Lower Class Attitudes to Property: Aspects of the Counter-Ideology

This paper discusses recent speculation concerning the normative bond which ties the lower class to the present structure of British society. It focuses on the assertions by some theorists that the normative opposition which can arise `spontaneously' within the lower class is inherently limited in scope, and that any future class based movements of a radical kind depend on the action of agencies `external' to the lower class. Some preliminary results are presented from a recent survey of council tenants in Barking, East London, some of whom were on rent strike. This evidence reveals the existence of attitudes `deviant' to dominant values concerning the ownership and rights of property. In conclusion, the nature of lower class normative opposition is reasessed and it is suggested that the lower class are not as conceptually restricted as is often suggested, and that future possibilities of radical action do not necessarily depend on the activities of the Labour Party or trade unions.