TOTAL ITARIAN

Forgive the bad English of the title, but there is a reason, as will become clear. The subject is: as suggested earlier this week, is Britain becoming a police state? The obvious answer is no – when you compare it to known police states, that is. But …

A police state can best be defined by what the authorities want to control. For instance, in many police states, as long as you do not come up against authority, you are free to live pretty much as you like – in private, at least.

Taking this definition, can it be applied to Britain? I’m afraid it can. You are free to be who you want, and have any lifestyle you choose, but this comes with a proviso. The ideal citizen should also have a mortgage, new car, designer clothes, zillions of gadgets and holiday twice a year.

Ideally, the citizen should embrace globalization in all its forms, and indulge in the trivia-based consumer society that has now been created. However, if you choose not to live this lifestyle, you will find yourself increasingly marginalized and disenfranchised.

We can see, here, the genesis of the police state attitude if the way of life the authorities deem acceptable is not undertaken. Indeed, we can trace how this unnerving attitude came about.

Globalisation is said to be all about consumer society and diversity in lifestyle. The two vital elements that must be fought to allow this system to flourish are tradition and loyalty to the local, be it religious, cultural, or the family itself.

Commerce could never achieve this, but from the 1960s social revolution onwards, the liberal ideal began to creep into society. Commerce embraced this, not because it was particularly appealing, but it did a good job at smashing religion, tradition and the family.

Today, this process has evolved into political correctness. Now, whilst I agree the lifestyle freedoms we have are vital, and must never be taken away, could it be that clever corporate control of the media has turned political correctness into the new Inquisition?

We are already beginning to feel this way. Terms such as ‘thought police’ have been used, and for the first time in decades, writers are having to think what their words could do to their career and reputation. Simply disagree with the politically correct credo and you could be branded racist, homophobic or sexist.

This is a most definite move towards a police state mentality, even if it doesn’t seem to be the authorities behind it. But then again, would our present authority be in place if it did not have corporate backing – the multi-nationals in particular being the authorities behind the consumer society we now have?

Essential to the police state mentality is the ability to con the people into compliance. Our seemingly comfortable, affluent lives go a long way to achieving this. But they must also be fuelled by a cause above lifestyle. This has been done, in the past, by way of religion or ideology. We are told that, today, both are dead, so how does authority achieve this vital requirement?

Just as political correctness fell into the lap of corporate society as a form of control, so did Al Qaeda and the new wave of terrorism. Again, Al Qaeda is a dangerous threat, and measures must be taken to protect us. But we must also beware of a ‘politics of fear’ replacing ideology as a means of control. For instance, totalitarian Christendom was kept together by the fear of witchcraft from within, and Islam from without, instigating the Crusades.

As the title suggests, we are not quite, yet, in a totalitarian, police state. But by subtle means, we are most definitely heading in that direction. Perhaps we should remember a simple mantra: nothing destroys freedom more than the idea you have it.

© Anthony North, Feb 2007

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