Letter: Not such cheeky chappies

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RICHARD Williams' assertion that the Beatles as teen idols were rebellious ('We love you John, Paul, George and Howard', 4 September) is debatable. In the mid-1960s they were the David Frosts of pop music - cheekily poking fun at the Establishment, yet most definitely of the Establishment.

Had this not been the case, then surely a leader of the Opposition as shrewd as Harold Wilson would not have seized the opportunity to be filmed alongside the Fab Four on peak-time television. What's more, when Paul McCartney went on to address him as 'Good old Mr Wilson', a knot was tied which must have caused many to gasp ruefully - particularly this country's Young Conservatives.

Labour came to power six months later in October 1964 ending 13 years of Tory rule, and the Beatles' MBE followed in no time. Is Tony Blair not missing a trick with the group Take That? It wasn't until the late 1960s that the Beatles finally did rebel, but even then it was mostly against each other's conflicting business philosophies, and tastes in women.

Martin Celmins

Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire