Alan Bleasdale recently commented in an article in the Daily Post 17, November 2003 about an incident that happened during Michael Moore’s recent appearance at the Playhouse were he was speaking about the Iraq conflict. At the end of his talk, just before he opened the floor for questions and answers, he read the names of British soldiers who had been killed in the Iraq conflict.

Alan Bleasdale, who was a member of the audience, stated in the article: “Here we were waiting for one the greatest living left-wing radical journalists and filmmakers and he could not get a word in.” He then referred to a “prat” in the audience shouting out. I was the prat.

He said I yelled out calling Moore a traitor to his class and my mother died in my arms. In fact I did not call Moore a class traitor I shouted that at someone behind me who was having a go at me. What Alan Bleasdale, who as far as I am concerned is a great playwright, got wrong, was exactly what I said and when I said it. This was probably because he was sat at stage level and I was above him on the balcony. My question to Michael Moore, which he spoke about for ten minutes, only took up a minute or so. After the show Michel Moore shook my hand and told me that he enjoyed what I said.

Mike Lane