The Euston Manifesto Here's a little bright light for all of us frustrated lefties. A group of British bloggers, journalists and intellectuals have come together and launched The Euston Manifesto. It is a statement of principles for "a progressive democratic alliance" that attempts to overcome some of the factionalism in today's political left.

The group makes commitment to democracy and democratic principles their central concern. This allows them to stake out some more muscular positions on current affairs, combating the niggling tendecy of today's leftist to trap themselves in morally ambiguous positions. In particular, I like their stand on Iraq:

The founding supporters of this statement took different views on the military intervention in Iraq, both for and against. We recognize that it was possible reasonably to disagree about the justification for the intervention, the manner in which it was carried through, the planning (or lack of it) for the aftermath, and the prospects for the successful implementation of democratic change. We are, however, united in our view about the reactionary, semi-fascist and murderous character of the Baathist regime in Iraq, and we recognize its overthrow as a liberation of the Iraqi people. We are also united in the view that, since the day on which this occurred, the proper concern of genuine liberals and members of the Left should have been the battle to put in place in Iraq a democratic political order and to rebuild the country's infrastructure, to create after decades of the most brutal oppression a life for Iraqis which those living in democratic countries take for granted — rather than picking through the rubble of the arguments over intervention.

This opposes us not only to those on the Left who have actively spoken in support of the gangs of jihadist and Baathist thugs of the Iraqi so-called resistance, but also to others who manage to find a way of situating themselves between such forces and those trying to bring a new democratic life to the country. We have no truck, either, with the tendency to pay lip service to these ends, while devoting most of one's energy to criticism of political opponents at home (supposedly responsible for every difficulty in Iraq), and observing a tactful silence or near silence about the ugly forces of the Iraqi "insurgency". The many left opponents of regime change in Iraq who have been unable to understand the considerations that led others on the Left to support it, dishing out anathema and excommunication, more lately demanding apology or repentance, betray the democratic values they profess.

I encourage everyone to check out the site...from human rights to anti-terror, the Manifesto provides a practible way forward for individuals with progressive values.

While not perfect, I think the Euston project is an extremely important step for the political left. I've been long convinced that we need a more 'muscular' progressive movement that trancends both obsolete notions of 'left' and 'right' and the crippling obsession with identity politics. If we want to achieve political power, then a real-world, articulate vision is required. The Euston Manifesto is not a panacea, but it does provide some clues on how to build a new, robust progressive movement in Canada.  ¶ 4:44 a.m.