British Political Scene in Jonathan Coe's the Closed Circle

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M. Pierre KRAMOKO, Maître de Conférences

COMITÉ DE RÉDACTION

- Professeur Guézé Habraham Aimé DAHIGO, Professeur Titulaire

- Dr Vamara KONÉ, Maître de Conférences

- Dr Kouamé ADOU, Maître de Conférences

- Dr Kouamé SAYNI, Maître de Conférences

- Dr Koffi Eugène N’GUESSAN, Maître de Conférences

- Dr Gossouhon SÉKONGO, Maître de Conférences

- Dr Philippe Zorobi TOH, Maître de Conférences

- Dr Jérome Koffi KRA, Maître de Conférences

COMITÉ SCIENTIFIQUE

Prof. Azoumana Ouattara, Université Alassane Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire

Prof. Coulibaly Daouda, PhD,Université Alassane Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire

Prof. Djako Arsène, Université Alassane Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire

Prof. Francis Akindès, Université Alassane Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire

Prof. Lawrence P. Jackson, Johns Hopkins University, USA

Prof. Léa N’Goran-Poamé, Université Alassane Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire

Prof. Mamadou Kandji, Université Ckeick Anta Diop, Sénégal

Prof. Margaret Wright-Cleveland, Florida State University, USA

Prof. Kenneth Cohen, St Mary’s College of Maryland, USA

Prof. Nubukpo Komlan Messan, Université de Lomé, Togo

Prof. Séry Bailly, Université Félix Houphouët Boigny, Abidjan

Prof. Zigui Koléa Paulin, Université Alassane Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire

TABLE OF CONTENTS/ TABLE DES MATIÈRES

1. Kouadio Germain N’GUESSAN, GENDER HIERARCHY AND THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF FEMININITY: THE IMPOSED MASK.…………1 - 19

2. Goh Théodore TRA BI, HISTORIOGRAPHY OF NARRATIVE THEORIES IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.…………………………………………20 - 37

3. Ezoulé Miézan Isaac KANGAH, BRITISH POLITICAL SCENE IN JONATHAN COE’S THE CLOSED CIRCLE.……………………………38 - 56

4. Gabrielle KEITA, UNCOMPLETED ASPECT MARKING FROM STANDARD ENGLISH TO NIGERIAN PIDGIN: A COMPARATIVE STUDY.…………………………………………………………………………57 - 68

5. Constant Ané KONÉ, REMEMBERING SLAVERY MEMORY IN GAYL JONES’ CORREGIDORA.…………………………………………………….69 - 88

6. Germain ASSAMOI, MODALITY IN SCIENTIFIC DISCOURSE, BETWEEN RADICAL AND EPISTEMIC.………………………………89 - 105

7. Koffi Eugène N’GUESSAN, BRIDGING THE VALLEY OF NIHILISM IN AUGUST WILSON’S FENCES.…………………………………………106 - 121

8. Souleymane TUO, SLAVE REBELLION IN ANDRE PHILIPPUS BRINK’S AN INSTANT IN THE WIND.……………………………………………122 - 139

9. Dolourou SORO, A MARXIST READING OF ERNEST GAINES’ A LESSON BEFORE DYING.……………………………………………………………140 - 156

10. Tié Emmanuel TOH BI, POÉTIQUE TRAGIQUE ET TRAGÉDIE, POUR L’ESQUISSE D’UNE POÉTIQUE DU TRAGIQUE DANS LA POÉSIE NÉGRO-AFRICAINE; UNE ILLUSTRATION DU MICROCOSME IVOIRIEN DANS LA MÈRE ROUGE DE CEDRIC MARSHALL KISSY.…………157 - 178

11. Paul KOUABENAN, THE SOCIAL FUNCTION OF ART: A STUDY OF CHINUA ACHEBE’S NO LONGER AT EASE, A MAN OF THE PEOPLE AND ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH.………………………………………178 - 192

12. Renais Ulrich KACOU, COLONIALISM AND RACISM IN TSITSI DANGAREMBGA’S THE BOOK OF NOT.………………………………193 - 203

13. Adiele Kilanko ZANNOU, THE AMERICAN DREAM IN LANGSTON HUGHES’ SELECTED POEMS.…………………………………………204 - 226

14. Jean Jacques Gnahoua SABLÉ, LA LITTERATURE COMME UN EXAMEN DE MEMOIRE, D’OUBLI ET DE RECONCILIATION.……………….227 - 235

15. Aliou Badara KANDJI, VIOLENCE, INCEST AND DELAYED DECODING IN THE SCOTTISH BALLAD, “EDWARD, EDWARD” (CHILD 13)...236 - 244

16. Pierre KRAMOKO, THE HOMELESS HOUSEHOLD: A REFLECTION ON THE FAMILY IN TONI MORRISON’S SULA AND SONG OF SOLOMON.…………………………………………………………………245 - 259

17. Désiré Yssa KOFFI, THE VOICE IN THE PERIPHERY: BLACK CULTURE IN TONI MORRISON’S TAR BABY.………………………260 - 272

18. Minata KONÉ, THE NGURARIO OR MARRIAGE IN FICTION AND REAL LIFE.……………………………………………………………….273 - 285

19. Daouda COULIBALY, THE DRAMATIZATION OF THE FEMALE BODY: DISCOURSES OF RESISTANCE AND POWER IN OF EVE ENSLER’S THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES.……………………………………………286 - 298

