Luchino Visconti, 1972

The following is a transcription of a section of interview from a television film, shown in 1972, that Bailey made about Visconti, while the latter was filming Ludwig. Visconti was himself homosexual, which I think is what Bailey circling around here. Visconti's replies here strike me as extraordinarily sane, hence worth transcribing. [Note: When Visconti says Caesar, he does not say it See-za like we do, but Chay-sa, with the stress on the 1st syllable: think of how Italians pronounce the name Cesare]

Luchino Visconti

Bailey: The other thing is lots of your characters are homosexual, like .... Visconti: [assenting] Um. Bailey: .... Death in Venice, & Ludwig is doubtful .... Visconti: Yes, yes, a little bit Damned too [The Damned, Visconti's film of 1969]. Bailey: Why is that ? Do you think homosexuality has anything [inaudible] ? Visconti: I think it's a human condition, homosexuality, like others, like heterosexual & other things. Why we have to, to .... how you say ? .... to don't talk about something. Everything is in life is important, everything is interesting, everything is - you know - If you say that I make the story, well not the story but the biography of Ludwig of Bavaria who had something of homosexual inside, alright, but I can also make the story of Julius Caesar, also Julius Caesar was homosexual, you know ? Is not so important, but if there is I don't think you must .... tacere .... you understand ? ..... No ? Bailey: No. Visconti: Tacere means not talk about. You must talk about. If there is, we must talk about.

Dirk Bogarde & Visconti on the set of Death in Venice, 1971

Why are UK Government Communications such a shambles ?

Who is in charge of UK Government communications at the moment ? Either nobody is, or whoever is in charge is entirely incompetent. The Government's communications are a shambles; their policy announcements seem completely random & uncoordinated; & the Government itself is creating problems for itself over and over again which are foreseeable & avoidable. An instance of the last was Francis Maude's advice to "keep a jerry can of petrol in the garage" in case the tanker drivers go on strike: in fact it is illegal to store more than 30 litres of fuel in such a way, & that has to be stored in a very specific manner, because of the obvious fire risk. Why didn't he check his facts before speaking ? Or someone check them for him. I verified this information in 5 seconds with one visit to the HSE website. I'm not running the country.

It is a mark of the weakness of the Opposition at this time that they are not exploiting the muddle that the Government is in more effectively. In terms of communications, both the Conservatives & Labour are hopeless right now.

I don't want us to return to the days of Alastair Campbell: but on the other hand all of this makes me realise what it was Alastair Campbell actually DID, before he became too visible & had to go. It also makes me reflect how formidable, for good or ill, the team of Blair/Brown/Campbell/Mandelson was, by contrast with the present shower in both main parties.