of common-sense and WELDON Women certainly qualid worst of our welfare potup with what they are given. keep their mouth shat, and be arateful, CUEE the Jubilee celebrations go ahead, Pauline's mongel daughter gels shifted to an old people'& home because the council cas no longer afford to keep ber in the private home where she's happy No one will give her the real CATOR. supplementary benefit 35 not;
cracy turns its Mrange, she nails abour a finle, then shrivels up and voluntarily disappears, thus saving us, the tax payers, a hurden. A drop in an ocean of DESECTS The Spongers, directed by Roland Joffe, produced Tony Garnett, Was i1 human kindness.
The neighbours" kindness to Pauline; hers to her children. The community and worker, residential homes, even officials, the appeal board, the councillor — all are distressed by the notion of suttering and doing their best to alleviate it.
(Only the depury director, superbly and subtly played by Iva Clough, emerger as any kind of villain, exercising her power with insolence and malice mingled.)
Even the bombarding letters and forms, which Pauline, have heen devised by well-meaning people. But what use LANE Pauline, condemned as a bad manager"
that worst af female laulls Jubilee party holding baby Dawn. 'Isn't that what all women get? asks Pauline, sad heroine of Jim Allen's The Spongers, drowning in the ordinariness, writes the - spending the reat money on food domation tothe suhlee a scarf for herseliT Christine Hargreaves excellent acress, gave Pauline underprivileged, LALTB LOU pounding up the pills — all the offered consolation -lethal doses of cocoa all round; childlike at the Jubilee party, beautiful on her night out at the club, t is not poverty and hardship as the world insed to know it, cruel but bad enough for Pauline to Icel that death was preferable, and the world not good enouch for her children. And who's to blameber?
The Spongers gave us one ser of truths. There are of course others Wo pet the institutions we deserve. Neighby 1L5 Vicious clients and competent women love the Jubilee, though 1 was in a home for the mentally bandscanped on a dar when consternation reigned the one of the children had been moved from a home for the aged where she was bappy to a properly equipped children's home which she hared. But the Allen-Joffe-Garnett truths were presented with integrity intelligence, the rage it would be so easy to feel haffle FAY WELDON Is the feminist author of Down Among the women and a number of radio plays, whose latest book, Little Masters. 1s with Christino Hargreaves [centre] as Pauline FAY children, and many her to make the Paula MeDonagh as Paula, who Is moved to an old peoples The characters in The Spongers are not political: laces five cups of cocoa with a lethal dose of pills, drinks one herself and hands the others to her children That is the finale to The Spongers, the play shown on BBC-1 on 24 January. It is reviewed here by FAY WEEDON and PETER KENNARD. The author of the play, JIM ALLEN, adds his own comments.
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sea of sub-sections which finally cost her and her Tamily their lives, clutching asshe goes under at straws