BRITISH POLITICAL SCENE IN JONATHAN COE’S THE CLOSED CIRCLE Ezoulé Miézan Isaac KANGAH Université Alassane Ouattara

Abstract: Jonathan Coe’s The Closed Circle gives full vent to the disappointment and disenchantment of a middle age lived in a time of New Labour. This article sheds a critical light on the representations of the British political history in the works of Jonathan Coe. Specifically, it discusses how the transition from the post-war consensus politics and the welfare state to neoliberalism is represented, and how these transformations that British society has undergone in Mrs Thatcher and Mr Blair’s era are the subject of political analysis and criticism in the works of Coe.

Keywords: New Labour, discusses, politics, political analysis, political criticism, political history.

Résumé : The Closed Circle de Jonathan Coe donne la pleine mesure de la déception et du désenchantement qu’une classe moyenne a vécus pendant la gouvernance du New Labour. Cet article jette un regard critique sur la peinture de l’histoire politique britannique dans les travaux de Jonathan Coe. En particulier, il examine comment l’on est passé de la transition de la politique du consensus d'après-guerre et de l'état providence au néolibéralisme, et comment ces transformations que la société britannique a subies à l’époque de Mme Thatcher et de M. Blair sont sujettes à des analyses politique et critique dans les travaux de Coe.

Mots clé : Nouveau Parti Travailliste, examine, la politique, analyse politique, critique politique, histoire politique.

Introduction

One of the main questions developed in The Closed Circle1 is the influence of Politics in society. We refer to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary to define Politics as “the activities involved in getting and using power in public life, and being able to influence decisions that affect a country or a society”2. In his novel, Jonathan Coe seems to be exposing a critique, if not a parody of politics in the United Kingdom3. Thus, the question that could be raised is: Why is Politics presented as a social fact based on uncertainty, insincerity, and decadence? As a matter of fact, that insincerity can be perceived through the following description of the character Paul Trotter:

Paul had already acquired a reputation as someone who would talk and more often than not say something quotable. (...) He knew that journalists would like nothing better than to catch him off his guard. He knew that the people who had voted him had certain expectation of a Labour administration, and that many of his own personal convictions, if he were to state them frankly and publicly, would have shocked them, inspired them with a profound sense of disquiet and betrayal (C.C.: 42-43)

C. C introduces a lot of characters who reveal lack of stability as far as their feelings are concerned. The consequences of those unstable feelings are visible upon their inner conditions and even their ambitions. Political ideologies are represented in the behaviour of the characters of the novel. Jonathan Coe tries to illustrate the current evolution of the world. His novel mirrors the contemporary society by sometimes going back to the past decades. Joy Press, In his article “Fooled Britannia” published on the weekly newspaper Village Voice supports this point of view: “In The Closed Circle, his new sequel to The Rotters’ Club, Coe brings his characters right up to the present day and sees them look back on their childhood with puzzlement and shock at how thoroughly their universe has changed”4.

After The Rotters’ Club where the events take place in a Great Britain led by the Labour Government of Harold Wilson5, and then James Callaghan6, Jonathan Coe, in C. C transports the readers to a country governed by the New Labour of Prime Minister Tony Blair7. He presents “unrest” both in the social situation and in people’s mind. That situation is also

1 From this page on, The Closed Circle will stand for (C.C.). Further references to this novel will appear under this abbreviation in the body of this work followed by the quotation page number between parentheses. 2 Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, New York, Oxford University Press, p. 1122 3 From this page on, the United Kingdom may appear under the abbreviation UK. 4 Joy Press. “Fooled Britannia.” Village Voice. New York 17 May 2005. 5 Harold Wilson (1916 – 1995): British Prime Minister from 1964 to 1970, and from 1974 to 1976 6 James Callaghan (1912 – 2005): British Prime Minister from 1976 to 1979 7 Tony Blair, born in 1953 British Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007 39

perceived by Jenny Turner as she writes in The New York Times: “Sometimes, the characters meet up to discuss Tony Blair, suicide bombers, the invasion of Iraq in 2003; more often, they just worry about Benjamin”8. The constant worrying and instability people seem to be in, and the political and military conflicts that occurred in the novel could be compared with George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984 presenting Winston Smith like C. C’s Paul Trotter, working for the party but not always looking to the same way, concerning its policy. There are also wars without concrete reasons; (war against Eurasia, or Eastasia in 1984, and war in Iraq in C. C). But the social condition and repression differs from a novel to the other.

In his novel, Jonathan Coe seems to be mixing the British society with politics; in other words, he depicts British socio-political reality. Talking about this fact, he says:

As the book grew bigger, and more ambitious, the situations in question sometimes became political ones, and so it became necessary to start painting in the social background on a scale which eventually became panoramic. It seems to me that you have to write a novel on a very small, intimate scale for it not to become political. As soon as you start writing about how human beings interact with each other socially, you’re into politics, aren’t you?9

That increasing influence of politics in the novel is what we go through in two main steps. The first one draws a political map of Great Britain through the characterization of the novel. This part is articulated around six key characters or groups of characters or groups of characters. This analysis tries to find in them some similarities so that we could put them in the same political group.

