There are some things I didn't like much about What's Left?, but it certainly is an important book. The tone is too much of political journalism pamphleteering, his opinions often too simplistic and some comparisons a little far-fetched (regarding Virginia Woolf, for instance; well, one can dislike the working classes but still contribute to make their condition better, which she did). But, some details aside, he's mostly right about the decline of the Left and its causes. And that's very depressing. I consider myself a man of the Left, and that's why I'm so disappointed with the way so many left-wingers lost their way and became embroiled in petty hates and byzantine discussions while letting such important conquers as the welfare state being destroyed by the Right. I hate the silly sense of post-colonial guilt and loss after the collapse of the socialist illusion of the 20th century that led to so many despicable double standards regarding Western policy and the wrong notion of "multiculturalism" that has been so catastrophic to Western societies. And the primal mistrust of Western democracies (embodied in the fierce hate for the US and everything American) is ridiculous and should be laughable, were it not dangerous and disgusting.
I think there's still hope though, and maybe the only good thing out of the present economic crisis will be to remind people the worthiness of the true leftist values that were so hardly fought for and gave us so much prosperity and well-being - unfortunately, they're not guaranteed anymore, and that's what the Left should be worried about.
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