Now this makes me feel all tender-hearted towards a fellow author.I haven't read The End of Politics, but I'm certain from regularly reading Chris's blog that it must be intellectually stimulating and very well written.
Here are five more reasons why you should buy the book.
2) It criticises "managerialism" which refers at least in part to the quasi-religious belief that "experts" should run our lives paternalistically. As such, it represents an important counterblast to the prevailing illiberal trend towards technocracy.
3) The book is written by someone distinguished in terms of intelligence and knowledgeability, rather than in terms of academic position. Buying it therefore tacitly supports the important idea that it doesn't take a socially sanctioned authority to make intelligent and profound points about academic subjects.
4) It is written by someone known primarily in his capacity as blogger, and therefore helps to promote the blogosphere, which at present is the only numerically significant cultural counterforce against illiberal hegemony.
5) Chris is, I gather, an unreconstructed Marxist. As such, his viewpoint is a minority one. Minority viewpoints are severely under-represented in contemporary culture, particularly in the monolithic world of book publishing (pace any misplaced enthusiasm about "long tails").
6) Chris seems to be quite a nice guy, as people go. He's generous about promoting other bloggers, and is not up his own proverbial the way some A-list bloggers are.
[Your turn, Chris.]
1 comment:
I have read the book (although my copy is currently on loan to an unreconstructed old-Labour friend) and I agree that it is a well-reasoned, well-written criticism of the bunch of mendacious statists that currently rule us (and, to be honest, those vying to replace them.) Albeit, from somebody who supports the original and long-jettisoned ideals of the Labour Party, therefore not exactly the way I would have written it (see a similar tome here), never mind my (comparative) economic illiteracy.
Chris, although he claims to be a Marxist here and defends them here, also provides a reasoned (as ever) criticism of Marx himself here. I would describe him as an economically intelligent Socialist. So pretty much one of a kind. Buy the book (or, if you can't afford it, borrow it. Socialist government hasn't destroyed all of our libraries, yet.)
S-E
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