According to Gramsci, social hegemony is comprised of two factors:.
1. The "spontaneous" consent given by the great masses of the population to the general direction imposed on social life by the dominant fundamental group; this consent is "historically" caused by the prestige (and consequent confidence) which the dominant group enjoys because of its position and function in the world of production.
2. The apparatus of state coercive power which "legally" enforces discipline on those groups who do not "consent" either actively or passively. This apparatus is, however, constituted for the whole of society in anticipation of moments of crisis of command and direction when spontaneous consent has failed." (Gramsci, 673).
This basically explains the reason for the government enacting laws that may or may not be for the good of the public. They create laws that will protect themselves from an uprising while convincing the public that it is for their safety. Through the manipulation of language, laws are able to strip civil liberties while appearing to be enforcing public safety. In this way, the laws since September 11, 2001 have duped society into believing they are for the good of the people.
In order to comprehend the complications presented by the laws enacted, one must first understand the legislation itself. There are a few keys bills that have been passed that make it all too easy for the government to encroach on civil liberties, beginning with the Terrorism Act 2000. Although this bill was enacted before September 11, 2001, it is essentially the cornerstone of the terrorism legislation. In its definition of terrorism, along with the power granted to police over "suspected terrorists," one can clearly see the purpose of this law was to probe rather than protect. The next few paragraphs will deal with summarizing and analyzing a few laws, beginning with the Terrorism Act 2000, in order to clarify the implications presented by the legislation.