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I’ll tell you what I hate – what I really, really hate.

The Spice Girls. This week, we “celebrate” the 20th anniversary of their debut hit “Wannabe” and the death of popular music. They were supposed to be a female answer to Take That. Except that Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, at least, have proven and lasting talent. The Spice Girls were abysmal but, ironically, cannot be blamed for their own creation. Those who put them together invented the band as brand, and pop as ruthless marketing strategy with a bunch of talentless stooges as cynical fronts for fragrances and clothing ranges. This led to Boyzone, Westlife, Simon Cowell and the grim corporate takeover of a once vibrant youth culture. If The Spice Girls were popular now, they would no doubt be ordered by their paymasters to claim that Theresa May’s imminent move to Number Ten was the ultimate expression of “Girl Power”. You want to hear girl power? Try this.

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