The second step of this analysis shows the inter-connection of politics with some of the major themes of the novel. First of all, we state on the influence of love upon politics, and which is the main source of trouble in the mind of the characters of the novel. We also study the relation between politics and Media. All over the world, Media and politics have always been related. This is the same situation in The Closed Circle, where media through all of its forms seem to be part of people's life. The third theme is related with politics is economic crisis. One of the main examples of economic crisis is the selling of the car firm Rover to the Phoenix Consortium by its German owner BMW that leads to the decision of closing the Longbridge industrial area, synonym of loss of work for a lot of people. These facts are mentioned in C.C. Finally, this step is closed with the study of the links between extremism,

8 Jenny Turner, “Pale People”, New York Times, 19 June 2005. 9 Alex Mitchell. “Closing the Circle: Jonathan Coe in Interview”, Tree Monkeys Online, April 2005. 40

and politics. Extremist political ideologies and sometimes, religion are the roots of social threats such as terrorism, and racism.

I. An overview of the political map of UK through the characterization

Among the political institutions which pervade the political map of UK, the political parties have an important role in managing the government’s policy for populations. Jonathan Coe is conscious of this current proceeding and refers to it in his writing. However, how can we incorporate contemporary events and culture into fiction? It is a question that much exercises some of Jonathan Coe's characters in The Closed Circle. For Coe, whose narrative runs from Millennium Eve to early 2004 and beyond into a (politically undescribed) future, there is a lot of that kind of matter to force in.

I.1. Paul Trotter, MP

Paul Trotter, Ben Trotter’s young brother and pioneer of the “Closed Circle”, was a supporter of the conservative Party during his school years10. Years seem to have changed his mind, and led him from a side to the other one of the British political gap; from the right to the left; from the Conservative Party to the Labour, till becoming a labour MP for the Midlands, his area of origin, which can be considered as the heart of the British heavy industry. He considers himself with a touch of arrogance as a “rising star.” (C.C.: 141). This is easily comprehensible for a mid-thirty member of the parliament. In spite of his age, Paul appears as a highly experienced and seasoned politician:

His career has been on the up since returning to the back-benches two years ago. Frequent TV and radio appearances have made him one of the best- known New Labour faces, his suits just seem to get sharper and sharp every time he pops up screen. His Commission for Business and Social Initiatives has yet to report, but its findings are likely to confirm his position as a leading figure on the right wing of the party.(...) (Extracted from magazine feature, “The 50 Sharpest Men in Britain” December, 2002. (C.C.: 318))

Publicly, Paul Trotter reflects the Image of the perfect member of the Labour Party, totally devoted to the party’s new trend: the New Labour. But this is only what he wanted people to see and think. It may be a political strategy that consists in supporting the majority in order to stay in place. Anyway, that is the proof that politics is an extremely strategic science

10 Mitchell, Ibid. 41

consisting in hiding one’s real opinion for not shocking people. One of the occasions if not the only one where Paul seems to be expressing himself honestly and telling what he really wants to say is the periodic meeting of “the Closed Circle”, the secret discussion group he integrated during his years at King William School in Birmingham11. The school discussion group has now become a secret association of businessmen, intellectuals, and highly influential people. The members of the Closed Circle use to get together at the aim of discussing the country’s life. They analyse each level of the society with priority to the political and economic ones. The secret nature of the Closed Circle is perceptible with the mention “Strictly private and confidential”, introducing the minutes of their meeting (C. C.: 204). These meetings remember the Paul Trotter of the 70s; the young Tory of King William’s School, Birmingham12. These conservative roots remain present within Paul’s behaviour. He reflects the questioning and constantly changing, but proud British Conservative Party; one of the oldest political groups, which has lost its majority into the parliament.

This era of globalisation and free market economics seem to be the ones in which the Conservative Party is searching for a new identity. Great Britain’s opening to the European Union shows major changes in its traditional way of life. The British society is searching for contacts with the external world and mainly, with the European community. The losers of that new “deal” are the parties of the right side, which are considered as chauvinistic, and even nostalgic and backward ones. So they had to adapt themselves to the new political configuration. Like the Conservative Party that had been the party which every British citizen could be assimilated to, Paul Trotter, in the beginning of his political career was seen as a model of success. However, they both made a series of mistakes which will lead to their regression. It is true that mistakes are part of people or group's life but concerning Paul Trotter, and the Conservative Party, mistakes seem to take place gradually until they lead to their failure.

Paul Trotter's ambiguous political positions and speeches are copied inside his own life. His love affair with Malvina transported him to a world he thought to be mastering and finally comes to be what will put an end to his career as member of the parliament. These, I think are some of the drawbacks of the overconfidence he had in himself due to the fact that he considered himself as a rising star of British politics. Paul is a person who likes joking with people’s mind. That state of mind, of course, turns to be a quality for people who enter into

11 Idem 12 Idem 42

politics. The problem with such a behaviour is that the person concerned ought not, if he does not master it; cross the border between politics and real life by making his personal feelings and relationships melting with his political life.

