"Peers" ran the headline in last Thursday's Times, "see pitfalts in more leisure time." Peers are among “ (Britain's most bizarre social groups, and on the whole they are less well studied by sociologists than, say, gypsies of tramps. The pitfalls which peers see should be of a certain interest to socialists, because they provide clues about what is going on in the heads of our 'superiors'. Often more can be learnt from a non-political debate in the Lords than from an allegedly political one in the Commons. For instance, the values of their -Lordhsips, laid bare in the famous Lady Chatterley trial debate of a couple of years ago, should be studied by all radicals not merely to enable them to arrive at an understanding of the moral bankruptcy of the establishment, but also to provide crucial signposts of the way not to go.
Last week's debate on leisure was fortified by a considerable influx of brainy life peers, who have presumably been posted to inject life into just such debates, or simply to talk long enough to prevent some of the genuine Lords from spilling the beans. Nevertheless, beans got spilt.
The most radical contribution came from Lord Willis, who proposed to nationalise the one-armed bandits. As he sat down all the two-armed bandits gave loud cheer and long applause. Lord Montgomery made an impassioned appeal for education, which, naturally, he felt should begin "in the home", He concluded his remarks with a witty reference to lavatory attendants, which was not taken v2 by the Bishop of Chester. This excellent pastor "envisaged a great increase in the numbers offering themselves for ordination to a parttime ministry." Earl Baldwin of Bewdley lobbied vigorously for "a little less self-expression and a little more discipline for children." .Lord Aukland wished to extend the use of the feet. Lord Taylor admired the Beatles. Lord Milverton wondered if, deprived of economic necessity, the human character would collapse.
Having exhausted the subject, and referred it in this condition to Mr. Hogg, the House was in a position to recognise its own exhaustion, At 19 mintues before 10 o'clock on Wednesday, May 13th, it adjourned until Tuesday, June 2nd.
Meanwhile, adult manual workers in Britain continued to work an average of almost 48 hours a week, hundreds of thousands of lowpaid workers angled for Sunday shifts not in order to keep out of church, but in order to make ends meet, and 'mods' and 'rockers', all over London, were planning whether to visit Clacton or Brighton.
One hopes that the Young Socialists will before long be able to talk to 'mods', 'rockers', and millions of other youngsters. But in the meantime, if there are any rootless 'mods' who are looking for an interesting place to visit in June the 2nd, could we suggest one?