Am I Decent or Not?
Norman Geras says that he doesn't like the term "Decent Left" and that it should be left to the 'sneerers'. It is of course a strange term as it is used both by the Decent Left, and those who oppose them. Here is a handy guide to some leading pro-war figures and their use of the term Decent. There are three categories. "Approvingly" means that they have referred to the "Decent Left" (or very similar) and done so approvingly, ie they haven't said "That Decent Left love a good war". "Self-describe" means that they have described themselves as being on the "Decent Left". There are three options here, Yes, No, and 'Implicit'. The latter category is where (in my opinion, but I've been quite strict) the writer is implying that they are part of the "Decent Left". Really, I don't see how someone who considers themself on the Left, and that there is a "Decent Left" (and thus a non-Decent one), would not consider themselves on it, so there should be more YESs in that category than I given.
| Name | Approvingly | Self-describe |
| Nick Cohen | YES | Implicit |
| John Lloyd | YES | NO |
| David Aaronovitch | NO | NO |
| Norman Geras | NO | NO |
| Oliver Kamm | YES | NO |
| Harry's Place | YES | Implicit |
| Alan Johnson | YES | YES |
Labels: Decent Left
posted by Matthew @ 2/21/2007 02:26:00 PM
Comments: 6