Paul did not respect the rule when starting that new relationship which was initially intended to be an academic and professional collaboration, that he thought to be a game, and finally became a love affair which made him lose his capability of judgement that took him away from his political and personal convictions. Thus, Paul began making wrong choices, starting with using Mark's house for their frequent dates. That led him to vote against the rebel amendment on the war in Iraq in spite of his personal opposition. After being off way he tried to redeem himself to his own eyes but these actions were seen to be another series of mistakes. That new series is illustrated by his “double resignation” (His resignation as Member of the parliament, and his decision to divorce). Paul Trotter's resignation as Member of the parliament sounds like a confession to the Prime Minister Tony Blair (C. C.: 401-403) and self-criticism, where he officially admits his support to the rebel amendment on the war in Iraq. That resignation, as he said was intended to preserve the image of the Labour Party, anticipating the way media will comment his extramarital relationships13 but could we suppose he managed things such a way because he lost control of both his political (public) and his private situation? We personally think so.

In our opinion, these actions undertaken by Paul Trotter are part of a desperate attempt to get out of the trouble he feels. That situation could be compared with the one of the Conservative Party during the campaign for the 2001 general election during which the conservatives based their critics upon the labour administration's refusal of using the Euro as the official currency of the United Kingdom. That seems to be contradictory because the Conservative party that is supposed to have had a eurosceptic tradition is not supposed to accept the currency owned by an organisation they do not really want to deal with. This might be one of the consequences of the Conservatives’ tendency to move to a more liberal vision that started under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher14.

Paul Totter loves being in the spotlight. This is an important thing for politicians. That finally seems to have become his fate. Several years after, the young Paul of King William

13 idem 14 Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, (née Roberts, 13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013), was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. 43

School is now an MP Paul Trotter, seen as one of the Labour Party's rising stars and one of the most admired personalities of the British politics.

I.2. Prime Minister Tony Blair

Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007 is not really a character of the novel. However, his name is often mentioned as the chronology of the actions of the plot happened during his time as Prime Minister of the UK. He is the promoter of the New Labour, the ideology which consisted in moving the Labour Party from the left to the centre-left in order to make it more attractive (maybe for liberal and non-socialist people). As Steve Ludlam said: “I understand New Labour to be the modernised social democracy instituted within the Labour Party under the leadership of Tony Blair from 1994 to the present day (…) it began as a process of changing the Labour Party's electoral appeal and policies”.15 Due to his rank, Prime Minister Tony Blair is the reference of the political action in C. C. His influence shifts from the model for Paul Trotter to the “persona non grata” for people taking part to demonstrations against his management of political or economic affairs. As far as Paul Trotter is concerned, Tony Blair is the example of success in politics. He is also the kind of person who is willing to emulate.

Tony Blair had been one of the most controversial British Prime minister concerning both internal and foreign affairs. On the one hand, he was the man of a lot of agreements, acts such as the Good Friday Agreement16, the Human Rights Act17, the House of Lords Act18, the Gender Recognition Act19, and also the independence of the Bank of England, but on the other hand, he had been the main supporter of the war in Kossovo (1999) and the most important ally of the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan in 2001 and in Iraq in 2003. Tony Blair's management of the local and international affairs is the subject of waves of massive protestations taking the form of either street demonstrations, or debates led by the other parties of the opposition.

15 Matt Beech, The Political Philosophy of New Labour, New York , I. B. Tauris, 2005, p. 100 16 The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s. Northern Ireland's present devolved system of government is based on the Agreement. The Agreement also created a number of institutions between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. 17 Act of 1998 giving further effect in the British law to the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Right. 18 Act of 1999, annulling the hereditary peerage in the House of Lords. 19 2004: An act to make provision for and in connection with change of gender. 44

That last image of Prime Minister Blair reflects the image of the Labour Party losing control, influence and power on the British political life. Like Benjamin who had voted for him with much optimism (C. C.: 40), the British society seems to be feeling betrayed by a party considered socialist which is failing in keeping its social promises as explained by Ian Kershaw, Professor of Modern History:

In the workings of British government, the Blair era has not been beneficial. (...) The expectations of 1997 were quite unrealistic. In the euphoria of finally getting rid of a clapped-out, shoddy Conservative government, long past its sell-by date, quite illusory hopes were invested in the new Labour regime.20

Founded in the early 1900s by the Trade Union Congress and some left-wing organisations, the Labour Party was a socialist party that aimed at fighting for the rights of the working class and the urban proletariat and used to ally with the Liberal Party. Its MPs formally adopted the name “Labour Party” on 15 February 1906, but until 1918, it functioned as an association of affiliated groups. Finally came the accession of Tony Blair at the head of the party and the rise of the ideology of “New Labour”, as said by Mark Evans: “Tony Blair was no conviction politician but he was a committed pragmatist driven by the desire to reverse the Labour Party’s electoral fortunes and replace the Conservative Party as the natural party of British government.”21

Tony Blair's methods and idea of “New Labour” seem to have caught people's approval and expectations while they have not yet seen and experienced but some years after, their trust in this reformed political ideology fell down, and they found them far away from the reality they hoped. The Idea of “socialist liberal” way of government looks like a dream or a mirage. Anyway, a lot of people have been disappointed by it. That Situation caused social unrest but the Labour Party won the general election of 2001 in spite of that disappointment.

