8 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 18, 2002 ARTS Eley 'forging' ahead in new book about the European left By Maureen McKinney Daily Arts Writer In present-day circumstances, the political and social viability of the Left is often challenged or overlooked. This is especially true when evaluating popular opinions about roots of widespread democracy in Europe. In order to respond to these misconceptions, Pro- fessor Geoff Eley, the Sylvia Thrupp Col- legiate Professor of Comparative History here at the University, has provided an GEOF impressive and comprehensive explanation of the role of the Left in his new book At Sham "Forging Democracy: The History of the Left in Europe 1850-2000." I was fortunate Tomorrow enough to be able to ask him a few ques- tions about the book, his motivations for writing it, and what he saw for the future of the Left in Europe. The Michigan Daily: What were your motivations for producing an account of the Left in Europe and do they include dispelling any popular opinions about the roots of European democracy? Professor Eley: I wanted to reassert the importance F ilii$ DI M OLRA|-Y F aV of the Left in the complicated process of producing dem- ocratic gains during the 19th and 20th centuries, particu- larly because, in most people's minds, the Left is identified more with communist and socialist move- ments. Since all of the changes in the 1980s, there is not much of a legitimate hearing for these kinds of political ideas. In this unfavorable political climate, I wanted to reaffirm the importance of the Left for those political struggles and processes that resulted in the most significant democratic ELEY gains of the 20th century. MD: What are your personal experiences n Drum with the Left and how do you feel that this impacted your understanding? at 4 p.m. PE: I grew up in the 1950s and 60s, extremely conscious of the ways in which democratic rights, civil rights, and social benefits had really been the result of broadly-based popular desires and mobilizations, particularly politics that came out of the 19 0s and 40s. The good things about the society in which I grew up in came from both the strong desire to never let the Great Depression be repeated, and on the other hand, to never let the strength of democratic insti- tutions be threatened again as they were by the rise of Fascism. Becoming an adult in the 1960s and acquiring my political identity as a student, I already had a strong sense of this history. MD: One of your primary focuses is the history of Germany? Did you place special emphasis on German movements in your book? PE: My major field is German history but it was very important to me in writing this book that it would be a general European history. I really wanted to build an argument about Europe as a whole while drawing on dif- ferent parts of the continent for different stages of the book. Having said that, the histories of some countries do have a particular centrality. MD: What do you think about the European Left in present-day circumstances? PE: Well, these are not socialist parties in the old sense at all. In one way, they couldn't be because the political agenda has been so profoundly reshaped. Now those parties are de-radicalized and very centrist in a way that's extraordinarily moderate and unambitious. They operate with reduced public sectors, extensive pri- vatization, and economic deregulation. It seems to me that if they are to live up to their claims to remain social- ist parties, they have to develop more creative ways of ensuring public goods and services become attractive goals again. Courtesy 0ofkABC I think it's cool the way we totally ripped off "Twin Peaks," don't you? 'Push, Nevada' could be a badly needed rookie hit for ABC By Christian Smith Daily Arts Writer Twelve years ago, David Lynch dazzled critics and television viewers (the few that watched) alike with his trippy neo-noir murder mystery, "Twin Peaks," earning a staggering 14 Emmy nominations before being dropped after two seasons. Stylisti- PUSH, Is cally picking up where "Peaks" left off, ABC's new mystery series "Push, Nevada" Thurs plays like "The X-Files" injected with a 8$00 Lynchian twist. In last night's special preview episode, AP titled "The Amount," we meet Jim Prufrock, a mild-mannered IRS agent who travels to a small desert town in search of missing money after receiving a mysterious fax suggesting a possible accounting scandal at the Versailles Casino in Push, Nevada. How interesting. Don't worry, if you missed it, ABC is offering up an encore of the premiere followed by a new episode on Thursday night as it settles into its intensely competitive timeslot opposite "CSI" and "Will & Grace." But if those shows don't float your cruiseship, pro- ducers Ben Affleck (yes, that Ben Affleck) and Sean Bailey, who also wrote the pilot episode, have crafted one of the most original and innovative ideas on televi- sion in years. Saturated with secrets, clues and peculiar characters "Push, Nevada" shows telltale signs of a brewing conspiracy. But introducing only two main characters, Derek Cecil as Jim, and Scarlett Chorvat as a sultry and mysti- fying lady of the night, the premiere is entertaining at best, only teasing at what's to come. It's clear that the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts, but it still provides for engaging television. And if that isn't enough, accompanying the series is an intefactive game. By following all of the clues and solving the mystery, the winner will take home a sub- stantial cash prize. Every word, every sign, every ges- ture could hold a clue to solving the riddle of this tiny Nevada town, and thus the show's ultimate secret. But the question remains, will peo- ple really want to watch a dark mystery drama with a complex and twisted story and no real star power? With "Will & Grace" approaching ques- EVADA tionable territory in only its fifth season in y t the form of a gimmicky baby plotline, and . .a CBS allowing audiences to skip "CSI" on 'Thursdays and just watch "CSI: The Exact Same Show in Miami" on Mondays, view- ers might just take a chance and watch the NF da p BC risky "Push" instead. t Courtesy of ABC Pat Bateman. I work on Wall Street. Collect Calls Save The Max ,YCC5 A Minute* 1800MAXSAVE.COM 1-800-MAX-SAVE (1-800-629-7283) *Plus set-up. Interstate/8p.m.-7a.m. DIAL 10-10-226 THEN 1 + AREA CODE AND NUMBER 0. O V