Right thinking!

I’ve been reading - actually rereading but it’s so long since I originally read it that it may as well be the first time - Isabel Allende’s book “La Casa de los Espíritus”. There comes a point in the narrative where the country holds elections. The ruling conservative party, confident that they will win again because they always do, is astounded to find that the socialists have won. This despite the fact that Ernesto Trueba, one of the protagonists of the novel, has for years been bemoaning the fact that the country is “full of marxists”. 

Once they have got over the fear that the populace who have marched through the streets, their rich district streets where they have traditionally felt they had no right to walk, singing triumphant songs are not actually going to put them up against the wall and shoot them, the right wingers set about plotting the downfall of the new government. Some suggest bribing parliamentarians not to confirm the new president in post (hmm! That sounds familiar). Failing that, some say, there is always the army. Ernesto Trueba, senator and elder statesman, declares that is not the way to do it. There should be no bribing of politicians and no uprising. 

The money they are prepared to put into such a campaign should be used to buy the communication media!! “In this way we can control public opinion, which is the only thing that really counts”. He goes on: “I know this country. They will never stop the freedom of the press. Besides, it’s in their government plans; this government has sworn to respect democratic freedoms. We will catch them in their own trap.” 

And I found myself thinking how prescient this writing was, first printed back in 1982. And now we have press owned by right wing conglomerates and we have seen how easily public opinion can be manipulated by what appears in the media. Back in 1982 there was no social media as there is today, when twitter and all the rest are added to the mix. 

And as in Isabel Allende’s fictional country (which could probably be anywhere in South America) we have seen outrage and disbelief in the USA when the “wrong” person was elected president. And we see more and more control of the democratic process, as people are suspended and expelled from political parties, well, from the Labour Party anyway, for expressing “wrong” ideas or being seen to support the “wrong” people. 

One of the latest victims has been Jamie Driscoll who was blocked from standing to be the first North East mayor because he shared a stage with filmmaker Ken Loach. Labour sources have apparently confirmed that the left-wing mayor’s exclusion was down to his appearance with the “I, Daniel Blake” director, who was expelled from Labour in 2021 amid efforts to tackle antisemitism experienced in the party during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, at Newcastle’s Live Theatre in March.

There you go! Democracy in action?!

In the meantime, our attention is drawn away from such things by a lot of fuss about Harry Windsor, Phillip Schofield and the Whatsapp messages the former Prime Minister. And people still don’t all have enough to eat and can’t all pay their utilities bills. And really nothing seems to changing for the better! 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!