I.3. Munir and Philip Chase

In the C. C., Benjamin Trotter's neighbour represents the ethnic minorities resulting from the mass immigration in Great Britain22. His Pakistani origins give to him, a particular analysis of the western society. Munir is not a real revolutionist, but he has some opinions about values he considers essential for being, and that cannot be removed from his mind.

20 Ian Kershaw. “How will history judge Blair?”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6636091.stm (consulted 11 dec. 2014) 21 Mark Evans, “New Labour and the Rise of the New Constitutionalism”, Ten years of New Labour. Department of Politics; University of York, 2008, p.1 22 One of the main non-European migrant populations in Great Britain comes from the former British colonies of the Indian sub-continent. 45

Like a huge part of the British population, he is opposed to the war in Iraq and expresses it any time he can:

Munir knew that he was not the only person opposed to this war. Knew, in fact that the majority of British people were on his side. He took some comfort in the great rallies that were held, in every major city, on February 15th. He stood side by side with his fellow citizens and listened to rousing speeches and clapped and cheered, and when he got home (...) he watched the news (...) and saw that an ever greater crowd, a vast crowd had gathered in Hyde Park in London. (C. C: 338)

It would be hard to say whether Munir's radical disagreement with the western habits is a matter of religious or cultural difference or just lies on an objective and neutral analysis of the social facts. But what is sure, is the fact that he is not the only one person who has such opinion, on the view of the lot of people who rally for showing their opposition to war or their discontent concerning the economic crisis and the sale of the Longbridge Plant.

That is true that the Labour Party is a member of the International Socialism but it has become more a centre-left party than a left one. The United Kingdom has some real socialist parties. These parties will suit more to Munir as a representative.

Socialist parties’ ideology is based on the quest for an egalitarian society where “everyone has an equal right to a share of a country’s wealth.”23. Kenneth Minogue is more explicit about the subject as he writes: “Socialist finds its distinctiveness in its concern for the poor, and it seeks to legislate policies such as redistribution of wealth and state provision of welfare which will equalize conditions of life. It is hostile to luxury and the idleness of the rich.”24 That hostile behaviour toward “luxury and the idleness of the rich” may be one of the reasons of Munir’s disapproval of the American lifestyle that he considers as depraved and egocentric (C. C.: 330)

In the modern society, most of these socialist parties have merged to social democratic point of view. They promote freedom and equality for all of the people living on a territory whether they are citizens of the country or not; whether they are autochthon or not. All over Europe, population descending from immigration find themselves more compatible with socialism and the Left. They rightly or wrongly consider parties of the right side of the political landscape as nationalistic, not to say xenophobic parties.

23 Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Op. Cit., p 1399 24 Kenneth Minogue, Politics : A Very Short Introduction, New York, Oxford University Press, 1995, p. 76 46

Philip Chase embodies the humanist and helpfulness that sometimes characterize the socialist parties. He is described as a sympathetic man by his ex-wife Claire:

Of all the boys I’d known, up until that point, he was the most straightforward, the most sympathetic, the least arrogant. (...) There is a tremendous decency in Phil, as well: he is absolutely reliable and trustworthy. He made the divorce so untraumatic, I remember – a back handed compliment, I know but if you ever want to get divorced from someone... Philip is your man. (C. C: 9)

The quest for contact, agreement, and compromise seems to be part the socialist ideological strategy. Philip, the journalist hopes for a better British society where people could live without being afraid of discrimination. His Friends know that these are almost part of Philip’s Identity. That is why Steve Richards asked him for help when racist threats visibly from Sean Harding came to put trouble in his mind.

I.4. Sean Harding

Sean Harding, the former student of King William School now lives in an isolated farm but he remains faithfully attached to his ideology, and admits his admiration for the skinheads: “He said that he’d made mistakes in the past, he didn’t deny that. But he said that he actually admired the skinheads and the people who took ‘race war’ seriously (...) people who took it to the streets. He said he didn’t call them thugs, he called them warriors, and the Warrior Spirit was part of our heritage, part of our folklore.” (C. C: 375) Sean Harding is the model supporter of the far right parties. These neo-Nazi parties, keen in developing and trying to realize the Hitlerite theories of racial separation as mentioned in his book Mein Kampf:

This urge for the maintenance of the unmixed breed, which is a phenomenon that prevails throughout the whole of the natural world, results not only in the sharply defined outward distinction between one species and another but also in the internal similarity of characteristic qualities which are peculiar to each breed or species. The fox remains always a fox, the goose remains a goose, and the tiger will retain the character of a tiger. The only difference that can exist within the species must be in the various degrees of structural strength and active power, in the intelligence, efficiency, endurance, etc., with which the individual specimens are endowed 25

British political organisations such as BNP26 and EDL27 have not very significant number partisans, but the mass immigration added to the economic problems are increasing the

25 Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf. vol. 1, chapter XI. https://www.stormfront.org/books/mein_kampf/mkv1ch11.html (consulted 23 feb. 2015) 26 British National Party 47

influence of their radical discourse among the British youth which enjoys the extremist positions coming even from the outside of UK. One example is the message left on Facebook by a 23 year old supporter of a British far right party congratulating the Norwegian murderer Anders Breivik: “[Breivik] is truly inspirational. He sacrificed his life so Europe might be free again from the clutches of Islam and cultural Marxism, multiculturalism and political correctness. I see him as my role model, what every European man needs to be in order for Europe to survive.”28

