Come On Up To The House

In my extremely vague self-guided research (read, Wikipedia at work) around human geography, I stumbled on Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony. I love Wikipedia, you know. While it is an, at best, questionable source of facts, still it’s become so vast an enterprise that it is very nearly completely successful at self-moderation (just read the ‘talk’ sections on any article). It whiles away great tracts of prime work-avoidance time and it enables me to talk about things like Gramsci and hegemony without sounding like a complete plebeian.

Thus I can say that I agree with the lovable Italian Marxist, named after a dog on Spaced, at least to some extent. He set his mind to working out why, actually, Marx’s grand theories of communism and workers’ revolutions had not come to pass as so faithfully predicted. The result was cultural hegemony, the concept of a state or system’s influence on those within the nation or surrounding. Thusly, in Gramsci’s day, the workers had not united and revolted because they were so deeply ingrained with the idea of their place in society (a cultural setting) and even the idea of betterment (certainly a basic tenet of capitalism). Communism then did not take root outside of the Soviet Union, not because the workers were better off or the overarching systems more just, but that the cultural expectations of a capitalist society built on the race for colonialism, the whisper of the promise of rising in social standing, all this precluded a workers’ revolution because the workers thought they could do better how they were.

All a bit of a vain hope, really. The vast swathes of socially-immobile classes from time immemorial can attest that social mobility has always been a bit of a pipe dream, and Gramsci starts to look a bit correct. I can see it now with America’s global, cultural dominance but am cheered to remember that these things move in waves, and we might yet see Antonio’s theories of how to overcome this cultural impasse.

Not that I’m in entire agreement with AG, or Marxism in general. The more I put my mind to it, the more centre-socialist I get - Communism didn’t work, it didn’t make people happy, extreme politics never do. But I’m definitely left of any major party in this country, and while I don’t think it’s necessary to wage a “war of position” to beat down capitalism, I still don’t like the idea of the leadership of this country represented by an elite which with whom I have no part.

So I’m all for workers’ rights and freedom of trade, nationalisation of services and promotion of democracy. Just don’t ask me to like Boris.

The sun appears to have bamboozled the populace of London town today. The first day back at work and all you can see for miles on end is a sea of pasty legs, pink, shining pates, and sweating people drinking more than they usually would. The potent combination of a rare, fine bank holiday, the warmest days of the year, and general mania in London as it is, gives a mildly crazed atmosphere to the air around.

For we’re now living in Greater Tory-land, fiefdom of Boris, province of Cameronia. For me, it’s a little bit scary - though I rarely dabble in actual politics, my underlying view has always been, and continues to be that the Conservative party is one that promotes self and the freedom that that entails, thereby offering little hope to those who are unable to get out of certain holes without a helping hand. I’m of the opinion that the right thing to do is to help others in every situation, wisely certainly, but still even it means some self-sacrifice. Communism is not the answer, nor is anything else so extreme, but a bit of sharing helps everybody out.

So I could probably never bring myself to vote Conservative. To be honest, I don’t really need any convincing not to vote for someone to whom most people’s best recommendation is that he ‘might surprise you.’ I prefer to pin my hopes on someone who gets things done for sure, not someone who might, but it seems the entirety of out London disagrees with me. I’m proud to say Enfield & Haringey voted for Ken; but although he actually got more votes this time than when he won in 2004, London’s still a Tory annex now, and we wait with baited breath to see if BJ will screw things up royally.

I was interested to read this post by the ever-reliable and good Ben Locker - unusually for his Hackney home, an active Conservative. I tend to be surprised when I meet those whose age is not dissimilar to my own that vote Tory, and am curious to find out more.