Thursday, September 20, 2007

Moderation in all things

Conor Foley has a studiously moderate piece on CiF that concludes,

The liberal left also need to nail their colours more firmly to the mast. We always seems to be at our weakest when thinking about foreign policy issues and all too often allow ourselves to be seduced by easy cliches (sic) and simplistic notions. This is part of the reason why we are so often impatient with diplomacy and multilateral institutions during crises such as Darfur. But defending these also now represents the best chance there is for ensuring a peaceful end to impasse. This needs to be stated more loudly in the days ahead.

Apart from the easy cliché about nailing colours to masts, this seems to be a defence of prevarication rather than 'courage in our convictions'. Rather than being 'seduced by ... simplistic notions', left impatience over Darfur is based on something more important. Every delay, every wasted day or month when nothing is done, costs the lives and homes of hundreds and thousands of people. Mass murder continues uninhibited whilst diplomacy grinds on. The victims cry out for action. Sometimes patience is not a virtue but a vice.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have an intense dislike of Conor Foley as a person. His politics I dislike even more. What a chump.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

unaha-closp said...

The multilateral agencies I presume he refers to have little common interest with "the colours" of the liberal left.