The Glass

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View of 'Destiny' by David Edgar which shown on BBC 1 on Tuesday 31 January. 'Brit worl mort faces wher buys wher ruine rev Despite being an unashamedly 'political' play David Edgar had obviously gone to great lengths to avoid simply stringing together a series of political speeches.

Within the obvious limits imposed by such a comprehensive subject there was clearly great effort to give the characters some depth.

After making the point that Powell's 1968 'Rivers of Blood' speech made racism respectable Destiny went on to trace the elements that go into British fascism today.

The central character, Turner (brilliantly portrayed by Colin Jeavons) returns from army service in India and sets up a small business in a Mir inds town.

4 supporter of the • Empire' he finds his gradually crumbling. and more immigrant ppearing in the town.

The final straw comes Metropolitan Trust up the whole street 1is business is and he is Drawn to fascism He sets up the Taddley Patriotic League (TPL) and the play uses a public meeting of the League, addressed by David Maxwell from 'Nation Forward' (NF) to show how people are drawn towards fascism.

A young housewife married to a reactionary lecturer complains about her husband's 'anti patriotic black students fact that her house has become unsaleable because of her black neighbours.

A middle-aged •Tory woman says that all the views she has held dear for 30 years seem to be losing ground.

Her attack on the unions brings a response from a white working class trade unionist who feels that he too is under threat-this time from the growing proportion of blacks in his factory.

The final element in the meeting is a young unemployed worker who sees no prospect of getting a job.

Desperation draws all these people to the meeting and their attitude is cleverly summed-up by NF member Maxwell in the phrase 'fings ain't wot they used to be.

He goes on to argue that despite class differences they have more in common-they must come together to the nation"

The TPL becomes part of the NF and Turner is selected as candidate for the coming by-election.

Two faced During the course of the campaign the classic two faces of fascism were shown in the conflict between Maxwell, who wanted more emphasis on policies, such as opposition to wage control, which would appeal to the workers, and the old NF campaigner Cleaver, who wanted to leave himself more room for deals with the employers.

In this case Maxwell is "purged' but it is important to draw out the fact that if fascism is to succeed it will indeed attempt to maintain this dual position right up to the point of power.

While its role is to lefend capitalism, the fascist needs use cialist rhetoric to succeed. rhetoric succeed.

The 'anti-monopoly' Gregor Strasser wing of the Nazis, which was dominant in the SA and which took National Socialism at face value was purged only after Hitler had used it to gain a base amongst backward workers and power in the state.

Edgar skillfully portrays the way Turner is manipulated by the hard-core Nazis.

In one scene we see him being coached through his speech, and watch Cleaver draw out the importance of the "world Jewish conspiracy"

Rothschild, Marx, Luxembourg, Trotsky were Jews he declares-so financ. capitalism and communism are all part of the same plot.

When a confused Turner protests that he is not antisemitic Cleaver delivers the final blow.

The owner of Metropolitan Trust, the source of Turner's ruin, is named Goodman-clearly a Jew.

'Left' Labour

The way in which reformism is incapable of meeting the fascists head on is shown by the 'left' Labour candidate who initially supports black workers on strike against discrimination in a local factory.

When he starts getting complaining letters from Labour voters he backs down.

The comes Keil Jewish shot he is asked to defend an "illegal' immigrant.

Although he claims to oppose the 1971 Immigration Act, he refuses to defend those who have "broken the law"

"Joint stand"

The immigrant workers turn away from him in disgust.

The Tory candidate, from the Heath wing of the party, revolted by the NF, approaches the Labour candidate for a "joint stand".

This offer is rejected. When the result is declared he makes a gesture by refusing to shake Turner's hand but has nothing else to offer in the fight against fascism.

The way in which the employers are drawn towards the fascists is shown when the NF are called in to break the Asian picket line.

Co-operation

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Council of Action was relegated to the status of a strike support committee.

While the question of wage control and the continuation of the present government remain so closely linked, and while the TUC leaders remain openly dedicated to the