Blur Drummer Running In U.K. Election

11/06/09 2:05pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree unsuccessfully ran for a Westminster City Council in London, England in 2007, and also ran for a Labour Party seat in the city in 2008, but now he's preparing for an even bigger political campaign. He'll run for the Labour Party to contest London's Cities Of London And Westminister seat in the 2010 U.K. general election.

The seat is described as a "Conservative stronghold," and Rowntree says the main issue in his campaign will be housing. He describes it as an issue that "sits at the top of a pyramid" of other problems. He also doesn't describe himself as a politician or a rock star.

"The truth is I am not a politician," Rowntree told BBC News. "No one has elected me to do anything. I am an activist, one of millions of activists up and down the country and I am campaigning in my neighbourhood for things to be better."

Rowntree became a member of the Labour Party in 2002 and began studying law in 2006. He said he was drawn to politics when he was working at a law firm in east London.

"What I discovered really shocked me," he told BBC News.

"There is still a Dickensian underclass in Britain who are drug addicts or have mental health problems and they are responsible for the bulk of petty crime in the area.

"They have absolutely no one fighting their corner apart from defence solicitors. That made me very angry. That was what made me get more involved with the Labour Party and to see what I could do to change that situation."

Rowntree is also a member of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), which is opposed to the British government's current "three strikes and you're out" anti-piracy plan. This involves ISPs sending "warning letters" to those who illegally download material. Should the "pirate" not stop downloading, their internet is cut off.

The FAC believes piracy should be dealt with differently. According to The Guardian, they support a plan that would involve restricting users' bandwidth, which would stop illegal downloading and still allow people to have basic online access and email.

Interestingly, despite Blur frontman Damon Albarn being a very outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, Rowntree supported it.

Overall, Rowntree says he's going into politics because he doesn't want to waste the opportunity to help people.

"I am in a relatively privileged position in that I don't have to do anything to make a living," he told BBC News. "Very few people find themselves in this position and I am certainly not going to abuse it by sitting around for the next 20 years."

The current U.K. parliament will expire at midnight on May 10, which means the 2010 general election must be held on or before June 3.

Rowntree isn't the only member to embark on a different career outside the band. Bassist Alex James is now a cheese maker, whose clients include Prince Charles.