This may be of interest to the politially-afflicted. Luke Akehurst, well known scourge of lefties and generally decent bloke, has challenged me to a big fight. Well, he calls it a discussion, but I love poor analogies.
Date: To be arranged when we get round to it
Venue: Bickerstaffe Record arena
Fight subject: The legitimacy of Luke’s claim that the ‘Labour Right’ of 2009 is a valid heir to ‘Labour tradition’ and not some dodgy imposter.
Fight rules: A bit like Fight Club with Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, but without the exploding financial institutions at the end, because that’s happening of its own accord anyway, what with a crisis of capitalism and that.
Tickets: Available by sending me used notes in an envelope. Proceeds go 90%/10%, with my 90% going to the nascently very fine Left New Media Forum, Luke’s 10% ringfenced for spend on a leaflet in Hackney about the decision by the local Labour party to espouse the essential validity of Gramsci’s view of hegemomy.
Hope to see you there.
When I got to know Luke a little better, I found he had a far broader range of views (from across the political spectrum) than his caricature suggested.
He may be unspeakably right wing in certain respects but on others I’ve found him to be refreshingly progressive.
You are quite right, I’m sure (and I see hints of it is in his blog). He loves to play the enfant terrible of the Labour right but I know his heart’s in the right place.
Anyway, I don’t care. It’s a fight and he started it, Sir.