The Garrick: unfit for the modern world?
Founded in 1831, the club is composed solely of men
So, The Guardian has achieved another coup, said Melanie McDonagh in the Evening Standard. Last week, Amelia Gentleman – the journalist who exposed the Windrush scandal – named 60 prominent members of the male-only Garrick Club, outing them in much the same spirit as one might out members of the English Defence League.
Those found guilty of the crime of liking to socialise with other men in a grand building in central London include senior politicians (Michael Gove, Jacob Rees-Mogg), dozens of judges and KCs, a few A-list actors (Brian Cox, Benedict Cumberbatch) and a handful of leading figures from the arts world.
Nonsense excuses
That clubland is exclusive is hardly news; nevertheless, the report caused such a fuss that some men have felt obliged to resign from the Garrick. Civil Service boss Simon Case tried to tough it out, claiming to a Commons committee that he had joined the club in order to reform it from within. Richard Moore, head of MI6, came up with a similar line. But both then caved in.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of course, their excuses were nonsense, said Boris Johnson in the Daily Mail. No one joins the Garrick to reform it; they join because they're excited to be admitted to an elite club and think it's a congenial place. I should know: I was briefly a member once, and was thrilled to find myself rubbing shoulders with my "journalistic heroes" – including the BBC's John Simpson, and Alan Rusbridger, then editor of The Guardian. If I had been asked, I would have voiced support for reform. But I don't think the Garrick's members should be bullied out of their "quaint" traditions.
'Hidden spaces' where connections are made
The classic defence is that it's just more relaxing for men to socialise without the presence of the opposite sex, said Gaby Hinsliff in The Guardian. And the Garrick insists that it is a purely social environment: work is prohibited. But while it would be fanciful to suggest that powerful men are running the world from its oak-panelled rooms, it is surely one of those "hidden spaces" where vital connections are made, old school ties are reinforced and favours exchanged.
The real problem, though, for the public figures on the Garrick's membership list, is that choosing to spend your evenings in a club that reeks of the unreformed establishment, and which actively bars women, is at odds with your job leading modern diverse organisations and government departments. It's more than two decades since the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith rejected honorary membership of the Carlton Club because it didn't admit women. What on earth are all these politicians, judges and civil servants doing in such a place, in 2024?
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s rebellion: Maga hardliner turns on TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Bailouts: Why Trump is rescuing ArgentinaFeature The White House approved a $20 billion currency swap with Argentina
-
James indictment: Trump’s retributionFeature Trump pursues charges against Letitia James in revenge for her civil fraud lawsuit
-
Conversion therapy: Free speech or quackery?Feature A Christian therapist challenges Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy, claiming it violates the First Amendment
-
Judge halts firings during government shutdownFeature A federal judge blocked President Trump’s plan to cut jobs tied to “Democrat programs,” ruling that his administration violated layoff laws during the shutdown
-
Bad Bunny: Why MAGA is incensedFeature The NFL announced Latino artist Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime headliner, sparking MAGA outrage
-
Supreme Court: Judging 20 years of RobertsFeature Two decades after promising to “call balls and strikes,” Chief Justice John Roberts faces scrutiny for reshaping American democracy
-
Venezuela: Does Trump want war?Feature Donald Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel and waging a narco-terrorism campaign against the United States