Truth will Out

In the past I have had occasion to admire the bias of Peter Franks articles for Salient, but in his piece on the bi-elections he descends to the level of a vituperative guttersnipe. Granted he was talking about personalities rather than politics but I fail to see why he had to drag in the name of Alick Shaw who wasn't even standing. He exhorts the sons and daughters of the bourgeoisie to sleep easy in the knowledge that the "conservatives" are back. I rather suspect that they will instead be bothering about the two "radicals" who impudently squeezed in. (If I may be permitted to speak in terms of gross stereotypes so ably begun by Mr Franks) I often wonder how the likes of Mr Franks would fit people like Enoch Powell into their political spectrum. Although obviously reactionary over his racial bigotry he could almost be termed a radical on social welfare legislation. But these damnable shades of grey are ever so bothersome aren't they?

Mr Franks has an excellent opportunity for telling us why he thinks Messrs Carson and Maru are good chaps, but no, he prefers to vilify the baddies and in so doing achieves the intellectual level of the "Birch the Bashers" campaign After all Salient doesn't have to rake muck to sell to a fickle public. You are in a very enviable position being free of the many pressures created by moneyed interests, I think you would agree that any movement for social change needs an ideology or literature and in printing "Truth like" raves you are working against that end.

Tony King.