War, music , Literature and Nicola Sturgeon

I will blame Nicola Sturgeon for this one......I was doing my usual contemplation on the train as I came in this morning. I was listening to Desert Island Discs and Nicola Sturgeon choose the complete work of Jane Austen as her readiing material on the island. She had been on my mind for the last few days when she said she was open to being persuaded on the merits of bombing Syria I had sworn and asked the question how would this affect the supposed Anti Austerity alliance and began to wonder how long plaid would take to be also open to considering it.

I then began to wonder how our responses to certain Literature and Music reflects the nature of our soulness and political outlook. Of course I do not mean soulness in another sense than the psychological essence of our outlook and personality. It also tells us a lot about our politics ..whether we are authoritarian or Libertarian , whether we are left or right, whether we are stewards or masters of our outlook to the environment.

What does our response to Jane Austen tell us then I muses it tells about our scales of a cleverness that conservative and a little smug. It tells us about the rational side of ourselves, it explains the quickness of exchanging clever words. It tell us little about our shadow, our Id the parts we hide from the world and ourselves it tells us about the appropriate and proper form of political discourse.

Any book by the Bronte sisters tell us about our passions, our obsessions , our irrationality. The books explore a world of a vengeful Gaia that is ignored at our peril. Its Celtic rather than an effete English outlook, it acknowledges sexuality without making it explicit, it is radical rather than conservative. It asks us question about the edges of ourselves the experiences we have and tell no one about and the area we do know about ourselves that in addition no one else knows.

Musically I have always liked both Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Each has distinct approach. Cohen writes his words first and then adds the music. Dylan does the reverse. Cohen explains our sexuality and our spirituality, her examines and explain s how they link and are different. The dislike of Leonard Cohen soften reveals a Puritan streak, a fear of words and physicality. Cohen expresses a a more European, depth psychology, a cosmopolitan, intensely sexual , and awareness of the sensuality of existence. The politics he exhibits is romantic, rebellious and personal. He is both Camus and Kierkegaard . You can tell so much about people from the first response they have to him and his music.

Then there is Dylan. His music is collectively political, it tell us about causes and campaigns, yet it is more conservative than Cohen's simply because it lacks the flexibility that Cohen has. Dylan is an Icon, yet has been always a weather cock rather than a signpost., His conservatism has grown has he has aged, he has followed conservative tropes during the 80s unlike Cohen who has always rebelled . We can tell a lot about the long term trends of our political soulness from how we respond to Dylan 

Fortunately after Desert Island discs there was Elvis Costello reading his book about his first tour of America. Like Cohen he fuses the personal and the political. I wonder as we drift to war what we could tell about the Doves and the Hawks and their response to the four writers I have mentioned.

This morning I leave you with two songs from Elvis Costello. The first Oliver's army deals with the fact that it is always the working class that is slaughtered in wars. That the military industrial complex always wins. Its no accident that Costellos song Ship building is most apt today.

Is it worth it?
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy's birthday
It's just a rumor that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we'll be shipbuilding...
Well I ask you
The boy said "Dad they're going to take me to task, but I'll be back by Christmas"
It's just a rumor that was spread around town
Somebody said that someone got filled in
For saying that people get killed in
The result of this shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
It's just a rumor that was spread around town
A telegram or a picture postcard
Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards
And notifying the next of kin
Once again
It's all we're skilled in
We will be shipbuilding...

With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls.

And finally for Gideon and Dave..the Eaton Rifles

Sup up your beer and collect your fags -
There's a row going on down near Slough
Get out your mat and pray to the West
I'll get out mine and pray for myself

Thought you were smart when you took them on,
But you didn't take a peep in their artillery room
All that rugby puts hairs on your chest
What chance have you got against a tie and a crest?