While researching the 'New Worlds' entry for the Moorcockopedia, I came across this:
Now I've been aware of this incident for almost as long as I've known about NW itself, but does anyone know:
a) Who asked the question?
b) What the question actually was?
c) What was the Minister's answer?
Unfortunately, Hansard (the UK parliament's record of parliamentary debates) only goes as far back as 1988 online, so short of a trip down to the Palace of Westminster, does anyone here have details of this exchange?
Cheers,
David
NEW WORLDS 180 appeared in March 1968, and that was when the shit really hit the fan. Britain's two major distributors, John Menzies and W.H.Smith, refused to distribute it on the grounds of 'obscenity and libel', though it was never made clear just what NEW WORLDS contained that they imagined to be libellous. This was picked up by the 'Daily Express' newspaper, and in the House of Commons a Tory MP demanded to know of Arts Minister Jennie Lee why public money (the Arts Council grant) was being used to subsidise filth.
a) Who asked the question?
b) What the question actually was?
c) What was the Minister's answer?
Unfortunately, Hansard (the UK parliament's record of parliamentary debates) only goes as far back as 1988 online, so short of a trip down to the Palace of Westminster, does anyone here have details of this exchange?
Cheers,
David
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