from the 'new' right.
the individual point of view expressed, ROBERT WHITE explains.
In the 1950s, the British terary scene saw une apocarYoung Wich WHo dHemDICE tO DIcIcC the smugness of life under the Lones. never had it so good' syndrome.
The figures associated with this movement were the novelists Kingsley Amis [Lucky Jim] and John Braine (Room at the Top], and the playwright John Osborne [Look Back in Anger].
FRUSTRATION The characteristics of these works were the sense frustration of living post-war brutam, une insulanty and pompousness of official Establishment of Tory squires and aristocrats who seemingly ran the country.
However. these blows of rebelliousness were not tempered with an insight solutions to problems; in fact, they lacked creativity. they did articulate was a cry of frustration against the homogeneous smugness of British society, the crumbling facade of Empire.
Today, these people have all moved into rather different pastures.
John Braine has long since moved to the extreme right of British political life. Kingsley Amis has recently published a new novel, Jake's Thing, whose main theme is anti-feminist.
Osborne is currently gaged in revival Inadmissible Evidence cause he claims that the excesses COT women's movement need combatted".
THREATENED It is interesting that TOURE Men' threatened not only politically by the left, but personally by the rise of the feminist movement presumably because it threatens their own conception of women.
THE DEADLINE * Saturday NORTH WEST WARRINGTON Socialist 061- 236 2352 GREATER MANCHESTER Socialist Challenge. students the paper and would like to Centre contacted Challenge offices, Tel 061-236 2352 or, by writing LIVCHFOUL -Trade Unions, Capiasm and Workers Contom in me Committee Rooms, AUEW Building, Mount Pleasant. LIVERPOOL supporters sell on 18 Nov Sales Day in Church St. 11am-2pm. ROBIN BLACKBURN's rather timely article on the 'new' polities of Paul Johnson [26 October] dealt in because of the shift in mood of a whole section of opinion amongst certain parts of the intelligentsia.
In dealing with this change of climate in literature. interesting that possibly best satirical novel of the "70s is in fact an attack on the left, The History Man, by Bradbury (1976). The itself is very funny, but this most should obscure prevailing reactionary tone.
PROTEST The followed by species of protest, the satirists. Private Eye was established in 1963, and television saw That Was The Week That They were perhaps in Macmillan Government's most virulent critics.
Using the dual standards of bourgeois morality over Profumo widespread feeling that the tones were a rolen corruD! party of dukes, landowners and shady estate agents, they into were able to create an image of Labour as trendy, progressive and go-ahead.
Ingrams, the editor
Private Eye, admits that the Labour Party in those days was seen as better, more idealistic.
In the '60s Private Eye was seen as a journal lampooning the amongst its contributors Gery Lawless and Paul Foot (whe exposed the Poulson affair).
DIFFERENT Today the situation different the enof schoolbovs have returned to be- their inheritance. Private Eye and anti-trade union. be Instead of an exposé of the system, we are left with the peccadilloes of minor trade union bureaucrats Bourbon-like ravings the Auberon Waugh. feel return to the back pages might not be sufficient to get the Eye back on the rails.
Recently, in September, this message was reflected in a Times editorial about the 'New Right'. The Spectator / or reformist?' MOSS SIDE Socialist supporters sell the paper at Moss Si Centre, Saturday, 11-1 NORTH EAST NEWCASTLE socialist local supponers are active. T you wan DURHAM Socialist Challenge Supp Pittington, Durham MIDDLESBROUGH Socialist Chalenge sales, Saturday lunch time nea le lottery stand at Cleveland Centre Paper also available (newsagent) opp. McKenna & Brown in but also No. 427 Friday 28 April 78 the Malcolm novel the Young Men' Was. the the aUTO of ex-public singled out as the powerhouse of of ideas.
Foot's Indeed, the current list of writers for this journal makes very interesting consists not only of traditional conservatives such as Patrick Cosgrave and Mount, but almost was Private Eye team:
LONDON Horters est regularly itali to orters meet regular WALTHAM FOREST paper sales every saturday, 11am-noon outside the pos office, Hoe St, Walthamstow, Londor HAMLETS Socialist 247 2717 for Challenge Tube; Sundays me Challenge BRENT supporters sell on 18 Nov Sale Dayat Kilburn Sq. Kilburn High Rd, NW6 .30pm in the Brittania Pub, Mare Thur 23 Nov: H Block and the fight for Pow status tor irisn prisoners HACKNEY supporters meet on 18 Nov DalesDayal could also un Socialist Chal- LONDON sales Balham Oval tuDe. Herne MHION which replace Marx by Leo Tolstoy!
The other characteristic is a nasty quasi psychological ton substitutes personal for analysis Thus lunatic whom only the century could provide Ferdinand Mount takes George task for describing Tariq Ali, in a book review, as a reasonable human BENIGN Mount spent his entire article explaining that beneath Ali's benign exterior lurked a monster-like Stalin - you see those tanatics will use device to win support!
Of Robin COLESC Blackburn states in his article, 'the social movements of the sixties and early seventies were better at identifying wrongs injustices than proposing adequate and co herent solutions This is obviously true of the *Angry Young Men Private Eye coterie, whose recipe for social change always been vague.
VENGEANCE Like James Dean, they were "rebels without a cause'. Giver these gentlemen go back to the folk from whence they came, as a vicious attempt to shore up their position.
Ideologically, seeing the Labour Party representing socialism and devoid of political vision, they go back to certainties of preferably those of the 19th century - - order and "freedom law' The swinging sixties have departed with a vengeance RENAISSANCE The false credentials of these people, as ex-letties but have a profound effect on the intellectual climate, the more so as the left today is painfully weak in terms outstanding writers, satirists, Regardless of who wins the next election, the "paternal conservatism' of Callaghan or the hard strident tones of Thatcher, there is a desperate need for a renaissance of political culture on the left, stressing the humanism and moranty or sociansm egularly or Saturdays at : Oper lare London Mot from 11am every Saturday in overs or castangid COLCHESTER Socialist subporters mee egularl etals pnone steve on wivenn SCOTLAND For informat on about ine paper or its throughout Scotland please International publications EDINBURGH SocialiSt outside Saturday, 11am-2pm.
Socialist Challenge 16 November 1978 Page 15
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some depth with the style of argument and polemic St. Paul's [sic!] conversion is not only significant in
BOLTON Socialist Cle Lor. Deansgate, Thursday Communiste
speaker Bo Blacksun LabourPaty: spstairs in the Spencer Hall shopping