The Euston Manifesto – in which a number of liberal/leftists try to return to their “authentic values” (some of which could justify more hawkish foreign policy views) – is one of the more interesting and laudatory documents to appear on the Internet in some time, not least because it shows people wrestling with their beliefs in a genuine manner. Still (or should I say “Therefore”?), it is hardly surprising that it received the reactions detailed by Norm Geras:
Much of the comment on the manifesto has been, to put it generously, pathetic; and, though this part of it doesn’t actually merit a response, it is worth registering just how much there has been like that. Schematically: (1) ‘Ha ha, they met in a pub.’ (2) ‘Tee hee, they named it after a station.’ (3) Some other generic flip but contentless remark. (4) ‘These people are deadbeats’; or [from some of the sadder members of the blogosphere] one or another version of ‘They are bad people.’
Norm does a superb job in his essay of defending the signers against more adult criticism than the above. Read it. (via PJM)
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