ABSTRACT
From 1992 to 2007, Britain enjoyed sustained economic growth, falling unemSOR\PHQW ORZ LQÀDWLRQ DQG ULVLQJ UHDO LQFRPH (FRQRPLF SURVSHFWV VXEVHTXHQWO\GDUNHQHGDV¿QDQFLDOPDUNHWVVHL]HGXSDQGIRRGDQGIXHOSULFHVVRDUHG (YHQ VR WKH FRQWUDVW ZLWK WKH UHFHVVLRQZUDFNHG V DQG WKH FULVLVERXQG VUHPDLQHGVKDUS<HWLQ1HZ/DERXU¶VWKLUGWHUPWKHSHUFHSWLRQKDVJURZQ WKDWVRPHWKLQJ LVEDGO\ZURQJZLWK%ULWLVKVRFLHW\7KH/DERXU3DUW\SUHVVXUH JURXS&RPSDVVVSHDNVRIDµVRFLDOUHFHVVLRQ¶ZKLOHWKH&RQVHUYDWLYHVURXWLQHO\ GHSORUH%ULWDLQ¶VµEURNHQVRFLHW\¶,QKLVEHVWVHOOLQJERRNHappiness: Lessons of a new science WKH HFRQRPLVW 5LFKDUG /D\DUG DGGXFHV D VXEVWDQWLDO DQGDXWKRULWDWLYHERG\RI UHVHDUFK WRKLJKOLJKW WKHSDUDGR[DW WKHKHDUW RIRXU OLYHV0RVWSHRSOHZDQWPRUHLQFRPHDQGVWULYHIRULW<HWDV:HVWHUQVRFLHWLHV KDYHJRW ULFKHU WKHLUSHRSOHKDYHEHFRPHQRKDSSLHU7KHHFRQRPLFKLVWRULDQ Avner Offer (2006) details the range of social and personal disorders – family EUHDNGRZQ PHQWDO LOOQHVV HFRQRPLF LQVHFXULW\ ULVLQJ LQHTXDOLW\ GHFOLQLQJ WUXVWDGGLFWLRQFULPHDQGREHVLW\±ZKLFKKDYHDFFRPSDQLHGWKHXQSUHFHGHQWHG PDWHULDO SURVSHULW\ RI FRQWHPSRUDU\ %ULWRQV DQG $PHULFDQV $QG LQ D PRUH SRSXODU YHLQ WKH SV\FKRORJLVW 2OLYHU -DPHV FODLPV WKDW WKH (QJOLVKVSHDNLQJ ZRUOGLVLQWKHJULSRIWKHµDIÀXHQ]DYLUXV¶DµVHWRIYDOXHVZKLFKLQFUHDVHRXU YXOQHUDELOLW\ WR HPRWLRQDO GLVWUHVV >E\@ SODFLQJ D KLJK YDOXH RQ DFTXLULQJ PRQH\DQGSRVVHVVLRQV ORRNLQJJRRG LQ WKH H\HVRIRWKHUV DQGZDQWLQJ WREH IDPRXV¶-DPHVYLL 7KLV FKDSWHU ORRNV DW µ)HHOEDG %ULWDLQ¶ IURP D *UDPVFLDQ SHUVSHFWLYH Gramsci distinguished three forms of social consciousness – corporate, class and hegemonic – concerned respectively with narrow sectional interests, economic class interests and with the presentation of a particular class interest as the interHVW RI VRFLHW\ DV D ZKROH )RU KLP SROLWLFV WDNHV WKH IRUP RI D VWUXJJOH IRU hegemony, in which different classes seek to present their interest as the interest RIDOODQGWKHUHE\HVWDEOLVKWKHLUFODLPWRPRUDODQGSROLWLFDO OHDGHUVKLSRYHUD ZKROH VRFLHW\ 7KLV VWUXJJOH SUHGRPLQDQWO\ WDNHV WKH IRUP RI ZKDW *UDPVFL FDOOHG D µZDU RI SRVLWLRQ¶ WKH NLQG RI SROLWLFDO DQG LGHRORJLFDO WUHQFKZDUIDUH characteristic of advanced capitalist economies, with their developed civil socieWLHV DQG D UHODWLYHO\ FRQVHQVXDO GHPRFUDWLF VWDWH ,W LV IRXJKW RQ DZLGH IURQW taking in ideological, cultural, moral, legal and political, as well as economic,
