Professor Kennedy is a decent liberal who hopes for the victory of the brotherhood of man. He begins this study of the UN, its history, successes, failings and prospects for reform by quoting Tennyson’s ‘Locksley Hall’:
Till the war-drum throbb’d no longer, and the
battle-flags were furl’d
In the Parliament of man, the Federation of
the world.
There the common sense of most shall hold a
fretful realm in awe,
And the kindly earth shall slumber, lapt in
universal law.
In his Afterword, he does remind us that Tennyson revised his optimism 60 years later:
Chaos, Cosmos! Cosmos, Chaos! Who can
tell how all will end?…
When was age so crammed with menace?
madness? written, spoken lies?
The young Mr Milliband of 2006 sounds as if he feels much as the ageing poet laureate did in 1886. However, Professor Kennedy consoles himself with Gladstone’s reply to Tennyson. One old Liberal usually manages to console another to their mutual satisfaction.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in