I.5. Doug Anderton, and Benjamin Trotter

Doug Anderton, the journalist is to our mind, one of the most representative characters of the book for the British Liberal Democrat Party. The party born from the association of members of the defunct Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party, dissident from the Labour Party remains the third political force in UK. It tries to carry the heritage of Liberal Party, the promotion of open economic strategy, and free market. However, the new form of economics and globalization have made most of the other political parties and mainly the Conservatives, and the Labour turn to liberalism as put by Kenneth Minogue:

This is a common situation. Parties steal each other’s clothes and poach each other’s supporters as part of the great game of politics, often with relatively little concern for doctrinal consistency. Liberals who used to stand for free trade became defenders of subsidy and protection with the so-called New Liberalism of the 1890s. Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government after 1979 was accused of betraying conservatism and espousing classical liberalism.29

Doug Anderton is a person who is always looking for evolution and equality. He passionately loves politics. This is the reason why he turned very angry when he was asked to be the literary editor of the magazine he works for, instead of the place of political editor he was expecting (C. C.: 91). However, his offensive and scurrilous reaction is not forcedly a part of his liberal ways.

Benjamin is the observer in the novel like the Liberal Democrat party, standing like a judge between the conservatives and the Labour, fighting for political leadership. His behaviour gives him enough objectivity for analysing things. He sees and studies each situation

27 English Defence League 28 Mark Townsend, “British far-right extremists voice support for Anders Breivik”, The Observer, p.7, 2 September 2012 29 Kenneth Minogue, Op.Cit, p. 77 48

and each of the main characters of the novel. Benjamin Trotter seems to be overwhelmed by the other characters. Unlike these characters that are enjoying the situation and moving forward and backward, Benjamin seems to be stagnating and living a dull life, jailed in inside his doubts, and waiting for something that will never come. If Doug personifies the Liberal Democrats’ will of change, Benjamin represents the party’s place in the shadow of the Labour and the Conservatives, and this can be summed up by these words from the current head of the party, Nick Clegg: “We’ve had 65 years of Labour and the Conservatives: the same parties taking turns and making the same mistakes, letting you down. It is time for something different. It is time for something better.”30

II. The Inter-influence of Politics and the Main Themes of the Novel

This step of our paper appears as a supplement answer to the question put in the introductory paragraph to the first part above: “How can we incorporate contemporary events and culture into fiction?” It is obvious that the themes of love, media, economy, civilization and extremism intertwine with political proceedings in the novel.

II.1. Politics and Love

The love affair between Paul Trotter and his media advisor Malvina, is one of the most important stories of the novel. It presents the way love, or in this case, lust, can influence political decisions. Malvina here represents the sexual obsession that characterises a lot of people who are engaged in political actions. Paul and Malvina’s affair show us how compromising can an extramarital relation be for a political career. That love story has altered Paul’s ability of thinking taking into account the opinion of the population, the party or his own convictions but just listening to his sexual needs and giving his approval to war in Iraq, an action he disagrees with, in order to use his brother-in-law’s flat for his regular dates with Malvina. We can also notice the trouble in which Paul has been as that affair was going on. He had to deal with the preservation of the image of his party, and his own image in the press, the opinion of his friends, and the reaction of his wife if she knew his unfaithfulness. The relation he first considered as a joke was getting too serious until he lost the control on the situation. This led him to make a succession of wrong choices that were intended to be good decision for helping him hold all the cards. The “rising star” seems to have lost his brightness and finally

30 Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010, p. 4; ˂ www.libdems.org.uk/manifesto> 49

resigned in order to preserve his image and the Labour Party’s. His despair and confusion are quite visible through the lines of the letter he wrote to the Prime Minister to present his resignation:

Dear Prime Minister, It is with great regret that I feel I must tender my resignation as a Member of the parliament. I am doing so entirely for personal, rather than political reasons. Almost three years ago, as you may recall, certain rumours about my private life appeared in the newspapers. I acted swiftly to stop them, and deeply regretted any embarrassment they may have caused to the party. More recently, I am sorry to say, my private life has again become difficult: and this time, rather than let the newspapers get there first, I have resolved to take pre-emptive action. (...) In short, I have decided to leave my wife, Susan, and our two young daughters. (...) I have no doubt that, when the press come to hear about it, I shall be vilified. So be it: this is the media culture we choose to live in. But I am not prepared to let the party suffer as a consequence. (C. C.: 401)

II.2. Politics and the media

Media is present throughout most of the events which take place through the novel. It is used anywhere, deals with any matter which could get some interest among the population. May it be on television, radio or papers, politics and media go together. That is also the opinion of Ian Hargreaves in Journalism: A very Short Introduction:

In politics, democracy itself is at stake in this world of high-speed, always-on news. Political reporters pronounce sudden verdicts upon the politicians they often outshine in fame and, as a result, parliaments everywhere feel themselves reduced to side-attractions. (…) Today, the news media appear to have become the first estate, able to topple monarchs and turn Parliament into a talking shop which ceases to exist if journalists turn their backs. Television interviewers wag their fingers at government ministers, called to account in the headmaster’s studio, live, before a mass audience. in the great non-stop media show.31

Media is the main tool of propaganda. All over the world, people make a general use of it for fulfilling their need of information, and advertisement. Media here is also the voice that carries the opinion of people who want to express their opposition to the government policy concerning the management of economics and war.

