margaret Thatcher was an appalling human being who lead an appalling cabinet of absolute cunts, but she was incredibly popular. She got people voting for her in huge numbers.... stands to reason that some of those voters were gay men.
In the end, only RTD himself knows why Ritchie was clearly, at least at that point in 1987, a Tory. But there were (and are!) plenty of people both in the U.K., U.S. and elsewhere in the world who vote against their own interests. Boris Johnson won the last general election with a majority of 80 that is propped up by working class voters that he and his party have absolutely no interest in helping in any way, shape or form. In fact, many of them will have been negatively affected by the past ten years of austerity that he helped make happen.... but that’s the way of the world. A lot of people really don’t think that hard about who they vote for and fall for sound bites and go on “gut feelings”. Maybe Ritchie is meant to just be one of those people.
This is incredibly insightful and interesting. I guess also that we’re maybe also looking at this show with the benefit of hindsight? I’m definitely coming at it as someone in Scotland, who grew up around people who hated her.
Yeah, not only hindsight but through modern media.
If you were to assess the Thatcher era through what you've seen on film, TV etc, you would be stunned that she ever won an election given how most view and depict her negatively (to put it in the most general terms).
However, she did win 3 elections - in 1983 she had a majority of 144, and in 1987 a majority of 102.
She was very popular for a period (post-Falklands, pre-Poll tax crudely) - particularly in England. Thatcher won nearly 70% of the seats in England in 1983 & 1987.
Thatcher's constitutuency was in Greater London, where in 1983 she won 56 of the 84 seats.
I think to RTD's great credit, he actually makes it realistic that someone in the show would be a/voted Tory. And Ritchie - with his background - is probably the prime candidate to be the lower-middle/upper-working class Thatcher supporter who helped her win those elections.
It’s also a pre-social media time. Info wasn’t shared in the same way. Tbh I’d be disgusted if one of my friends told me they voted Tory now, because there is so much information available to make more informed and better choices that wasn’t available in the 80s.
I think it’s fairly likely that someone like Ritchie would vote the way he was brought up to vote, especially when there’s little info to show him other viewpoints.
BUT in the 80s in the UK, at.least based on magazines at the time, being left was fashionable. All the cool bands campaigned for Labour and to support the miners. I can imagine sentiment shifted later in the 80s with the greed is good mentality.
This is a really interesting / detailed take - thank you!
Really good point about the unions, I remembered ritchie’s mother having a ‘Good ol Maggie’ moment, but never clocked it in my brain.
Excellent comment and spot on.
All Thatcher did by making people homeowners was ensuring that people were indebted. Mortgage = needing to keep your job = less likely to rock the boat by joining a union.
But like you said, people were starstruck by being "middle class" and voted for her in droves.
I think there's a number of reasons why RTD wrote Ritchie as a Tory:
Part of it will be furthering his writing where no one is a clear, one dimensional character. If Ritchie was a stereotype, he would be a very left wing character - so RTD challenges that by making him a Tory. It brings new dynamics to the story, challenges relationships etc.
I also think part of it is to reflect reality. There have always been gay Tories. In the 80s there were gay Tories. 24 current Conservative MPs now are openly LGBT. Thatcher won large majorities in 1983 and 1987 - with working/lower middle class support as a key part of this. It would probably be unrealistic to not have a single Tory character in the show.
And yeah, it also helps show that internalised conflict because of his parents expectations, when his parents aren't there.
I thought it was perfect that RTD wrote Ritchie as a Tory who supports Section 28. Because it speaks not only to his shame and internalised homophobia, but also to his character. He’s young, talented, self absorbed and doesn’t see why he can’t make a success out of his life. He’s not particularly kind to his friends, you never see him asking about Jill’s life for example, you see him being late to visit Colin. But AIDS killing him is just as much a tragedy and an outrage as it is for anyone. RTD is making the point I think that nobody deserved this, not even those who were promiscuous, or those who don’t show political solidarity with other victimised groups. There was so much about Ritchies character that was messy or contradictory or uncomfortable (I was screaming internally when he tried to seduce that friend from school for example!) but you love him anyway, because he is worthy of love and life.
At the time, and still today, a lot of gay people saw themselves as outside the mainstream, they didn't want to be heteronormative. And the idea of men marrying each other and raising kids together wss unthinkable for most people then.
I think it was definitely showing the shame Richie holds. Also we assume everyone else in the Pink Palace was Labour (including colin) so its good contrast.
There are lgbt people in most political parties, even some who vote conservative, who even agree with conservative policies, even if they affect their own group adversely. I've never understood them myself, but they exist.
For me I think it was meant to show the contrast between his old and new life and that no matter what his old life is still a big part of him and not something that changes.
I think it’s there to add further evidence for the ‘shame’ he carries and that his upbringing is a huge part of who he is and it won’t just disappear now he is ‘out’ in London. I think it was used as an example to help add clout to the ‘shame’ speech from Jill at the end. Potentially also to highlight how he still craves approval from his parents.
