Charlie Higson's "Bond": Woke Remainer battling "anti-trans" villain

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/07/james-bond-shouldnt-be-jacob-rees-mogg-with-a-gun/

Quote :

James Bond ‘shouldn’t be Jacob Rees-Mogg with a gun’, says Charlie Higson
Author's new incarnation of the famous spy condemns anti-immigrant rhetoric and prefers kombucha to martinis

Charlie Higson has claimed that James Bond is a Remainer and the character should not be “Jacob Rees-Mogg with a gun”.

The writer of several Young Bond books recently published On His Majesty’s Secret Service, his first 007 novel for adults, commissioned by the Ian Fleming estate.

Higson’s new incarnation of Bond condemns anti-immigrant rhetoric, drinks kombucha and notes with disapproval that a function he attends is exclusively male.

Responding on social media, Higson said: “I believe a contemporary 35-year-old is likely to be more ‘woke’ than one from 1952. I didn’t want him to be Jacob Rees-Mogg with a gun.”

Asked if Bond voted for Brexit, Higson replied: “Well, he travels a lot. He’s also half Scottish and half Swiss. And I think as a civil servant and someone who relies on the cooperation of international security services, he would have 100% voted to stay in the EU.”

The villain of the book is a far-Right figure who styles himself as “Aethelstan of Wessex”, claims to be a descendant of Alfred the Great, and plots to assassinate the King. Another character is a former Tory MP who was kicked out of the party for an “anti-trans diatribe” and who spreads Covid/5G conspiracy theories.

Higson said: “I had a lot of fun writing the book and people who’ve read it have really enjoyed it. If Fleming had kept politics out of his books the first five of them would never have been written.”

In 1962, writing in The Spectator, Fleming described Bond’s politics as “slightly left of centre”.

Engaging with critics on Twitter who complained that 007 has become “woke”, Higson said: “I’ve just made him a contemporary young man. In the same way that Eon [the production company] completely updated Bond for each new decade in the films so that he wouldn’t feel dated.”

When one user said that the new Bond sounded like a 35-year-old “who lives in Stoke Newington and gives £15 a month to the Guardian”, Higson replied: “My Bond doesn’t live in Stoke Newington or read the Guardian.

“Fleming said Bond was slightly to the left of centre. I’d say my version is straight down the middle. He’s woke in the same way that Jack Reacher is woke.”

And he advised: “The Fleming books still exist. All the films still exist. If someone writes a new book, or makes a film, looking at Bond in a different light, it doesn’t alter the past or somehow cause the other stuff to disintegrate. If you don’t like it, ignore it and move on.”

Blah blah blah

There you go. The Left take everything you once loved, kill it, and then wear it as a skinsuit.

A foreshadowing of what EON's Bond-in-name-only will become assuming they can be bothered making more films. Perhaps it's better that they don't.

I cannot be bothered reading that book, but I hope they at least manage to take out the king.

It's noteworthy that Fleming's comment about Bond's politics came after JFK plugged "FRWL." If you'd asked Fleming that question prior to JFK's endorsement, he would have said quite the opposite. I'm finishing the Bond novels presently, and it's amusing--and rather pathetic--how Fleming fellates JFK in the later novels. Fleming was dewily grateful for what Kennedy did for his literary career.

CJB wrote:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/07/james-bond-shouldnt-be-jacob-rees-mogg-with-a-gun/

Quote :

James Bond ‘shouldn’t be Jacob Rees-Mogg with a gun’, says Charlie Higson
Author's new incarnation of the famous spy condemns anti-immigrant rhetoric and prefers kombucha to martinis

Charlie Higson has claimed that James Bond is a Remainer and the character should not be “Jacob Rees-Mogg with a gun”.

The writer of several Young Bond books recently published On His Majesty’s Secret Service, his first 007 novel for adults, commissioned by the Ian Fleming estate.

Higson’s new incarnation of Bond condemns anti-immigrant rhetoric, drinks kombucha and notes with disapproval that a function he attends is exclusively male.

Responding on social media, Higson said: “I believe a contemporary 35-year-old is likely to be more ‘woke’ than one from 1952. I didn’t want him to be Jacob Rees-Mogg with a gun.”

Asked if Bond voted for Brexit, Higson replied: “Well, he travels a lot. He’s also half Scottish and half Swiss. And I think as a civil servant and someone who relies on the cooperation of international security services, he would have 100% voted to stay in the EU.”

The villain of the book is a far-Right figure who styles himself as “Aethelstan of Wessex”, claims to be a descendant of Alfred the Great, and plots to assassinate the King. Another character is a former Tory MP who was kicked out of the party for an “anti-trans diatribe” and who spreads Covid/5G conspiracy theories.

Higson said: “I had a lot of fun writing the book and people who’ve read it have really enjoyed it. If Fleming had kept politics out of his books the first five of them would never have been written.”