Every event concerning politics in the novel is reported in the press. Press is constantly looking for politicians as well as politicians are constantly looking for press. Politics

31 Ian Hargreaves, Journalism: A very Short Introduction, New York, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 3

is one of the most important fields media gives interest to. This is seen with Malvina, the student in media studies, who has to write a dissertation on the relationship between new labour and the media. Journalists have to keep themselves close to politicians in order to train their skills in unveiling or even creating the hidden meaning of their words when discourse seems ambiguous and senseless as Benjamin Trotter says to his brother Paul: “Politicians have become so careful about what they say, and political utterances have become so bland, that journalists now have the task of creating meaning out of the words that they’re given. It’s not what you guys say that matter anymore, it’s how it’s interpreted.” (C. C.: 52)

Journalists describe everything going from the election to the private life of politicians. Jonathan Coe, most of the time, shows extracts of newspapers in order to make more visible the events he wants to share with the readers. Press is used for describing demonstrations, politicians, and elections. It is the mean people use to expose social problems, and catch attention, so that journalists can be called in order to make investigations and help solving other people’s problems. This has been the case when Steve Richards called his former schoolmate Phillip Chase when he was feeling threatened by neo-Nazis.

Press seems to be what led Paul to politics. His membership of the “Closed Circle” and his closeness with the school journal at King Williams School (C.C. 52) look like the starting point of his interest in politics. From that fact, he developed his skills in avoiding questions which would be taken out of context, decrease his credibility, and make him lose his status of “Rising Star” As a politician Paul Trotter knows the importance of his relationship with the press and this could initially be the reason he hired Malvina.

II.3. Politics and economic crisis

C. C presents Great Britain in a state of economic crisis. That crisis is illustrated by the problems rising in the Midlands, considered as the heart of the British heavy industry. Promoting and creating a welfare State is the mission of a government and a party on power. So economic problems take them away from that goal, and decrease their credibility in the eyes of the population. Paul Trotter, due to his status of Member of the Parliament for Birmingham, coming from the area, has to make the case of Longbridge, quite a personal problem. So he did when he went to Gammel Skagen in order to meet his friend Rolf Baumann, member of the board of management of BMW to negotiate a solution which could preserve the jobs that have to be lost with the sale of Rover. The sale of the car firm Rover by its German owner BMW to the Phoenix Consortium, leading to the closure of the Longbridge Plant has got some influence

upon the political life of the Kingdom even if it did not make the power change from the left to the right. Economic crisis most of the time, gives birth to social unrest and demonstrations. So is also the case in C. C. and this is an example from an article written by Doug Anderton:

Warning for Blair as 100,000 Rally for Rover Doug Anderton The chanting never seemed to stop, and after a while it became hypnotic, like a classic piece of trance: ‘Tony Blair, Shame on You! Shame on You for Turning Blue!’ Whether the Prime Minister is listening or not is another matter. But the people of Birmingham left the government in no doubt about their feelings yesterday, as the city saw not only its own biggest demonstration since the 1970s? BUT ONE OF Britain’s most significant expressions of mass protest since Mrs Thatcher’s confrontations with the striking miners (C. C.:110)

The loss of work, added to opposition to the British military campaign in Iraq increased social tension and series of demonstrations that express a disapproval of the new Labour’s policy among British citizens. The result of these events is the reduction of the parliamentary majority of the Labour Party during the elections.

II.4. Politics and the Western civilization

This part will mainly focus on USA and the way its politics, way of life, and place in the world are presented thought the eyes of the characters and the events described in the novel. The events such as terrorist attacks and war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and some speeches in the novel, point out the clash at every level between the western world, and the rest of the world, particularly with the Arabic world. This situation is what Munir explains when he shows his disapproval of the American life style:

This is America today. A Land of degenerates! Is it any wonder that the rest of the world has started to despise them? What kind of... probity can expect from a nation that conducts itself in such a way? This is a country that professes one thin and then does the opposite – but in full view of everybody! It preaches religion and morality but then its women behave like whores. It forces other countries to disarm but then it spends all of its money building up the most terrifying arsenal of nuclear and conventional weapons on the planet. It spits in the face of the Muslim world and stampedes through the Middle East in its thirst for oil to fill it petrol-guzzling cars and then it professes astonishment that a man like Osama bin Laden can exist and believe what he believes. And this – where our Prime Minister tells us our allegiance lies. With a nation of cowboys and call-girls. (C. C.: 330)

Munir here seems to be making a parallel between the way Americans behave in everyday life and the way they manage foreign affairs. For him, the Western States and particularly the USA look like the leaders who have to teach their policy to each of the other countries throughout the world, but are the countries which act contrarily on the opposite side of how they want the others to manage their political affairs.

