Lord Ashcroft in battle mode for Zulu film choice
CINEMA fans following the Crossbench Film Society’s offerings this year are certainly seeing some wild swings in political thinking.
As the name suggests, the club – hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank and launched in January – screens the film faves of politicians from all parties.
So brace yourself for this month’s selection – the 1964 epic war film “Zulu”, chosen by Conservative Peer, author and pollster Lord Michael Ashcroft.
With the election approaching, MPs might draw inspiration from the film, which features Michael Caine and shows the might of 150 British soldiers who still manage to defeat a horde of 4,000 Zulu warriors.
It’s not everyone’s idea of a low-key night at the flicks, perhaps. For easy viewing, The Capitalist might opt for the club’s last film, the gritty 2009 British film “Fish Tank”, picked by Labour MP Jon Cruddas.
But at least a couple of hours of Zulu battle might be less of an intellectual stretch than the club’s first showing; Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead”, selected by culture secretary Sajid Javid.
■ Chris Robshaw is best known as captain of the England rugby squad, but he’s something of captain of industry too. With an eye to life after sport, his business interests include a coffee shop and hospitality firm Zeus Events. Yesterday, with his corporate hat on, he hosted a day of shooting at West Wycombe Estate that allowed guests to shoot at “exploding rugby balls kicked by the captain himself”. Talk about keeping all the balls in the air!
■ If putting a tick in a box seems a mundane way of exercising your electoral muscle, you could do worse than joining Corinthia Hotel’s “Cast your Cocktail” campaign. The drinking-straw poll will run from 23 April to 7 May – with visitors to the London hotel given a choice of “Red Ed”, “Call Me Dave”, “Compliant Clegg”, “Gordon Bennett” or “Naughty Nigel” drinks, in hues to reflect the political parties. In this election you can cast more than one vote, and – at £15 a cocktail – you’d be helping your chosen party with the national debt too.