HW: Help for a paper

[J. Scruton]

At 11:05 AM 10/26/98 GMT, you wrote:
>J. Scruton writes:
>
>> Hey there Hawkgang,
>>
>> Probably opening up a bag of worms, I'm thinking about writing a paper on
>> the political interpretations of rock groups -- both in the material they
>> play and
>> how they are received, etc.
>
>Ah well, I may have something for you here. My fave "political" item was
>this lovely ditty based on the British "Spycatcher" affair. Basically
>there was an ex MI5 spy called Peter Wright who, in contravention of the
>Official Secrets Act, wrote a book about secrets and the activity of
>MI5. He published from Australia and the Thatcher Government proptly
>banned the book. This, as these things do, gave it excellent promotion
>and it became the most heavily "smuggled" item into Britain for a while.
>Even in a nation where half the population don't own a book, the
>hardcover was sold from barrows in street markets. The book didn't
>contain anything of great shock value since there can be hardly anyone
>in the UK who doesn't believe that MI5 spy on opposition leaders,
>dissidents, and people who don't wear the Right Sort of Tie. It was
>kinda fun to see The Wicked Old Bat fulminating that Wright, the
>smugglers, and so on were all way short of Proper Patriotism and
>probably paid up members of The Enemy Within.
>
>
>
>P.S: Peter Rabbit is a character from a children's fable. No relation to
>Roger Rabbit.
>
Heheheheh. Nice! I remember when the book came out. Always thought it
wasn't wise to ban a book of secrets from being sold in every country but
the one it's written about. Seems to defeat the purpose.  Good book, too.
Bought it for my dad one father's day and read it soon afterward.
Thanks!

I've got a file on you all (hahahaha),
Jason
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"It is only beginning with me that the earth knows great politics."
        -F.Nietzsche, _Ecce Homo_
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