II.5. Politics and extremism

Extremism is one of the subjects underlined in C. C. as well as in any book describing a western country. In fact, terrorism is not only the one coming from radical Islamic groups but it can also be traced inside the internal British affairs such as the Irish conflict which haunts the memory of a lot of characters in the book and particularly the Trotters since one of their members, Lois lost her boyfriend in an IRA32 bomb blast in 197433. Like economic welfare, war against terrorism is a priority for the government. Thus it is easier to use it for reaching electoral goals as showed in the 2005 Labour Party Manifesto:

Police and other law enforcement agencies now have the powers they need to ban terrorist organisations, to clampdown on their fundraising and to hold suspects for extended questioning while charges are brought. Over 700 arrests have been made since 2001.Wherever possible; suspects should be prosecuted through the courts in the normal way. So we will introduce new laws to help catch and convict those involved in helping to plan terrorist activity or who glorify or condone acts of terror. But we also need to disrupt and prevent terrorist activity. New control orders will enable police and security agencies to keep track on those they suspect of planning terrorist outrages including bans on whom they can contact or meet, electronic tagging and curfew orders, and for those who present the highest risk, a requirement to stay permanently at home. We will continue to improve coordination between enforcement agencies and cooperation with other countries so that every effort is made to defeat the terrorists.34

These lines illustrate how crucial is war against terrorism in the British society. That struggle becomes also a good justification for the British military campaign in Afghanistan in 2001, and Iraq in 2003.

The second aspect of extremism that is seen in the novel is racism. This is mainly visible with Sean Harding. As well as terrorism, racism in C. C. seems to have people who try

32 IRA stands for: The Irish Republican Army 33. Jonathan Coe. The Rotters’ Club. London: Penguin 2001, p.182. 34 The Labour Party Manifesto 2005, PP 53-54 53

to justify it. But unlike terrorism which is described as a violent response to violence, racism lies in the feeling of superiority leading to the rejection or even violent behaviour toward the other races living sometimes in the neighbourhood. We can see that when Sean Harding, commenting what happened to Steve Richards said that he did not really stick to England, and that he would be happier if he went back to where his “folk” were. (C. C.: 377)

Extremist people analyse things totally differently from the others. Their objective seems to be the setting of a political chaos. To do so, they try to support every situation of conflict that could raise, and try to get an ideological benefit in it. This is perceivable in this comment Philip Chase made on Sean Harding who was also a schoolmate of him when he went to meet him:

And that apparently, was why he had become so interested in Islam and had convinced himself jihad was the new way forward. (...) He said that al-Qaeda and the Aryan warriors were basically on the same side because the real enemy was America and the Zionists who ruled the world (...) But he was in favour of the war in Irak, Apparently because he thought it would inspire more terrorist attacks on the West and this was a good thing. (C. C.: 376)

Conclusion

C. C shows not only the image of British politics, but it presents a general view of politics in most of the western States. Jonathan Coe here presents his characters as archetypes of the different ideologies which coexist in the field of the world’s new form of politics and rely on democratic values in order to get power; politics deeply transformed by globalisation, and the development of means of communication that give them a broader visibility. However, some facts like extremism are always present. They have become part of the society and finally have their say in local affairs.

Contemporary people; may them be politicians, speculators, partisans or just observers have to deal with politics taking into account the tools of their era. Ideologies, point of view, tend to be malleable. Parties adapt themselves to the will of the mass in order to achieve the goal of being elected or at least being heard and having their say in the debate. Like Kenneth Minogue, we can affirm that “In actual politics, the formula that liberals, broadly, favour reform, and conservatives stick with tradition, points us in the right direction, but no more.”35 Even if such politics seems to be trying to put everybody on the same side, its respect of

35 Kenneth Minogue, Op. Cit., p.77

differences could make it join quite partly the ideology of postmodernism. For, the postmodern lesson we can draw from The Closed Circle is that to achieve their vision for the West, Postmodernists must dismantle the present socio-political-economic system, replacing the foundational ideas of individual liberty and the rule of law based on God’s moral order with Postmodern politics -- the concepts of identity politics and social justice.

Works Cited

I-CORPUS

1. Coe, Jonathan. The Closed Circle. 2004. London: Penguin, 2005.

II- OTHER WORK BY JONATHAN COE

2. The Rotters’ Club. London: Penguin, 2001.

III- OTHER SOURCES

3. Beech, Matt. The Political Philosophy of New Labour. New York: I. B. Tauris, 2005.

4. Evans, Mark. “New Labour and the Rise of the New Constitutionalism”, Ten years of New Labour. Department of Politics: University of York, 2008.

5. Hargreaves, Ian. Journalism: A very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

6. Hitler, Adolph, Mein Kampf. vol. 1, chapter XI. https://www.stormfront.org/books/mein_kampf/mkv1ch11.html

7. Kershaw, Ian. “How will history judge Blair?”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6636091.stm

8. Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010, p. 4; ˂ www.libdems.org.uk/manifesto>

9. Minogue, Kenneth. Politics: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

10. Mitchell, Alex. “Closing the Circle: Jonathan Coe in Interview”, Tree Monkeys Online, April 2005

11. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 1948. New York. Oxford University Press, 2006.

12. Press Joy. “Fooled Britannia.” Village Voice. New York 17 May 2005.

13. The Labour Party Manifesto 2005 ˂ http://www.election.demon.co.uk>

14. Townsend Mark, “British far-right extremists voice support for Anders Breivik”, The Observer, 2 September 2012.