Squeezing out sparks

Got every album, seen them live many times.

So it was weird to see Squeeze hailed as heroic agitprop protestors following today's appearance on the Andrew Marr Show.

Very briefly, David Cameron had been interviewed by Marr and at the end of the programme Squeeze played the title track of their new album 'From the Cradle to the Grave'.

However the third verse was changed to:

I grew up in council housing,
Part of what made Britain great,
There are some here who are hellbent,
On the destruction of the welfare state.

As I write the band is still trending on Twitter and the story has been among the most popular on the BBC website all day.

Elsewhere a typical headline and report is this one from the Independent – David Cameron condemned live on TV by Andrew Marr Show band Squeeze as group change lyrics to target Tories.

The last time I saw the band was in October in Harrogate, one of the safest Tory seats in the country. It was a full house, naturally.

Two tickets cost £118 via a secondary ticketing agency. Capitalism at its best, you might say.

Poor old David Cameron is getting pelters for applauding the band when they finished their 'protest'.

I can't imagine he was listening to the lyrics and if he was what was he meant to do? He was merely showing good manners. I'm sure they had a laugh about it afterwards. (Or perhaps not.)

Meanwhile some people (I assume they are Tories) have taken to Twitter and have called for Andrew Marr's producer to be sacked for allowing Squeeze to make a "political statement".

For heaven's sake. I don't agree with the sentiments but, as someone else tweeted, if other guests (including the PM) are making political statements on the programme, why can't the band?

Freedom of speech (remember that?). It's a wonderful thing.

Anyway, whatever the merits of the song, the performance or the political message it took some nerve to do that with the PM sitting no more than a few feet away.

To echo another tweet, 'Bravo!'.

Ha! #CradleToGrave Bravo chaps. https://t.co/yxQuyMZpz3

— Danny Baker (@prodnose) January 10, 2016

Didn't realise just how close Squeeze were to Mr Cameron when they changed words to "destruction of welfare state" https://t.co/VuNicELBn1

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) January 10, 2016