When the Libertarians are Away, Young Will Play
“Not much to read on the blogs this morning,” I said to myself. “Wait, it’s a weekend - maybe Michael Young is posting weak apologies for the Iraq war on Hit and Run.”
Following on from Nick’s post on an Ian Buruma piece in London’s The Times critical of the power worship evident in the political left, I found another, earlier piece by Christopher Hitchens, also in The Times and also looking at the poverty of the left in the face of despotism. Hitchens’ article introduces something called the Euston Manifesto, drawn up by leftists disgusted with the turn the left has taken.
Where does one even begin?
Power worship on the left? Are you serious? Who gave us Mission Accomplished and the stuffed crotch? Who regularly apologizes for torture? Who asserts the executive branch’s immunity from all legislation?
A Hitchens article asserting that the left is bad? Stop the presses!
This is typical Young. The Euston Manifesto was “introduced” weeks ago, which in blog time makes it paleolithic. And it was rightly laughed at by all sensible people, including the power-worshipping leftists at Reason:
In the annals of “people taking themselves too seriously,” between Tom Hayden’s autobiography and George Clooney’s Oscar speech, room must be made for “The Euston Manifesto.” The British lefty magazine The New Statesman is hosting the wan testament, composed over the last year by “20 or so similarly minded people” who had met in a pub near London’s Euston station. It’s apparently crafted to “invite debate” and “call for a progressive realignment.” Unfortunately, it reads like a mish-mash of blog posts and Joe Lieberman applause lines.
But Young gets to “discover” it now and declare that its observations are timely and relevant.