It's been an interesting week in the world of British mainstream politics, with Labour and the Conservatives hosting their annual conferences, the former crowded with all the new supporters who have flocked to the party since the election of social-democrat Jeremy Corbyn as its leader; the latter hounded by unionists and anti-austerity activists in a peaceful demonstration of tens of thousands of people (leaving aside the protester who wasted a perfectly good egg on a Tory delegate who taunted the crowds with a picture of The Iron Lady).
The distinct lack of grassroots supporters for the Tories got me thinking about who the party actually represents outside of its own party members, and why those who voted for them appear to remain largely silent about their political views.
I recently posted the following observation on social media:
I've been trying to understand the general mindset of people who support the Tories and see if I can find some common ground with them, but after plenty of reading and debating online the only conclusion I can draw is that they sum up the "I'm alright Jack" mentality.
Poor people are poor through their own actions (as if socio-economic factors have nothing to do with deprivation) and they (the Tory supporter) shouldn't have to pay for other people's problems. In short, they are selfish individualists with a conscience deficit.
No wonder the Tory party has advised members to hide their name badges at the conference in Manchester – it's a bit like wearing a badge saying "I'm a bit of a cunt!"
It was, of course, a generalisation, although there's something to be said for the way in which generalisations can be more worthwhile than they often get credit for, not least for the way in which they capture a mood or impression which might not speak for the individual but is representative of broader concerns. All Tory Party members probably are not "cunts", but that doesn't mean that their party hasn't gone out of its collective way to put the "c" back into government "cuts".
Still, while jibes about Tory supporters being Audi-driving middle-management suits who live for material possessions and suffer from a personality vacuum, or Murdoch press-reading drones living in constant fear of some tabloid-created enemy figure who eats funny smelling food, might provide a mildly satirical sideswipe at conservative-with-a-small-"c" Middle England, they fail to cut to the heart of the matter as to why such a proportion of the general public (a minority, for sure, but a politically influential one) would support and vote for a political party which actively seeks to reduce the standard of living for everyone in the country apart from the super rich.
There's certainly some truth to the idea that Tory voters are inherently wedded to the kind of hyper-capitalism which the Conservatives adore – Oliver Stone encapsulated the "greed is good" mentality with Wall Street's Gordon Gecko back in the 80s, which many wildly misinterpreted as some kind of pinstripe-suited role model worthy of emulation. After all, who doesn't like pretty shiny things with which to adorn their otherwise sparse home? They fill the void in the pit of their souls – that mysterious place where compassion and creativity once resided – and give a person something to boast about, a tactile measure of their importance and superiority.
Likewise, the Tory fearmongering about swarming, marauding foreigners is the perfect weapon against the narrow-minded closet xenophobe who is fearful of change, and fuels the need for ever more investment in weapons of mass destruction to be sold to our barbaric friends in the Middle East; lovers of torture and public beheadings; violators of the human rights of our mis-perceived "enemies".
Both the shameless self-interest and knee-jerk, reactionary call for the expansion of our worst militaristic tendencies of those vocal supporters of the Tory party may be the product of decades of media indoctrination (there isn't a war the British press isn't willing to support – and that goes for so-called "liberal" – read: "neoliberal" – press such as the Guardian and Independent every bit as much as it does the red top rags) but perhaps there's something more to it. Maybe the Tory supporter has as much in common with the terrified hostage trapped in a bank or embassy, surrounded by terrorists armed with high powered weaponry, desperate to do anything to appease their captors and avoid being taken out in front of the cameras and summarily executed.
As the Tories continue to cut tax credits to the poor and while facilitating the ever-expanding coffers of the extremely wealthy through tax loopholes, there's a possibility that those Middle Englanders whom myself and so many others are quick to mock and disparage are themselves victims of a kind, suffering from a collective political Stockholm Syndrome as they put their mark on the voting ballot, repeating to themselves the mantra, "I'm a hard-working Briton – the Tories are looking out for me! I'm a hard-working Briton – the Tories are looking out for me!"
"They won't shoot me because I sympathise with their aims! I'm alright, Jack!"