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As early as 1919, in the pages of Ordine Nuovo, he adopted the slogan for ZKLFK KH LV SHUKDSV EHVW NQRZQ µ3HVVLPLVPRI WKH LQWHOOHFW RSWLPLVPRI WKH ZLOO¶*UDPVFL:KDWWKLVVORJDQUHSUHVHQWVZDVFHQWUDOWRKLVWKLQNLQJEHFDXVHRIKLV LQVLJKW LQWR WKHFRPSOH[LW\RIFLYLO VRFLHW\ LWV LQH[WULFDEOH PHVKLQJZLWKWKHVWDWHDQGWKHGHSWKDQGVROLGLW\ZLWKZKLFKWKHOHDGLQJFODVV¶V KHJHPRQ\LVHQWUHQFKHGZLWKLQVRFLHW\:KLOHKHPLJKWKRSHWKDWDQHZUHYROXWLRQDU\KHJHPRQ\ZRXOGEHGHYHORSHGIURPEHORZKHUHFRJQLVHGWKDWE\IDUWKH most likely outcome of any organic crisis was what he called a ‘passive revoluWLRQ¶FKDQJHRUFKHVWUDWHGIURPDERYHE\HOHPHQWVZLWKLQWKHUXOLQJEORF7KLV would have the effect of containing the new social forces and pressures that had EXLOWXSDGDSWLQJWKHVRFLDORUGHUWRDFFRPPRGDWHVRPHRIWKHLUOHVVHUGHPDQGV DQGSHUVRQQHOGLVPLVVLQJRWKHUVDQGGLVFLSOLQLQJWKHLUSURSRQHQWV,QWLPHWKLV ZRXOGFUHDWHDQHZDQGVWDEOHKLVWRULFEORF7KHRQO\WKLQJWKDWZDVQRWQHJRWLDEOHLQWKLVFUHDWLYHGHVWUXFWLYHSURFHVVRIRUJDQLFFULVLVDQGSDVVLYHUHYROXWLRQ was the continued domination of capital and the continuous reproduction of the
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7KH DQDO\VLV WKDW IROORZV XVHV WKLV *UDPVFLDQ SHUVSHFWLYH2 to interpret the EURDGSKDVHVRI%ULWDLQ¶VSRVWH[SHULHQFH,QWKH¿UVWVHFWLRQZHGHVFULEH WKHPDLQV\PSWRPVRI%ULWDLQ¶VFRQWHPSRUDU\VRFLDOPDODLVHDQGWUDFHLWVRULJLQV to the organic crisis of the 1970s when the post-war political settlement imploded DQG WKH UDGLFDO 5LJKW VHL]HG WKH FKDQFH WR ODXQFK D QHROLEHUDO FRXQWHU UHYROXWLRQ7KH1HZ/DERXUJRYHUQPHQWHOHFWHG LQFRQ¿UPHGDQGGHHSHQHGWKLVUHJLPHFKDQJHGULYLQJPDUNHWIRUFHVDQGEXVLQHVVQRUPVLQWRWKHKHDUW RI WKH ROG ZHOIDUH VWDWH 8QGHU WKH QHZ GLVSHQVDWLRQ WKH HJDOLWDULDQ LGHDO RI VRFLDOFLWL]HQVKLSKDVJLYHQZD\ WRD MREFHQWUHGFRQVXPHULVWPRGHORISXEOLF SROLF\ WKDWFHOHEUDWHVRZQLQJHDUQLQJDQGVSHQGLQJDV WKHKLJKHVWH[SUHVVLRQV RI KXPDQ FXOWXUH ,Q WKH VHFRQG VHFWLRQZH FRQVLGHUZKDW LV WR EH GRQH DQG RXWOLQHSURSRVDOVIRUUHYLWDOLVLQJWKH%ULWLVK/HIWFKDOOHQJLQJQHROLEHUDOKHJHPony and developing a political project aimed at creating a greener, fairer, KDSSLHUPRUHGHPRFUDWLFDQGOHVVGLYLGHG%ULWDLQDQGZRUOG,QWKHWKLUGVHFWLRQ ZH WDFNOHZKDW LVXVXDOO\NQRZQDV WKHSUREOHPRIDJHQF\+RZ LQD VRFLHW\ PDUNHGE\PXOWLSOH FURVVFXWWLQJ VRFLDO GLYLVLRQV E\ FRPSHWLQJ VRFLDO YDOXHV DQGE\DJHQHUDOLVHG ORVVRI IDLWK LQJUDQGQDUUDWLYHVDQG WKH LGHDRISURJUHVV can such a project make headway?
