Thank you to Pete in the comments and to everyone else who’s been sending kind wishes. It’s good to be alive on days like these. I hope eventually everyone will be just as free to say in public how they think we should live in the world we share. It’s a precious gift and one I’m not ashamed to say is worth fighting for.
Fear not, my people. The trouser jokes will return.
9 Comments
I think most of us realize that the Manifesto has drawn so much jeering and sneering and accusations of facism, genocide and puppy blendering only because the jeerers and sneerers’ support of free speech and open discussion applies only to themselves. If the Manifesto had asserted support of Iraqi “freedom fighters”, Iranian “patriots”, Palestinian “militants”, etc. etc., and opposition to US hegemony, Israeli self-defense, cars, money, technology and Jews - i.e., if the Manifesto had read like a combination of Guardian talk boards and Independent opinion columns - then the same people would be hailing it as brilliant and brave and necessary and they’d be screeching about genocide, facism and puppy blendering at any who dared to criticize it.
Hypocritical assholes, is all I’m sayin.
Martin Kettle is a man I would have thought quite sympathetic in some ways to the Euston Manifesto.
Oh no. Here he provides a demolition of the Manifesto from the centre:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1758864,00.html
Hello, Gray. Is it possible that you’re Benjamin Mackie using one of his many alternative names?
It’s interesting that “Gray” and “Sisyphus” both appeared here at the same time.
Actually, no, it isn’t.
All of Benji’s multiple personalities are both boring and wrong.
And banned.
The Kettle isn’t all bad. I mean he does understand that there is some kind of struggle for the soul of the left, it’s only that he doesn’t much care what the left does. That’s up to him. The point is that he is talking about it.
We’ll see what the Pot has to say next. But maybe Benjy has already made his comment.
Even Gray’s ‘comment’ is nicked from the first line of the replies column. If Gray and Madiba are one and the same, he ought to have his multiple personality condition checked out. Or ask his Mum to pay a bit more attention to him.
Sorry, you might not agree with him, but I fail to see what rule Gray broke here, apart from criticising the Euston Manifesto.
Is banning Gray is democratic?
It’s a civic service, Benji—just like prosecuting people who steal others’ identities so they can have more votes.
But you’re right: this isn’t a democracy; it’s my domain. I run it. I pay the bills. Sod off.
Sisyphus has only got one ball…