MovieChat Forums > A Very British Coup (1988) Discussion > The coup's already taken place

The coup's already taken place

posted 14 years ago by bluefire-6
4 replies | jump to latest

The novel was allegorical, although perhaps at the time of its making, the making of the movie was framed by real worries about the immediate future of British democracy -- which was threatened under Margaret Thatcher's reign.

The reality is that "democracy" is more and more coming to be seen as something of a pleasant fiction when in fact a financial oligarchy, without bloodshed though with plenty of suffering, has transformed the modern state into a money machine at the expense of all its other functions.

In this sense, PM Harry Perkins' claim about class struggle in Britain (as elsewhere) extending "unto the generations" was and remains a prescient cry.

[–] bllrghtz 13 years ago

Very well said.

I'm afraid that here on the US side of the pond, that reality has not yet been recognized by the overwhelming majority of the population. They know the system is broken somehow, but 'it' is generally blamed on each individual's personal peeves, dislikes, or biases.

Worse, the corporate 'news' in this country does it's very best to maintain a level of general ignorance that is absolutely breathtaking. There is an entire 24 hour a day network dedicated to convincing people that business (currently experiencing the highest profits in world history) is somehow being treated unfairly....That it is THEY who are being exploited financially. They've convinced many Americans that is is actually patriotic to support total deregulation of industry across the board. Meanwhile, the poor and middle classes have never been at a greater disadvantage. Wages have stagnated or declined, and benefits are essentially nonexistent. Again, this is at a time when corporate profits are breaking all (and i do mean all) previous records.

It is most disheartening to see one's fellow citizens so utterly hoodwinked that they actively take part in their own fleecing. Up is down, black is white, and the corporations literally dictate every aspect of 'our' culture (in ways overt and otherwise).

Terribly sad, and i'm afraid it's going to have to get worse before people begin to see the truth of the situation - or indeed even begin to look for it.

[–] bluefire-6 13 years ago

I correct myself. It was just revealed in Britain. Whether it will also be revealed in the USA remains to be seen. Maybe there is justice after all. Here's to Rupert's serving time.

[–] Mintie8632 12 years ago

It's disheartening to see how quickly social movements get coopted and disarmed in the US. Take the women's "movement," which fizzled out as soon as women's opportunities expanded in the workplace. Now the whole focus is on the woman's individual "machismo," her ability to hold her own against the boys, rather than any sense of sisterhood and what that might entail politically, socially, and economically.

[–] tyujivulpus 10 years ago

I thought one of the points of womens movement was to have expanded workplace opportunities. If there has been an infiltration of the womens movement whereby their machismo is judged against the boys then perhaps the womens movement could be due for a new outlook for what really will change society for the better. Competing with the boys should only tell you how to beat the boys at their own game. Geez don't think that us blokes can fix it ...we started all this mess in the first place