The New World Will Be Born!
Antonio Gramsci's famous phrase "the old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters," is fitting for the republican movement in Britain. Here's why...
1/20/20261 min read
Gramsci’s “monsters” line fits republican campaigning when you’re arguing that Britain is stuck in an in-between: people can feel the old story isn’t working, but the alternative hasn’t been made concrete and reassuring yet.
What “the old is dying” can look like (in a UK monarchy context)
Deference and “it’s just tradition” feels thinner than it used to.
Institutions look less credible when they feel unaccountable or protected by status.
People sense unfairness, but aren’t sure what a better settlement looks like.
What “the new cannot be born” can look like
A republic is often presented as a protest (“abolish!”) more than a clear, calm upgrade (“here is the Irish model, here is how it works, here is why it’s safe”).
Opponents exploit uncertainty: “What would replace it?” “Would it be like the US?” “Would it politicise everything?”
Many people don’t oppose the idea of a republic — they just don’t see a credible route from here to there.
Who/what are the “monsters” in this gap?
Not literal monsters — Gramsci means morbid symptoms: the stuff that rushes in when people feel powerless or confused.
- Cynical culture-war distraction
- Scapegoating of minorities and migrants
- Conspiracy thinking and “strong leader” fantasies
- Nostalgia politics: pretending a pageant can replace accountability
- A sour, resentful mood that says “nothing can change, so why try?”
How to use Gramsci helpfully for a republic message
Our job is to make the “new” born-able: concrete, normal, and hopeful.
A Gramsci-friendly republican frame:
-Name the gap: “People want fairness and accountability.”
-Offer the safe model: “A parliamentary democracy with a ceremonial, accountable head of state (Ireland-style is easy to understand).”
-Make it emotionally gentle: “This isn’t about hating anyone; it’s about equal citizenship.”
-Show a path: “A clear process: consultation → legislation → referendum → transition.”
Gramsci wrote that when the old order is fading and the new can’t yet be born, ‘morbid symptoms’ appear. You can feel that in Britain: a hunger for dignity and fairness, alongside a tired attachment to inherited status because the alternative hasn’t been made clear enough. The answer isn’t despair — it’s construction. A modern republic is simply the next, calm step in democracy: equal citizens, a head of state chosen and accountable, and a country that doesn’t need hierarchy to feel whole.