This entry was posted on
Tuesday, April 18th, 2006 at
12:24 pm and is filed
under The War on Stupid.

Once more into the long grass, dear friends… let us mire those who oppose us in an endless debate about their values and ours with a glorious troll…

The Euston Manifesto.
Norman Geras and Nick Cohen – The Euston Manifesto
Norman Geras – Introducing the Euston Manifesto
Norman Geras – Euston manifestations
Harry’s Place – Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer

Lenin’s Tomb – That Euston Manifesto in full: This absurd ‘initiative’, based on the resentments of a collection of bloggers and journalists of the petit-bourgeois liberal-left (the introduction is co-written by Nick Cohen and Norman Geras), is quite possibly the most comically inept excuse for supporting imperialism that I have yet read. Identical in tone to the equally preposterous ‘Unite Against Terror’ statement, it retails the usual array of charges made by these purblind bigots. The anti-imperialist left is antisemitic, fascist, Islamofascist, totalitarian, anti-American, terrorist-loving or willing to accomodate all of these. Anti-Zionists are either antisemitic or tolerant of antisemitism. We are heterodox, while they – they Decent Left, the One True Left – are keeping it real.

BSSC – A Curious Manifesto: It seems to me that David Aaranovitch, Nick Cohen, Harry Hatchet and company must be aware that the views they so lovingly mock are minority opinions and are not broadly representative of “anti-war” sentiments in this country. For me, it’s hard to avoid the impression that they are only too aware that their arguments are weak and that they deliberately put them up against the weakest minority opinions they can find in order to give their own position a tiny hint of respectability. Perhaps I’m wrong but that’s the impression I get. It irks me slightly if truth be told.

Andrew Murray – Euston, you have a problem: The supposed ‘new political alignment’ will never split the left or set up a viable opposition to it.

An interesting round-up of views can be read here.

Remember boys and girls, when confronted with a troll, the only winning move is not to play (though it can be argued that sharp, dismissive contempt presents one with a brief sense of satisfaction and often discourages further games of its kind):

Gauche – I agree with nearly everything in the Euston Manifesto. Here’s a version for people who don’t like reading:

1. Islamists are tossers.
2. Stalinists are tossers.
3. Most Trots are tossers.
4. So are most Labour leftists.
5. And most anarchists.
6. And every variety of post-modernist.
7. Sign up if you’re a leftie who agrees with these points.