The denial of class struggle by British Governments in their anti-union discourse (1978–2007)

Abstract

Class struggle is the means by which workers can pursue the goal of their liberation from the exploitation of capital. Trade Unions lead many of the battles that are part of the general struggle and, through those battles, help to improve the material conditions of the workers but, at the same time, they create class consciousness. The denial of the existence of class struggle is part of governments' anti-union strategy. This paper aims to isolate instances of class struggle denial in the anti-union discourse of the British Governments from 1978 to 2007. The research is characterised by a post-disciplinary approach which helps to put the historical and economic facets of the problem in the right perspective. The actual analysis of the texts taken into consideration is carried out through a pragma-dialectic approach to argumentation theory and by applying the analytical tools provided by systemic–functional linguistics.

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