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June 24, 2005

Comments

dearieme

"I am a passionate pro-European. I always have been."

Except, of course, when I stood for parliament on a manifesto which promised withdrawal from the EU.

Passionate loathsome wee twat.

Blimpish

"Re-reading Blair's New Britain: My vision of a young country." Chris - you make me feel like I lead an unfulfilled life... You anyway neglected Mr Blair's announcement of the extent of his passion when he and the Missus were interviewed before the election.

On your actual point - yes, all comes back to the need to be sincere, authentic, meaningful. Positivism again - values and facts cannot be conflated, so value judgements are judged according the will, resolve, and feeling behind them rather than their accord with any interpretation of the facts. It's all very Existential.

Blimpish

From Big Micky Oakeshott, the 'politics of the felt need':

"This assimilation of politics to engineering is, indeed, what may be called the myth of rationalist politics. And it is, of course, a recurring theme in the literature of Rationalism. The politics it inspires may be called the politics of the felt need; for the Rationalist, politics are always charged with the feeling of the moment. He waits upon circumstance to provide him with his problems, but rejects its aid in their solution. That anything should be allowed to stand between a society and the satisfaction of the felt needs of each moment in its history must appear to the Rationalist a piece of mysticism and nonsense."

Angry Economist

I think Tony was just posturing himself as the international statesman again. He'll say owt to look good.

Perhaps he wants to be the first president of the EU!?

jamie

Isn't "passionate" part of the business school lexicon these days? As in: I'm in business because I'm passionate about dog grooming/industrial sponge/injection moulding equipment...

HJ

*Isn't "passionate" part of the business school lexicon these days?*

Indeed. I saw 'we're passionate about your laundry' on the front of a van yesterday.

HJ

This lady spotted it too (and makes an appropriate comment):

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/user/1761/weblog/10/15173

(scroll down to para beginning "It's a long drive from Oxford...")

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