Today, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation after just 45 days in office — the shortest term for any British head of state ever. As when any major political event happens, we look to Radiohead for guidance on how to articulate the feelings of unrest and helplessness that some may otherwise refer to as "Orwellian." In this case, Thom Yorke is not straying from the classics: the bandleader has responded to Truss's resignation, in part, by quoting his own lyrics.
The musician paraphrased "No Surprises" from seminal 1997 album OK Computer in a tweet that echoed many calls from Britain's opposition parties and public figures alike for a general election to put an end to years of Conservative rule that have been chaotic to say the least.
"[B]ring down this UK government, they do not speak for us, right the fuck now," Yorke wrote. "[T]hey have no authority, no mandate, no clue, cats in a bag tearing themselves to pieces while the country suffers in extreme distress." He also threw in an "enough of this shit" and a "shame on them" for good measure.
The main event triggering Truss's resignation was a mini-budget revealed by herself and chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in September, which presented a radically right-wing platform that would purport to tackle the cost-of-living crisis while somehow limiting public spending and lowering taxes for the wealthy.
No surprises whatsoever, it made for an even more severe economic crash and was widely criticized by even the libertarian economists from whom Truss had drawn inspiration. Her 45 days also managed to alienate the British public from the seemingly ever-popular Conservative Party, which will now have to instate its fifth prime minister since taking control from the centrist Labour Party in 2010.
Hopefully what Yorke wrote in the '90s will finally ring prophetic; we could all do with a break from the fits and the bellyaches.
See Yorke's tweet below.
The musician paraphrased "No Surprises" from seminal 1997 album OK Computer in a tweet that echoed many calls from Britain's opposition parties and public figures alike for a general election to put an end to years of Conservative rule that have been chaotic to say the least.
"[B]ring down this UK government, they do not speak for us, right the fuck now," Yorke wrote. "[T]hey have no authority, no mandate, no clue, cats in a bag tearing themselves to pieces while the country suffers in extreme distress." He also threw in an "enough of this shit" and a "shame on them" for good measure.
The main event triggering Truss's resignation was a mini-budget revealed by herself and chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in September, which presented a radically right-wing platform that would purport to tackle the cost-of-living crisis while somehow limiting public spending and lowering taxes for the wealthy.
No surprises whatsoever, it made for an even more severe economic crash and was widely criticized by even the libertarian economists from whom Truss had drawn inspiration. Her 45 days also managed to alienate the British public from the seemingly ever-popular Conservative Party, which will now have to instate its fifth prime minister since taking control from the centrist Labour Party in 2010.
Hopefully what Yorke wrote in the '90s will finally ring prophetic; we could all do with a break from the fits and the bellyaches.
See Yorke's tweet below.
Yorke and Jonny Greenwood released A Light for Attracting Attention, their debut album as the Smile, earlier this year, while Lizzo recently revealed that she was bullied in school for liking Radiohead.
