It comes down to morals. Some Englishman being interviewed described Blair as being more of a 19th century moralistic man, and this is why he likes Bush. Good vs Evil, right vs wrong is something they are not afraid to verbalize. He seemed to think it quaint and amusingly simple.
Great article, but one slight criticism:
"From the French Revolution onward, the children of the bourgeoisie had conspired to destroy democracy"
There is a subtle error to this....they seek not to destroy "democracy", but rather "free market capitalism".
Europeans are steeped in a tradition of socialistic thought that stretches back to the mists of history (from which they only emerged, briefly, during the Enlightenment before slipping back into barbaric collectivism). The European intellectuals (and much of the people) hate America because its based on individualism and free markets...which they consider to be vulgar and materialistic. Yet, they know, deep down, that all of their goofy collectivism has only resulted in murder, pogroms, etc.
They know which system is superior...but they are unwilling to change their beliefs and re-examine their ideologies...therefore, they stew with anger at each American success.
"For a while I was a bit baffled by the failure of the Irish and European left to leap to the defence of a great democracy."
My view is that Europe (and Ireland) is subconciously obsessed with the class structure. The left NEVER was about democracy, it was ALWAYS opposition to the class in power. The left has always worked only to replace the class in power. It is nothing more that who owns, controls or expends wealth and power.
The left has always argued that there are grounds on which the current distribution is wrong/unfair/etc. If they argued on the basis of democracy one day, it is only because that met their needs. Commie leaders lived very well and the party members lived much better than non-party members. They took wealth and power from those who had it - there is nothing else to the philosophy of today's left. Redistribution of wealth to the people of the world always includes subtext which says, "with a percentage off the top going to those of us with the greatest concern for the [.....]." You can put in the [...] any word like, "pandas," "hungry," "AIDS sufferers," "child laborers," "disenfranchized," "needy," ad nauseum.
Here's more on the odious Mrs Robinson from the same paper:
Robinson unaware of Mao backers
Sunday September 8th 2002
Human rights credentials defended after revelation of Maoist support
THE HUMAN rights credentials of Mary Robinson have been vigorously defended by Brid Rosney, one of her key strategists in the 1990 presidential election, after it emerged that during her campaign she had the active support of a cadre of former Maoists from Trinity College Dublin (TCD).
Ms Rosney, now RTE's Corporate Affairs Manager, said that she was not aware of the involvement of Maoists in Labour's campaign.
She told the Sunday Independent that this did not, in her view, detract from Mary Robinson's work as UN Commissioner for Human Rights or her work for human rights generally.
Ms Rosney, who also worked as a key advisor to Mrs Robinson when she was President, said that those taking part in the 1990 campaign were not asked their political backgrounds.
She did not accept that Mrs Robinson's reputation would suffer from the Maoism disclosure. "She is a respected human rights lawyer and nothing can damage that," added Ms Rosney.
The fact that former Maoists were involved was revealed for the first time during the week by retiring Labour leader Ruairi Quinn who was Director of Elections.
Maoism involves following the ideas set down in Mao Tse-Tung's The Little Red Book. The ideas of Mao, who led Communist China from 1949 to 1976, resulted in massive human rights abuses in China with doctors, scientists, technicians and urban dwellers forced to labour in the countryside with huge loss of life, famine, hunger and suffering.
Maoism was particularly strong in TCD and was at the peak of its popularity in 1969, when 25-year-old Robinson became a senator on a platform of concern for civil liberties, human rights and the reform of family law.
She was not a Labour member then but joined in 1976 and stood unsuccessfully for general election in Rathmines West in 1977 and Dublin West in 1981.
Those involved in the 1990 presidential campaign in which she defeated the late Mr Brian Lenihan say that Mr Quinn was the only person to know the former Maoists.
Mr Quinn, once a student revolutionary at UCD and known as "Ho Chi-Quinn", made his revelation in an interview with Marian Finucane covering his life and times on RTE Radio 1.
He said that it was a "bizarre experience" that, as Director of Elections, he met "very well-placed and highly successful business executives, who in a previous life had been very radical Maoists.
"They may not have maintained the same level of commitment, but the value system is still there. They had not lost it and they still have not lost it," added Mr Quinn, who refused to reveal their names, saying some would be "well known to the general public".
Fergus Finlay, an advisor to former Labour leader, Dick Spring, told the Sunday Independent that, like Brid Rosney, he had not been aware of the involvement of former Maoists either.
He vigorously denied that there might have been a different outcome to the 1990 presidential election if the public had been made aware of the involvement of former radical Maoists.
Brian Lenihan of Fianna Fail had secured 44 per cent of the vote; Mary Robinson, 37 per cent; and Austin Currie (Fine Gael), 19 per cent. On the second count, she had a narrow 52 per cent victory.
Fergus Finlay rejected any notion that the Labour Party had deliberately concealed the fact that there were former Maoists working for their candidate to secure her victory.
Mrs Robinson plans to continue to work as a human rights specialist on African issues when her tenure with the UN ends in mid-September.
KEVIN MOORE
©
http://www.unison.ie/