In 1962, writing in The Spectator, Fleming described Bond’s politics as “slightly left of centre”.

Engaging with critics on Twitter who complained that 007 has become “woke”, Higson said: “I’ve just made him a contemporary young man. In the same way that Eon [the production company] completely updated Bond for each new decade in the films so that he wouldn’t feel dated.”

When one user said that the new Bond sounded like a 35-year-old “who lives in Stoke Newington and gives £15 a month to the Guardian”, Higson replied: “My Bond doesn’t live in Stoke Newington or read the Guardian.

“Fleming said Bond was slightly to the left of centre. I’d say my version is straight down the middle. He’s woke in the same way that Jack Reacher is woke.”

And he advised: “The Fleming books still exist. All the films still exist. If someone writes a new book, or makes a film, looking at Bond in a different light, it doesn’t alter the past or somehow cause the other stuff to disintegrate. If you don’t like it, ignore it and move on.”

Blah blah blah

There you go. The Left take everything you once loved, kill it, and then wear it as a skinsuit.

A foreshadowing of what EON's Bond-in-name-only will become assuming they can be bothered making more films. Perhaps it's better that they don't.

I sincerely hope no more Bond films are made. They killed off 007 in NTtD; just do the decent thing and leave him in the grave--such as it is.

(Do the decent thing--ha! As if the notion of decency any longer even exists.)

Making vast amounts of money and decency rarely go together. James Bond will go on though.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

It's noteworthy that Fleming's comment about Bond's politics came after JFK plugged "FRWL." If you'd asked Fleming that question prior to JFK's endorsement, he would have said quite the opposite. I'm finishing the Bond novels presently, and it's amusing--and rather pathetic--how Fleming fellates JFK in the later novels. Fleming was dewily grateful for what Kennedy did for his literary career.

I think Bond definitely comes off as living on the right early on, like CR, but by FRWL, I think there's more breadth to his views. His debate with Troop about homosexuals/intellectuals is an example of that.

trevanian wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

It's noteworthy that Fleming's comment about Bond's politics came after JFK plugged "FRWL." If you'd asked Fleming that question prior to JFK's endorsement, he would have said quite the opposite. I'm finishing the Bond novels presently, and it's amusing--and rather pathetic--how Fleming fellates JFK in the later novels. Fleming was dewily grateful for what Kennedy did for his literary career.

I think Bond definitely comes off as living on the right early on, like CR, but by FRWL, I think there's more breadth to his views. His debate with Troop about homosexuals/intellectuals is an example of that.

It all changes with JFK's testamonial on Fleming's behalf. Prior to that, Bond is a fairly hard-core rightwinger. But from "The Spy Who Loved Me" on, he gives off lefty vibes. Spy was the first Bond novel published after JFK's remark. Hardly a coincidence, methinks.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

trevanian wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

It's noteworthy that Fleming's comment about Bond's politics came after JFK plugged "FRWL." If you'd asked Fleming that question prior to JFK's endorsement, he would have said quite the opposite. I'm finishing the Bond novels presently, and it's amusing--and rather pathetic--how Fleming fellates JFK in the later novels. Fleming was dewily grateful for what Kennedy did for his literary career.

I think Bond definitely comes off as living on the right early on, like CR, but by FRWL, I think there's more breadth to his views. His debate with Troop about homosexuals/intellectuals is an example of that.

It all changes with JFK's testamonial on Fleming's behalf. Prior to that, Bond is a fairly hard-core rightwinger. But from "The Spy Who Loved Me" on, he gives off lefty vibes. Spy was the first Bond novel published after JFK's remark. Hardly a coincidence, methinks.

Yes, and Bond praises Jack Kennedy at one point in TSWLM when talking to Vivienne Michel.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

It's noteworthy that Fleming's comment about Bond's politics came after JFK plugged "FRWL." If you'd asked Fleming that question prior to JFK's endorsement, he would have said quite the opposite. I'm finishing the Bond novels presently, and it's amusing--and rather pathetic--how Fleming fellates JFK in the later novels. Fleming was dewily grateful for what Kennedy did for his literary career.

True on the effusive JFK love-in stuff that creeped in.

I'm inclined to give Fleming the benefit of the doubt on the "slightly left of centre" characterisation. In a 50's/early 60's context, that could mean a moderately liberal individual inclined to vote for the British Liberal Party. I can see why Fleming didn't envision James Bond as a crusty old Tory smoking pipes in a tweed jacket, nor a socialist, but rather a fairly hedonistic individual with a self-destructive, libertine streak owing to the lethality of his profession.

It's a somewhat different proposition to what Higson envisions: an oat milk-sipping Guardian subscriber. Granted, you couldn't have had the loopy liberal beliefs of today without the liberals of Fleming's day edging the Overton window. That's what's always amusing about Boomer liberals (think the Bill Maher types) who complain that their successors have taken things too far. "Subverting this and that institution and norm was good but after <insert year> the left went nuts and started subverting those other norms and institutions and that's bad!"

