V (poem)
Encyclopedia
V is a poem by Tony Harrison
written in 1985. The poem aroused much controversy when broadcast in film version on Channel 4.
cemetery "now littered with beer cans and vandalised by obscene graffiti". The cemetery in question is Holbeck cemetery in the Beeston
area of Leeds which overlooks the Elland Road
football ground, close to where Harrison grew up.
The poem gives description of the graffiti on the grave, and pays particular notice to the use of the word united, exploring its ambiguous meaning, be it that of a football club or a feeling of unity. Incidentally the word 'united' is very rarely used in Leeds, when referring to Leeds United, the initials 'LUFC' are more commonly used.
and makes reference to this as well as to National Union of Mineworkers leader, Arthur Scargill
. The poem also makes reference to what the author calls 'all the versus' in life and includes 'communism
v. fascism
' and 'Left v. Right'.
press openly criticised the move. An early day motion
entitled "Television Obscenity" was put to the house on the 27th of October 1987 by a small group of Conservative
MPs. The motion was only opposed by one MP, Norman Buchan
(Labour
) who suggested that MPs had either failed to read or failed to understand 'V'.
Despite continued protests from conservative factions of the press and parliament, the broadcast went ahead. Gerald Howarth said that Harrison was "Probably another bolshie poet wishing to impose his frustrations on the rest of us". When told of this, Harrison retorted that Howarth was "Probably another idiot MP wishing to impose his intellectual limitations on the rest of us".
Tony Harrison
Tony Harrison is an English poet and playwright. He is noted for controversial works such as the poem V and Fram, as well as his versions of ancient Greek tragedies, including the Oresteia and Hecuba...
written in 1985. The poem aroused much controversy when broadcast in film version on Channel 4.
Premise and setting
'V' describes the authors visit to his parents' grave in a LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
cemetery "now littered with beer cans and vandalised by obscene graffiti". The cemetery in question is Holbeck cemetery in the Beeston
Beeston, Leeds
Beeston is a suburb Leeds, West Yorkshire, England located about 2 miles south of the city centre. The area is separated from surrounding areas to the north, east and west by the M621 motorway....
area of Leeds which overlooks the Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
football ground, close to where Harrison grew up.
The poem gives description of the graffiti on the grave, and pays particular notice to the use of the word united, exploring its ambiguous meaning, be it that of a football club or a feeling of unity. Incidentally the word 'united' is very rarely used in Leeds, when referring to Leeds United, the initials 'LUFC' are more commonly used.
Political references
The poem was written during the 1984-1985 miners strikeUK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
and makes reference to this as well as to National Union of Mineworkers leader, Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill is a British politician who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002, leading the union through the 1984–85 miners' strike, a key event in British labour and political history...
. The poem also makes reference to what the author calls 'all the versus' in life and includes 'communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
v. fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
' and 'Left v. Right'.
Broadcast and controversy
A filmed version of V. was broadcast by Channel 4 in October 1987. Prior to the broadcast, both tabloid and broadsheetBroadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
press openly criticised the move. An early day motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
entitled "Television Obscenity" was put to the house on the 27th of October 1987 by a small group of Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MPs. The motion was only opposed by one MP, Norman Buchan
Norman Buchan
Norman Findlay Buchan was a Labour politician, who represented the West Renfrewshire seat from 1964 until 1983 and the Paisley South seat from 1983 to 1990....
(Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) who suggested that MPs had either failed to read or failed to understand 'V'.
Despite continued protests from conservative factions of the press and parliament, the broadcast went ahead. Gerald Howarth said that Harrison was "Probably another bolshie poet wishing to impose his frustrations on the rest of us". When told of this, Harrison retorted that Howarth was "Probably another idiot MP wishing to impose his intellectual limitations on the rest of us".