An age without rival

Author

Perspective Media
January 05, 2025

THIS WEEK’S DEEP DIVE
An age without rival
BY SIMON HEFFER

Simon Heffer reflects on the enduring appeal of "Rivals", Jilly Cooper's nostalgia-inducing portrait of 1980s Britain. Sparked by the recent TV adaptation, he celebrates Thatcher's era of deregulation and aspiration as a time of unprecedented freedom, when people could indulge without today's pervasive health warnings and moral censure.

People

Q&A with Doon Mackichan

Doon Mackichan discusses her new memoir "My Lady Parts: A Life Fighting Stereotypes", reflecting on her journey from feminist awakening at university to breaking comedy's gender barriers with "Smack the Pony". Whether spray-painting over sexist adverts or refusing to conform to beauty standards, she remains defiantly committed to challenging female stereotypes.

www.perspectivemedia.com/doon-mackichan

❝

Smack the Pony really rewrote the comedy rule book

Comment

Our low-down on big issues

The disappearance of Abdullah Öcalan

Toby Green examines how Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has spent 25 years in brutal isolation while his radical vision for Middle Eastern peace through the abolition of nation-states goes largely unheard. Through interviews with Kurdish activists and scholars, Green explores how Öcalan's ideas about decentralised democracy might offer fresh perspectives on seemingly intractable regional conflicts.

www.perspectivemedia.com/the-disappearance-of-abdullah-ocalan

❝

His outright hostility to the nation state sits awkwardly with many traditional left-wing views of the role of the state as a means of ensuring redistribution in society

Culture

Poverty porn

Anne Billson critiques British cinema's long tradition of portraying working-class life, from kitchen sink dramas to modern social realism. As cuts to education and youth services reshape the film industry, she warns that authentic working-class stories may soon be told only by privileged outsiders looking in.

www.perspectivemedia.com/poverty-porn

❝

Social realist films about the working class are taken more seriously than any other genre, since it’s assumed they have something “important” to say that thrillers, horror films, comedies and fantasy do not

Support us

Perspective’s mission is to bring everyone back to the room for a conversation. Join us and discover a wealth of content not found elsewhere, from thought leaders, award-winning journalists and experts. Get access to thousands of articles, the latest news and our print editions, while helping to support truly independent journalism.

New Issue Out Now – Explore Our Archive
Follow us on our social channels below