Arthur Daley was everywhere in the 1980s, and that included politics. It was obligatory to accuse the Conservatives of "Arthur Daley economics" and, if you were a Liberal councillor, to complain that the government was driving us to "Arthur Daley accounting".
He even made it to the charts in the shape of this novelty record. Credited to 'The Firm', the song Arthur Daley E's Alright was the work of the musicians John O'Connor and Grahame Lister.
Having failed to interest anyone in recording the song, they did so themselves, appeared on Top of the Pops and reached number 14 in the singles chart in the summer of 1982.
OK so it's just a poor man's Chas & Dave, but there is some wit to the lyrics:
A young person asks: But who was Arthur Daley?And he sells the odd dodgy motor now and then
Well, it ain't a crime is it?
Well yeah, it's a crime, yeah, technically
Arthur Daley was once elected an independent councillor himself, which he achieved by handing out free boxes of chocolates while canvassing. He was then disqualified within minutes of the result being declared because buying the chocolates had caused him to exceed his expense limit. I didn't think much of this episode, because its author seemed unaware that Daley could have been nailed far earlier for treating.
ReplyDelete