Someone unacquainted with the Iraq War would come away with no idea of what has happened there in the last four years. This crashing silence is the only way Cohen can pursue what is on the face of it an absurd project: an attack on the Left based on their rejection of a disastrous war.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Excellent review of "What's left"
The blog Indecent Left has a long, patient survey of the "factual mistakes, lazy research and muddled arguments" of Nick Cohen's book What's Left: how liberals lost their way. If you relied on the mainstream media, you'd think this book was a serious contribution to British politics.
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A very good review. Here's a few more demolitions of Cohen's dreary and deluded one-note dirge:-
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cinestatic.com/infinitethought/2007/01/there-are-no-liberals-and-if-there.asp
http://leninology.blogspot.com/2007/01/conscience-of-ex-liberal-leftist.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2002456,00.html
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/2807/
Not personally a Briton so I can come at this issue from a little bit of a distance but the gist of this is the Left supporting terrorism, being anti-American etc. But hasn't Labour ie the Left been the party in power in Britain during its recent crusading in the Islamic world together with this America that it supposedly hates so much? Very confusing. I hope Cohen isn't suggesting Blair and his party aren't of the Left at all: that they are merely engaging in opportunistic deceit. That this is all some kind of chimera of illusion. Though maybe the Left here is simply some people Cohen met down the pub.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I suggest Greg Palast's Best Democracy Money Can Buy as an alternative to these strange ravings.