A rather lovely piece, I think, by The Hitch on the current cartoon feud. Compulsory reading for anyone who thinks he’s re-aligned himself with the right-wing of late.
One Reply to “Christopher Hitchens on the Danish cartoon scandal”
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Hitchens moved to the right? He kind of has. And kind of hasn’t.
However, a significant section of the ‘left’, particularly the liberal-left, has allied itself with the right in the form of supporting theocratic loons in the name of “tolerance”.
It’s topsy-turvy land. Consider, if you will, the religious hatred bill:
In this context, what is left and what is right?
A few censorious illiberal liberals writing for one or two of the broadsheets may, and I stress may, have voiced support for the bill (as did Ken Livingstone in the Morning Star, a quick Google has revealed), but surely the majority of people, left and right alike, are in favour of free speech while simultaneously thinking that the BNP are goons.
In the olden days the left weren’t so censorious – or as quick to demand state interference in matters. Today’s left-over liberal-left have become obsessed with legislation and jurisprudence. The bill will lead to increased censorship and unnecessary litigation and it is, in my opinion, false to call it ‘left-wing’ in any meaningful sense. Perhaps ‘liberal’, now that that word has been suitably denuded of any meaning.
Take from someone who lives in the whining victim-capital of Europe, getting people lawyered-up is not a reasonable alternative to politics.
Anyhow, j’accuse the press, left and right-wing alike, of puffing-up the importance of fringe nutters like the BNP well out of proportion – something which helps the government pursue its anti-rights, anti-civil liberties legislation.