"I had hoped to be denounced and discussed by the other side

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Chris Mullin's recent novel, 'A Very British and manoeuvres. Last week Chris Mullin Coup' (Hodder and Stoughton, £6.95) is — who is also editor of Tribune - discussed about a left Labour prime minister, Harry about a left Labour prime minister, Harry the book with Martin Thomas from SO.

Perkins, forced to resign by capitalist plots Chile - are the key lessons about what Allende should have done differently? Or about what socialists organising independently view of the editor of Tribune from Allende could have done? ARUP Your novel ends with the defeat of the Left. Obviously in writing it you must have had some idea of how it could have ended in victory. How?

I think Perkins should have done a lot more to mobilise the mass movement. Also, I don't think he should have resigned when he did. He should have stood up to the blackmail.

You chose to write the story from the point of the prime minister, rather than any other. Why?

I tried to adopt a potentially popular theme - to write a political thriller. So I had to consider what would appeal to the widest number of people.

Yes, it could have been done from the point of view of Fred Thompson, or of somebody living in a council house in South Shields...

Or the editor of Tribune...

But I don't think there is any public interest in the outside the ranks of the converted.

If you had written it from the point of view of some. one more rank and file' than the prime minister, I'm not sure that it would have been less popular, but it would have raised different questions.

As ot is, the main question raised is, 'what should the prime minister have done different?' But for working class readers, there is no way they can decide about the prime minister acting differently. They may be able to do something different themselves...

From the point of view of the editor of Tribune, I don't honestly think that anything I could do would influence the outcome in Downing Street, and think we flatter ourselves if we imagine otherwise.

The decisions that affect the lives of most people in this country are not taken by those people themselves. What you and I are aiming for is a situation where the decisions that affect the lives of people are taken by the people themselves. Before we can even begin to make progress in that direction, we've got to convince péople who it is that is running the country at the moment.

I'm not so sure that convincing people about ruling class power is the main problem. I think it's more a matter of convincing them that this power isn't inevitable - that working class people can run society instead, that it doesn't all depend on what decision a prime minister takes.

I agree. But I think we're talking about two different novels. You're talking about one where we've arrived at, or are well on the way to, the promised land, and I'm George "can't believe there

talking about one accidentally the ele process delivers up ou of government. I'm ‹ with the reactions o

existing established for What about the existing opposed to ment?

talking about one where accidentally the electoral process delivers up our kind of government. I'm coping with the reactions of the

existing established forces.

the reactions of forces that are the EstablishI do think Perkins could have been far more involved with the trade union movement than he was. But he was at least as much involved as any of our leaders to date have been - except of course for those leaders who are very much in touch with the bigger and more right wing block votes!

I could have written learned articles in Tribune, for example, or Socialist Organiser, but they would reach a very limited audience. My purpose was to reach the largest possible audience with the message that the real threat to parliamentary democracy comes not from the likes of you and me, but from those who frequently make the most noise about the threat to parliamentary democracy, in the ruling class.

The real threat to parliamentary democracy comes from the City, the press, the higher levels of the civil service; this is the message we've got to put over, to get the other side on the defensive.

Democracy in this country was not a gift from the Conservative Party. It was obtained by prolonged popular struggle.

A final question. You've had a lot of reviews. What's your impression? Do you feel you have succeeded in what you set out to do?

My ambition was to be denounced by the other side loudly and publicly. And I've only had a minor success on that front.

But there's still time. I would like to see the book made into a television series. I would like to set people talking in the enemy camp about whether this version of events is true to life or not.

Others believe just that...