Edinburgh International Book Festival: David Lammy

Right from the start, David Lammy’s event at the Edinburgh Book Festival was a very personal affair. The MP for Tottenham, tipped by some as a future prime minister, began with the story of his parents’ journey from the Caribbean to a new life in London. Lammy was frank about the more difficult aspects of his early life: “My father liked the booze, and he liked a man called William Hill.” Lammy might well have faced a dismal future had he not experienced a “Billy Elliot moment”. Selected for the choir of Peterborough Cathedral, he became a pupil at the King’s School, instantly fuelling his mother’s hopes that her son was “a black Aled Jones.” Instead, young David Lammy found himself having to explain to his school friends why people were rioting on Tottenham’s Broadwater Farm estate. Twenty five years later, he found himself explaining another outbreak of violence in Tottenham, this time to a global audience. Lammy has clear views on the causes of the 2011 riots. “These are communities which have moved from working class to workless class. You don’t riot if you have a job or a mortgage.” And he sees the erosion of values that can compete with consumerism, materialism and the drum-beat of gangster rap as another strong factor in explaining the unrest. But he was at his most animated and articulate when talking about male role models. “Getting fathers involved with their children right from the start is critical. 45,000 children a year are left without a father’s name on their birth certificate.” It’s clear that Lammy’s own childhood has influenced his strong views on parenthood. But it’s that authentic experience which suggests he’s that rare beast these days: a politician worth listening to. [James Carson]