CJB wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

It's noteworthy that Fleming's comment about Bond's politics came after JFK plugged "FRWL." If you'd asked Fleming that question prior to JFK's endorsement, he would have said quite the opposite. I'm finishing the Bond novels presently, and it's amusing--and rather pathetic--how Fleming fellates JFK in the later novels. Fleming was dewily grateful for what Kennedy did for his literary career.

True on the effusive JFK love-in stuff that creeped in.

I'm inclined to give Fleming the benefit of the doubt on the "slightly left of centre" characterisation. In a 50's/early 60's context, that could mean a moderately liberal individual inclined to vote for the British Liberal Party. I can see why Fleming didn't envision James Bond as a crusty old Tory smoking pipes in a tweed jacket, nor a socialist, but rather a fairly hedonistic individual with a self-destructive, libertine streak owing to the lethality of his profession.

It's a somewhat different proposition to what Higson envisions: an oat milk-sipping Guardian subscriber. Granted, you couldn't have had the loopy liberal beliefs of today without the liberals of Fleming's day edging the Overton window. That's what's always amusing about Boomer liberals (think the Bill Maher types) who complain that their successors have taken things too far. "Subverting this and that institution and norm was good but after the left went nuts and started subverting those other norms and institutions and that's bad!"

I could see Bond as a libertarian of sorts, but a right rather than left libertarian (an anarchist rather than a crypto-communist). Prior to JFK's intervention, 007 was culturally in the rightist camp. His views on women, heauxmeaux and minorities were rightwing city. And, on top of that, he lamented the decline and fall of the British Empire. The one aspect of Bond that, from beginning to end, does smack of Leftism is his contempt for the elderly. Bond--and Leiter--rail against the oldsters at every opportunity. That indeed, is fully consonent with Leftism, which valorizes "youth culture" and dances dithyrambs every time somebody over the age of 60 slips into the grave.

Seeing his choice of drink made me laugh, just because it reminded me of DC's Kombucha lines in Glass Onion.

"That's Jared Leto's Hard Kombucha!"

Isn't Kombucha the stuff Cregg-Bond implied was gonna shoot out his arse at that health retreat in Sprectum?

Perilagu Khan wrote:

I could see Bond as a libertarian of sorts, but a right rather than left libertarian (an anarchist rather than a crypto-communist). Prior to JFK's intervention, 007 was culturally in the rightist camp. His views on women, heauxmeaux and minorities were rightwing city. And, on top of that, he lamented the decline and fall of the British Empire. The one aspect of Bond that, from beginning to end, does smack of Leftism is his contempt for the elderly. Bond--and Leiter--rail against the oldsters at every opportunity. That indeed, is fully consonent with Leftism, which valorizes "youth culture" and dances dithyrambs every time somebody over the age of 60 slips into the grave.

Fair points. I think on the whole literary Bond as a character was not hugely partisan politically and his views were pretty stock standard across the spectrum for a thirty-something year old in the early 1950's, particularly one that experienced the trials and tribulations of WWII.

Chalk and cheese to what Higson is proposing: that Bond in 2023 can reflect the attitudes of middle-class leftist yoof and still be Bond.

Seems like most continuation authors want to write something of themselves into their version of Bond, just like Fleming did. Why not just make up some other character, then?

Phantom Commander wrote:

Seems like most continuation authors want to write something of themselves into their version of Bond, just like Fleming did. Why not just make up some other character, then?

Probably because he's not clever enough to do so.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Phantom Commander wrote:

Seems like most continuation authors want to write something of themselves into their version of Bond, just like Fleming did. Why not just make up some other character, then?

Probably because he's not clever enough to do so.

He, absolutely true.

Plus riding on someone elses success is always easier, and an established character is usually a draw in itself.

Phantom Commander wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Phantom Commander wrote:

Seems like most continuation authors want to write something of themselves into their version of Bond, just like Fleming did. Why not just make up some other character, then?

Probably because he's not clever enough to do so.

He, absolutely true.

Plus riding on someone elses success is always easier, and an established character is usually a draw in itself.

Ego, too. Somebody named Byrne took over SUPERMAN comics in the 80s and apparently insisted DC start the numbering over with #1 for him, as if nothing had come before his take (sort of like how Abrams tried and failed to get the studio to stop merchandising all previous Trek so that his misbegotten brand would have the field clear to itself.)

Getting to piss all over an existing popular brand is a going concern, otherwise you wouldn't be seeing re-re-reboots of FANTASTIC FOUR. Supposedly they are actually doing better with SPIDERMAN now, but I think I gave up on SPIDEY about ten minutes into the second Raimi film, so I'll just take everybody's word about that.

Understand that all authors will want to leave their own stamp, but having a different writing style to Fleming shouldn't mean disrespecting the character's foundations.