Nick's forthcoming book
Bit of trivia: as we've all been tantalisingly reminded for some time, "Our Friends on the Left, an examination of agonies, idiocies and compromises of mainstream liberal thought will be published by 4th Estate in 2006."
This amazon listing suggests that it's been put back to next year and is now called "What's Left?". My guess is that Nick finished the text during that month off but the publisher thought (as I did) that it would be a bit weird to have a book by Nick Cohen about the agonies, idiocies and compromises of mainstream liberal thought which didn't mention the Euston Manifesto, and it thereby missed a window.
This amazon listing suggests that it's been put back to next year and is now called "What's Left?". My guess is that Nick finished the text during that month off but the publisher thought (as I did) that it would be a bit weird to have a book by Nick Cohen about the agonies, idiocies and compromises of mainstream liberal thought which didn't mention the Euston Manifesto, and it thereby missed a window.
posted by The Rioja Kid at 7/14/2006 04:03:00 PM
4 Comments:
Will it be an entirely new text, or a collection of columns (as was the case with 'Cruel Britania', if I remember rightly)?
It's a pity about the name change, presumably forced upon Nick by boring publishers.
AS I understand it it's supposed to be a full text. Given that Nick seems to be in a permanent state of fury these days - you're all MAD! - I wonder if the publishers didn;t ask him to go away, put a flannel over his head and gear the book down a bit.
Last I checked, about three weeks ago, it had the same publication date but was titled "The Michael Mooronification of the Left".
Although interesting and fun in some sense, I find this navel gazing and self righteous condemnation a little self indulgent. We hear so much of it from Cohen and Geras.
From whatever perspective you are from there seems little point in constantly carping about how the Left (with a capital L) has lost its way, as if its some sort of coherent organisation with a central commitee and coherent structure. There is just far too much carping.
Instead of obssessively defining and redfining itself through the use of manifestos and bullet point texts, any left/liberal organisation needs to get involved in issues and debates that make a difference to ordinary folk's lives.
Get stuck in. Spend less time condemning others and looking over your shoulder, and say and do something positive.
Not that Cohen and Geras are necessarily wrong on everything. I think there is a point to be made about the left and Islamism - to an extent. But it really can get far too overwrought, pompous and esoteric at times.
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