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Local papers are like the tourists climbing Mt Everest using up lots of oxygen & equipment while Sherpas have none of either and navigate them to greater heights. Unfortunately a lot of these tourists never descend again!
Note the first comment in the Inquirer article, "Newspapers are dying."
Re: The “Euston Manifesto”
Blair my comments are summarized by those of Christopher Hitchens who is a columnist for Vanity Fair on this manifesto topic. On these following specific comments I agree with him. Specifically;
The “Euston Manifesto” keeps it simple. It prefers democratic pluralism, at any price, to theocracy. It affirms the right of democratic nations and open societies to defend themselves, both from theocratic states abroad and from theocratic gangsters at home... It will be the most conservative document that I have ever initialled. So call me a neo-conservative if you must.
All quotes from Hitchens, the only ones that I really agree with him on. However you should know I am not a neo-conservative!
P.S. Hitchens also included the following;
THE EUSTON MANIFESTO SPELLS OUT A CHANGE OF DIRECTION
WHAT IS IT?
In May last year about 20 disgruntled leftists met in a pub near Euston station in London. Journalists, academics, bloggers and students, they were united in feeling at odds with the anti-war movement and the blanket anti-American/anti-Blair sentiments it inspired. They felt that the left had lost touch with its core values, its muddled sympathies now falling in with terrorists in its rush to condemn its own government
WHAT IS THE POINT OF IT?
The manifesto appeared on the internet, arguing the time has come for “egalitarian liberals” to reassess their behaviour and allegiances. Members include Norman Geras, Nick Cohen and Brian Brivati
POINTS INCLUDED
A rejection of the idea that the left should “indulgently ‘understand’ reactionary regimes and movements for which democracy is a hated enemy”
That members will condemn any abuse of human rights, and not see Guantanamo or rendition as being somehow worse than equivalent actions by non-democracies
That without incitement, people should be free to criticise others’ religious beliefs
That the duty of the left is to concentrate on seeing democracy triumph in Iraq and not ceaselessly to harp on about the justice of the initial intervention
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because, its authors believe, it will lead to a return to common sense and put an end to so-called liberals supporting gruesome regimes for political gain back home.
LFP,
Actually it was a Hitchen's article that led me to the Manifesto in the first place (I read him on Slate). I'm not sure how familiar you are with Hitchens but I can asssure you he is no neo-conservative. He is a recovering Trotskyite (in the original form) and would now be called a Libertarian or maybe a contrarian, but still is very socialist in some respects. A very odd combination I admit but he sure is a good read.
As to the Manifesto, I appreciate the efforts and hope my friends on the left take it to heart. Too many times I've watched leftists (I think of myself as centrist but have worked for many "leftist" causes) act as apologists for dictators because they are "our dictators"...oddly enough the same thing Kissinger would have said???
Cheers,
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