Quinquagenary n. Definition: The 50 years from 1966 to 2016. By extension, the British Establishment that dominated during those 50 years, i.e., from Revolver to Brexit. (Pronunciation variable, though my choice would be ‘kwin-KWODG-inary’ as the easiest to say.) Coined for the Daily Sceptic in August 2026.
This piece is for Duke Maskell. He is part of an intelligentsia, one not mentioned in the book Between the Waves by Tom McTague, published last year, which chronicles various intellectual lineages and resentments that survived the bleak years to fuel Brexit. There was the Quinquagenary, and there were those who were opposed to it. McTague deals with some who opposed it. But he does not mention the unstudied intelligentsia that includes the great Ian Robinson and Robinson’s teacher, F.R. Leavis. For, as well as a Stone right, and a Scruton right and a Cowling right, as detailed by McTague, there was a Leavis right. Who is Maskell? Ally of Ian Robinson, also editor of the old Haltwhistle Quarterly, also co-author of The New Idea of the University, the best account of the modern university bar none (I am including you, Collini), and also now author of the Reactionary Essays Substack. (Read his piece on UKIP to get a sense of the tone.)
This August I travelled from Galatia back to Bernicia and Deira for ten days and read, while in 'North Britain', Private Eye (twice), the New Statesman, the Spectator as usual, the London Review of Books
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The Leavisian-right was righter (in both senses) than the Scrutonian, which was never very good on literature (the best words in the best order). Scruton and his contributors to The Salisbury Review were always more a home with ideas –divorced from the words in which they are expressed — than words — as expressing ideas. The relative feebleness of the Scrutonian-right, Scruton himself showed when attacking Leavis in very early issue of The Salisbury Review (perhaps the fourth?). Scruton’s attack was not only composed of standard ‘London Literary World’ sneers about Leavis but, strangely, made its starting point an attack on one of his own contributors, that Duke Maskell our resident Professor mentions. Even more strangely — as I heard — Scruton refused to let Mr Maskell reply to his editorial. If true, what was he afraid of, and how much more feeble can you get?
I would thought that a man of such obvious intellect (and who likes to show it off) would be able to spell all right correctly.
‘Alright’ is the correct demotic or low-life spelling. It’s something you are free to do when you are properly educated. It’s like a Lord I once saw on the tv saying that, at his breakfast table, cereal bowls were always tipped towards the breakfaster.
If you have as little free time as me, the last paragraph says all you need to know – which is plenty. The rest is entertaining and fascinating, and certainly enriches this encapsulation – but unfortunately it requires the reader to possess, or acquire, all of The Prof’s vast learning – a tall order (- as usual, I’ve just ordered a handful of books on his ‘say-so’, which will sit, and sit, and sit… – I’m getting through them but will need another couple of lifetimes to do a proper job. Funnily enough, last night I started The Great Deception, all unprompted by The Prof – something I’ve been planning ever since starting on this ‘journey’ – God I hate that word – when reading Booker in the Saturday Telegraph on the EU, from some time in the late 80s, when my anger was born, and grew, and grew… Seriously, last night!)
“kwin-KWODG-inary”??? I looked at your wonderful coining, James, and said to myself, without the slightest reflection: “kwinkwa-GEEN-ary” – being pure iambic pentameter, and very natural to the English speaker. You’ve been spending too much time in Italy (you lucky chap!) where l’accento sdrucciolo is a great favourite, placing stress on the antipenultimate (esile, tavolo etc).
Think “macchina” vs “machinery”…
Who in blazes has put filters or something on the article photo of Enoch Powell to make him look more Ethnic Indian with brown eyes, when his eyes were blue, and he was most definitely an Ethnic European? I’m sick of photographic propaganda lightening Third World people and darkening White People. Here’s a better photo of him with his family. Look at those pots & pans on the shelf!
And another with his daughter years earlier:
Bless you for highlighting Ian Robinson! As a callow youth I devoured the Survival of English, and acquired a complete set of The Human World which still sits on my shelf. Alas several of the other names you drop have somehow passed me by. Keep plugging away!
I read most of this, and realised that even 25 years on from my abandonment of the Eye, it’s completely unchanged.
The rest of the article passed me by, but then no matter, it’s clearly meant for other people.
Same here re’ The Eye. Began reading it it in ’69 at Uni (along with The Beano), and binned the Eye 20 years later. Hislop became insufferable not long after. The author here refers to ‘Perpetual 94.’ Meaningless without the ‘P’ prefix.
Quite a few years ago, the England cricket team were playing a test series “down under”. Waking up in the early hours, I thought to switch on the radio to find the score. Tuning in to Test Match Special, instead I was treated to about half an hour of one of the commentators (CMJ) wittering a monologue about old friends and fellow players – none of whom were household names – without interruption to actually say anything about the game unfolding (and which could be heard in the background). The score was never broadcast. A pointless waste of time, that I should have spent asleep.
Strange to be reminded of that, just now.
I was just thinking ‘what was that all about?’ As well!…
I know nuffink an’ nuffink’s enuff fer me.
The current Establishment: “The majority view was liberal in the most empty sense”.
The Uniparty, held together by an absence of dissent, perhaps?
The Prof! What a name-dropper and proof-texter!
For those not still travelling in the 5th century, Bernicia was one of the two parts of what had become Northumbria in Bede’s time.
As an independent kingdom, Bernicia stretched as far as Lothian. Encompassing the former militarised hinterland of Roman Britannia, it was a realm possessed of impressive native power-centres. The culture was probably largely British, overlain with a thin veneer of English identity and language.
Deira was the other part of Northumbria in Bede’s time. Unlike Bernicia, the population of Deira was likely made up of migrants from northern Europe, whom Bede called Angles. But as Bede says, originally there were a whole variety of distinct peoples who come from Northern Europe, including Frisians, Rugians, and Huns. Even when Bede wrote, some were still practising pagan rites.
The original Deiran territory ended at Hadrian’s Wall. Eventually, a Bernician king assumed overlordship of its territory, forming the Northumbria that Bede describes.
The Prof attempts to write an account similar to those that the monk composed. For a historian of his time, Bede was unusually careful with his sources. The Prof lists a whole variety of characters whose deeds are no doubt… Read more »