Saturday 11 March 2023
A Tory Communist
I hate individualism; it’s ruining England. You won’t find better cottages, or better farm-buildings anywhere than on my estate. I go in for centralisation. I dare say you know what I call myself — a ‘Tory Communist.’ To my mind, that’s the party of the future.
John Galsworthy - The Country House (1907)
It’s an interesting quote this, just the job to kick off a spot of weekend musing. Today, the notion of a Tory Communist is not quite the oxymoron Galsworthy intended over a century ago. To my mind, that’s the party of the future his character says. Perhaps it always was.
The digital age appears to have given a boost to the notion of the free individual and all major UK political parties find they don’t like it. Not that they ever did. They have never liked anyone inclined to be an individual outside their political boundaries, but now they like the idea even less.
Unfortunately, the word ‘communist’ has acquired rather dated ‘reds under the bed’ connotations, but the notion of a Tory Communist has no such problems. Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, SNP and Green – dump the traditional baggage and it is easy enough to see them all as Tory Communists. One way or another, it’s all squires and servants, elites and serfs, rulers and ruled.
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4 comments:
One way or another, it’s all squires and servants, elites and serfs, rulers and ruled.
Yep, same old shit, different smell.
You can argue that history is repeated cycles of individualism vs collectivism, all driven by the Elite wanting to keep the Rustic Mechanicals at arms length.
Arguably any influential Tory is, or will become, part of the Elite and copy the behaviours of those around him or her... wanting to control the lower orders in case they get ideas above their station.
The Socialists, Communists and other Lefties are certainly no better. Somehow they still want to be in charge of the lower orders 'for their benefit' but you still end up with Zil lanes and Party supermarkets.
So yes, Tory Communists and Labour Aristocracy.
Let's not forget that someone who believes in centralisation, control, and yet wants to retain private property in the means of production has most of the ingredients of fascism. They will never go so far as to glorify power and violence, though. Currently, it's all being done by stealth.
Jannie - and they think you should like the smell, or at least say you like it.
DJ - and without a solid foundation of outside experience that are almost bound to copy the behaviour of those around them. A lack of outside experience seems to be such a fundamental problem that reform becomes impossible.
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