In their desperation to elevate Margaret Thatcher into a
figure who will live on in the hearts of the British people for all time, the
Tories are playing with fire. A latent hatred of her policies has re-emerged
and the state she regularly deployed is back in action against opponents.
Activists planning demonstrations over the weekend and next
Wednesday, the day of Thatcher’s military-style funeral, fear pre-emptive
arrests by Scotland Yard. Police have stepped up surveillance and are
monitoring social network sites for information.
According to reports,
the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, part of Scotland Yard's
counter-terrorism structure is working overtime. The NPOIU’s network of police
spies and informants in a campaign near you is doing its stuff too.
Val Swain, director of police monitoring group Netpol, said:
"This form of deterrent policing is insidious and divisive. It undermines
the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and assembly.
If fear of the police is stopping people from even discussing political protest
and dissent in a free and open manner, that is a matter of serious
concern."
Pre-emptive arrests are, of course, not new. In London , activists were
picked up in advance of the 2011 royal wedding. During Thatcher’s regime,
miners on their way to picket lines during the 1984-5 strike for jobs were
routinely arrested on the most spurious grounds to prevent them reaching their
destination. Road blocks were also deployed to block their movement.
The Tory press is also in a flap about the surge in
popularity of the 1930s’ song Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, which became an anti-Thatcher
anthem.
So many people have bought it since Thatcher’s death that it has risen close to
the top of the charts. For the Daily Telegaph, the most shocking consequence is
that the BBC will play it when the Official Chart Show airs on Sunday. The
Torygraph quotes “friends of Thatcher” as saying this would amount to a
“serious dereliction of duty” by the BBC.
And that’s what it is all about. Duty. Duty to the state.
Duty to the government. Duty to the establishment. Kow-tow. Obey the rules as
laid down by others. The country is in a crisis. So do your bit for the nation.
Join the army and fight without ever knowing exactly what you are fighting for.
That’s what the Thatcher period was like. She prosecuted
class war through the state and while she displayed terrier-like leadership, no
such quality was displayed in the ranks of most trade union leaders and
certainly none at the top of the Labour Party. And that salient fact remains
true to this day, except that now it also applies to the Tory Party too.
Cameron praises Thatcher largely to try and save his own
skin as his shambolic “leadership” is questioned by diehard right-wingers. The
recall of Parliament so MPs could praise Thatcher was his plan. But Speaker
Bercow was against the unnecessary expense, especially as Parliament was due to
return next week anyway. Cameron had to rely on Labour leader Ed Miliband’s
support before Bercow acceded. Most Labour MPs stayed away, however, leaving
Miliband looking a bit stupid.
It is fitting that Thatcher’s funeral procession will be
dominated by the military. She was enthusiastic about state violence, counting Chile dictator
Augusto Pinochet among her friends. She famously took the salute after British
troops returned from her Malvinas/Falklands adventure, assuming the role of the
Queen. Buckingham
Palace
The political elites are thrashing around in the wake of
Thatcher’s death against a background of deep loathing for traditional
politics, a deteriorating economy and the build-up of a range of financial
bubbles. They don’t have a Thatcher figure to hand who can create a dictatorial
regime around a personality.
With right-wing commentators questioning the usefulness of
representative democracy at the present time, one can only surmise what
scenario plans are being discussed in top echelons of the state in the event of
social upheaval combining with weak government.
Paul Feldman
Communications editor
