“Journalism of left and right converges in an anarchic zone of vitriol where elected politicians are always contemptible, their policies not just wrong but their motives all self-interest. Those on the left should take this very seriously indeed. The right is individualist, anti-government, anti-tax, anti-collective provision. Undermining the idea that government is a force for good is its ideological aim, alongside the mad militias of Idaho. But the left, which purports to believe in government, should be wary of joining the same all-governments-are-rubbish camp. This anarcho-individualism is a very British mindset — and it is not compatible with social democracy.”
Polly Toynbee makes a host of important points in her commentary on the relationship between government and media. As I travel around, I encounter more and more people preoccupied with the unscrutinised power of the press. As an advocate of media freedom, this attention worries me. But observing the generally irresponsible behaviour of the media in the UK — on the left and right, as Toynbee points out — I wonder how long media rights can flourish.
Paul Krugman is back on form, discussing Treasury secretary John Snow’s appeal to China to devalue the yuan. “The U.S. currently has very little leverage over China. Mr. Bush needs China’s help to deal with North Korea — another crisis that was allowed to fester while the administration focused on Iraq. Furthermore, purchases of Treasury bills by China’s central bank are one of the main ways the US finances its trade deficit.”