Synopsis

The interweaving stories of the friends - Labour party idealist Nicky who wants to create a world of equality; new parents Tosker and Mary who just want a roof over their heads that doesn't leak; disillusioned Georgie who seeks his fortune both in Soho and as a mercenary in Rhodesia - are of course made up. But like Shakespeare's history plays, upon which Flannery modelled his drama, there are lessons to be learned here, not least that the creeping corruption of public life begins with the tainting of private morality. Or in this case, a child's crushed bike. Spanning two decades, this piece of pure fiction entwines real events, including bribery in the Metropolitan police and sanctions-busting in Rhodesia, with the personal journeys of the protagonists. In the process it niftily reminds us that idealism wanes, power corrupts, spin is nothing new, and that ignorance and apathy play into the hands of those who want to line their own pockets and hang on to power at any cost.