For those of you who have been used to Harry’s Place being a one man operation and were startled by my initial post I should introduce myself.
Like Harry my political roots are in the left though this does not stop me from despairing at the recent sheep-like state of thinking on the left which I intend to challenge on this site where neccessary. I haven’t been active politically for over a decade because (a) I was busy working as a corporate litigation lawyer in the City, and (b) the left has lost much sense of strategic and ideological direction over recent decades. At the risk of stating the obvious I consider the two most important events in recent political history are the collapse of the socialist regimes in Europe and the 9/11 attacks on the US.
Where the fall-out from these two events will lead us is still not clear. When asked, in the 1950’s about the political consequences of the French Revolution, Zhou en Lai the Chinese Prime Minister said “It’s too early to tell”. I have some sympathy for his position but don’t believe we have the luxury of such a delayed response. What I do know is that sizable sections of the British Left are acting as if neither event happened. This has to change or the Left will go the way of the great auk.
I don’t claim to have hard and fast answers to anything but hope joining the debate here at Harry’s Place will be the start of something interesting. I share similar views to Harry on certain questions but will try and bring my own particular experience and views to world politics as they unfold.