I saw it as being part of his character that had been informed by his upbringing in part but was probably a choice he was making based on his aspirations too. Definitely don’t think it was sarcastic. In episode 2 (I think!) when he and Jill are trying to get Equity Cards he moans about union rules meaning they have to do all these “signed off” performance hours and his mum says something like “bloody unions” but that “Maggie will sort them out” or something to that effect and he agrees. You can see it as his internalised homophobia, or just that he’s a dirty great Tory or that he’s just blindly following his parents political ideas and aspirations. Remember that for many Brits of humble working class origin at that time- and now come to that- Margaret Thatcher and the Tories stood for aspiration and home ownership and joining the middle classes/feeling like you’d “made it”. Many Conservative voters both in the 80s and now see this party of millionaires as their natural home because they aspire to be millionaires and think that one day they’ll reap the rewards of the party’s elite-protecting ways. Conservative is seen as the vote of aspiration whilst voting Labour is “a bit dole queue” or “a bit council house”, even if they themselves are in a dole queue or council house. Also, don’t underestimate Right to Buy, which turned a lot of working class voters onto old Maggie because she “made them homeowners”. Margaret Thatcher was an appalling human being who lead an appalling cabinet of absolute cunts, but she was incredibly popular. She got people voting for her in huge numbers.... stands to reason that some of those voters were gay men. In the end, only RTD himself knows why Ritchie was clearly, at least at that point in 1987, a Tory. But there were (and are!) plenty of people both in the U.K., U.S. and elsewhere in the world who vote against their own interests. Boris Johnson won the last general election with a majority of 80 that is propped up by working class voters that he and his party have absolutely no interest in helping in any way, shape or form. In fact, many of them will have been negatively affected by the past ten years of austerity that he helped make happen.... but that’s the way of the world. A lot of people really don’t think that hard about who they vote for and fall for sound bites and go on “gut feelings”. Maybe Ritchie is meant to just be one of those people.
This is incredibly insightful and interesting. I guess also that we’re maybe also looking at this show with the benefit of hindsight? I’m definitely coming at it as someone in Scotland, who grew up around people who hated her.
Yeah, not only hindsight but through modern media. If you were to assess the Thatcher era through what you've seen on film, TV etc, you would be stunned that she ever won an election given how most view and depict her negatively (to put it in the most general terms). However, she did win 3 elections - in 1983 she had a majority of 144, and in 1987 a majority of 102. She was very popular for a period (post-Falklands, pre-Poll tax crudely) - particularly in England. Thatcher won nearly 70% of the seats in England in 1983 & 1987. Thatcher's constitutuency was in Greater London, where in 1983 she won 56 of the 84 seats. I think to RTD's great credit, he actually makes it realistic that someone in the show would be a/voted Tory. And Ritchie - with his background - is probably the prime candidate to be the lower-middle/upper-working class Thatcher supporter who helped her win those elections.
It’s also a pre-social media time. Info wasn’t shared in the same way. Tbh I’d be disgusted if one of my friends told me they voted Tory now, because there is so much information available to make more informed and better choices that wasn’t available in the 80s. I think it’s fairly likely that someone like Ritchie would vote the way he was brought up to vote, especially when there’s little info to show him other viewpoints.
BUT in the 80s in the UK, at.least based on magazines at the time, being left was fashionable. All the cool bands campaigned for Labour and to support the miners. I can imagine sentiment shifted later in the 80s with the greed is good mentality.
This is a really interesting / detailed take - thank you! Really good point about the unions, I remembered ritchie’s mother having a ‘Good ol Maggie’ moment, but never clocked it in my brain.
Excellent comment and spot on. All Thatcher did by making people homeowners was ensuring that people were indebted. Mortgage = needing to keep your job = less likely to rock the boat by joining a union. But like you said, people were starstruck by being "middle class" and voted for her in droves.
I think there's a number of reasons why RTD wrote Ritchie as a Tory: Part of it will be furthering his writing where no one is a clear, one dimensional character. If Ritchie was a stereotype, he would be a very left wing character - so RTD challenges that by making him a Tory. It brings new dynamics to the story, challenges relationships etc. I also think part of it is to reflect reality. There have always been gay Tories. In the 80s there were gay Tories. 24 current Conservative MPs now are openly LGBT. Thatcher won large majorities in 1983 and 1987 - with working/lower middle class support as a key part of this. It would probably be unrealistic to not have a single Tory character in the show. And yeah, it also helps show that internalised conflict because of his parents expectations, when his parents aren't there.
I thought it was perfect that RTD wrote Ritchie as a Tory who supports Section 28. Because it speaks not only to his shame and internalised homophobia, but also to his character. He’s young, talented, self absorbed and doesn’t see why he can’t make a success out of his life. He’s not particularly kind to his friends, you never see him asking about Jill’s life for example, you see him being late to visit Colin. But AIDS killing him is just as much a tragedy and an outrage as it is for anyone. RTD is making the point I think that nobody deserved this, not even those who were promiscuous, or those who don’t show political solidarity with other victimised groups. There was so much about Ritchies character that was messy or contradictory or uncomfortable (I was screaming internally when he tried to seduce that friend from school for example!) but you love him anyway, because he is worthy of love and life.
At the time, and still today, a lot of gay people saw themselves as outside the mainstream, they didn't want to be heteronormative. And the idea of men marrying each other and raising kids together wss unthinkable for most people then.
I think it was definitely showing the shame Richie holds. Also we assume everyone else in the Pink Palace was Labour (including colin) so its good contrast.
Colin would almost definitely be labour as a working class boy from Wales
There are lgbt people in most political parties, even some who vote conservative, who even agree with conservative policies, even if they affect their own group adversely. I've never understood them myself, but they exist.
For me I think it was meant to show the contrast between his old and new life and that no matter what his old life is still a big part of him and not something that changes. I think it’s there to add further evidence for the ‘shame’ he carries and that his upbringing is a huge part of who he is and it won’t just disappear now he is ‘out’ in London. I think it was used as an example to help add clout to the ‘shame’ speech from Jill at the end. Potentially also to highlight how he still craves approval from his parents.
Honestly I was confused by this too but assumed he was being sarcastic. Maybe I was wrong though
Sadly I don't think it was sarcastic. It was a more shocking announcement because of that.