Habermas’s Predictions Realized in Britain
IRD: It seems that the recent demonstrations in London were quite unexpected and, unbelievably, spread to other parts of the country. How do you assess these incidents?
HS: The fact that the recent events in Britain were unexpected is true. Britain is a society that has not experienced any kind of political-social revolution for 323 years, unlike other European countries-- like France-- in which the new era basically began with a revolution. The only event which is comparable in the history of Britain to what is happening today could be the uprising of workers which began in Manchester and led to a violent and bloody reaction by the police in 1819.
The interesting common point in the 1819 protests and today’s’ events is that in both a new social class began a social movement. In the early 19th century the worker class was formed in Britain after the French revolution, and they protested to gain more economic and social rights. These two events are similar in the fact that a newly formed class organizes the protests. However they have important differences as well.
IRD: Are these protests political?
The answer to this question depends on the definition of politics. If we consider politics a phenomenon which influences social sciences, the answer is yes. But if we interpret politics as issues related to the government and therefore consider political protests as protests aimed at the government structure and demands political reform and a change in the government, it should be said that we have not witnessed any sign indicating this kind of protest in Britain, yet. Therefore if we consider the second meaning, then these uprisings are not political and they might be categorized under social uprisings.
There are proofs that categorize these events as social uprisings as well. For example there is no political group with a specific ideology that is leading these protests. There is no political leader or representatives or demands in these protests; therefore we cannot consider these events as political. Its commonality with other uprisings around the world is that almost all are organized by social networks and new technologies.
IRD: What are the roots of these events? What elements were influential in the formation of these protests?
It seems that four main roots can be specified for these events with the information we have:
1- Multiculturalism in British society. British society has turned into a multinational society. Some statistics show that a fourth of this society is not even British any more. They are either blacks descended from the slave-trading era; Indians and Pakistanis who have migrated there, Polish and other east European migrants, or Muslims who are a population of four million. This multinational society creates much non-homogeneity within British society. That is why the protests started with black Britons but spread to other minorities and contaminated other areas with a multinational nature.
2- The unemployment rate in Britain in the last few years has been unprecedented. This rate can only be compared to that between the two World Wars. A majority of society is either unemployed or is working inconsistent with their level and skill. Unemployment is always a primary reason behind social uprisings. Recent changes have also created many unemployed, such as in the education sector.
3- Six years ago socialists had realized that social delinquency is increasing greatly in the UK. Knife crime was one of the main concerns of British society and many youth, including those who go to school, and even those who work, carried knives with them.
4- Inherent discrimination in capitalist societies spread these protests. Discrimination has always been dominant in the UK, whether between the aristocracy and ordinary people or between the white collar middle class who work with the capitalist system and others. During the recent economic crisis, many British banks did not decrease bonuses given to their managers, while the ordinary people were under great economic pressure.
IRD: Some interpret these discriminations as inherent racism. Are they different or not?
Many social theorists have labeled social discrimination as a kind of racism; but this racism is different from the meaning as the common man understands it. Racism can be seen in the behavior of a white person with a black one who is even richer than he is, or the behavior of a normal British person with a rich Indian. This kind of discrimination can be categorized in terms of a multinational society with the turbulences following it.
But what is inherent in a capitalist society are discriminations from within the capitalist structure, which is not limited to race.
IRD: The elements you mention as reasons behind these uprisings are evident in other European countries as well. Can these uprisings spread to other European countries?
The possibility is there, since protests in many countries like Greece, Spain and Italy have begun to gain political force as well. Therefore, the repetition of this model in other countries is possible. We witnessed similar uprisings in France a few months ago.
But to give you a more accurate answer I have to refer to Habermas’s theory on governmental crises in capitalist societies. He came up with this theory thirty years ago, but has been emphasizing that government and its structure in capitalist societies is currently faced with a legitimacy crisis for 15 years. His famous book, “Legitimation Crisis”, focuses on the structure of government in capitalist societies.
His main point is that the nation-state, which was formed in the 17th century and evolved in the 19th century, cannot be responsive to the new social demands increasing in capitalist societies and has turned into an inefficient structure. He sees the reason behind protests in the inefficiency of this structure and believes that capitalist societies demand basic changes.
IRD: What are the consequences of this situation?
Britain’s history shows that it has been flexible in regards to social protests and crises. For example, in the 1819 events, even though the police reacted violently in the beginning, later major structural changes occurred within the government structure. In addition, social organizations like workers union were formed and laws were passed to absorb those protesting for their rights into the political system.
Based on Britain’s historical experience, the occurrence of structural changes within the political system are very likely. If these changes do not occur and the uprisings are confronted traditionally, the possibility of the protests deepening increases.