The Inquiry

We trekked down to Chichester this week to see a matinee of this play which takes a critical look at how a fictional public inquiry gets blown off course by a mix of personal and political intrigues.  The issue being investigated is an environmental disaster of a polluted water supply, but the focus of the politician in question, Lord Chancellor Arthur Gill (John Hefferman) is on damage limitation of his own career  because of a potential leadership opportunity coming up.  The judge leading the inquiry, Lord Justice Deborah Wingate (played beautifully by Deborah Findlay) is not too interested in the politics or retribution, she just wants to get the report out, without it being stuck in 'Maxwellisation'.  I hadn't heard the term before, but a useful essay in the programme (you can find the full article here) explains that this is the opportunity for people criticised in a report to respond before it is issued.  I am used to the step where the report is distributed for comment on factual accuracy but wasn't really aware that there is an opportunity for people to get their defence in first. Maxwellisation came about with doubtful legal credibility as a result of Robert Maxwell's litigious tendencies, but has become an accepted part of the process in many cases.  Of course, this gives lots of opportunity to water down the findings, but possibly more importantly, can also drag out the process to the point that the report becomes outdated and of no impact.   

Anyway, back to the play - it's a bit clunky to start, with Gill and his advisors trying to construct a response to deflect an annoying reporter, but in the end I found it really interesting, and engaging too, particularly given the intricacies of the wheeling and dealing.  The actors, particularly Findlay, made a big difference in bringing it to life and the final scene between the judge and the politician was gripping in showing how insidious self interest and the desire to protect friends and family can be, even when you want to do the right thing.  

There was also an interview in the programme with the writer, Harry Davies.  This is his first play, and his main interest here is on how versions of the truth are contested and the role of the public inquiry in that process to navigate through the facts to an agreed version.  In a time where truth is so hotly contested, those cool independent heads are so important.  One of the saddest things though was how it felt a bit tame, and the person in the seat next to us commented that it all felt a bit too familiar.  That's a sign of the times surely, when a very middle class and pretty elderly audience are completely unsurprised by unscrupulous behaviour in high places.    

Finally, I feel the need to mention badly behaved audiences again!  There were a few people around the auditorium who seemed to feel that they were sitting in their living room, adding comments and 'oohs' which would have been much better keeping to themselves.  Sigh.

Anyway, this is a play with great lead performances and lots of food for thought. On for a couple more weeks yet at Chichester.