I watched his interview last night on bbc2 with Paxo and was very impressed with the man. I’ve been aware of him for years and was especially pleased to read of him kicking Blair’s arse in Toronto last week.

Now I feel that I want to delve more deeply, but don’t quite know where to start with his rather long list of books. Letters to a Young Contrarian is catching my eye…but before I purchase, are there are any recommendations? One particular seminal work?

Yes that is good. Obviously his autobiography “Hitch 22” is out but I can’t comment on that as I’m hoping to receive it for Xmas. God Is Not Great is fantastic too and really makes you wish you had his ability for phrase and rhetoric.

I also read his column in Slate each week/fortnight.

Recommend just searching on Youtube too – check out his interview regarding the death of ‘Reverend’ Falwell:

There’s loads of good ones on there.

It’s a shame both him and his brother don’t post on here. Then we’d have some really good spats 🙂

Cheers SW, I saw his autobiography too, but I fancy something to get my teeth into. Will follow up your other rec’s too.

His latest column on Slate:

http://www.slate.com/id/2276166/

He’s still a Trot………..Hitchens sees Leon Trotsky as the perfect combination of the man of ideas and man of action, and says Trotsky’s writings still make the hairs on his neck stand up.

So an ultra-leftist right-winger then. Which when combined with comments like “I am no longer a socialist, but I still am a Marxist” shows just how all over the place he is – and how much shite he talks. The geezer is a waffling tw4t who learnt his politics from textbooks and treats it all like a bit of a hobby.

so he really needs a log on for here then ernie? is that your point?

Absolutely.

Anyone know if he rides a bike ?

as opposed to you ernie, who is……….? 😉

I generally feel that ‘hobby politicians’ are far better than professional ones.

not in his present state of health…plus long term boozer and chain smoker, so….not that likely

Fair point AndyRT ………….I hadn’t thought of that 😐

A fearsome debater particulalry as he doesnt let his opponent speak! 😛

“The missionary position” is also a good read.

Used to enjoy his column in The Nation magazine, and “Prepared For The Worst” is my favourite of his books. At a certain point he disappeared up his own arsehole and became uninteresting.

He’s a superb polemicist. Sadly, I think he’s on his last legs – does he not have throat cancer or similar serious condition?

This may be of interest

Newsnight interview with Christopher Hitchins

Chris was once asked about his epicene, High Catholic brother Peter, and replied:

“Well, there’s one in every family…”

– and how much shite he talks. The geezer is a waffling tw4t who learnt his politics from textbooks and treats it all like a bit of a hobby

PMSL
Ahh Mr Kettle, you’re looking fairly dark today if you’ll excuse the rascist overtones.

Ahh Mr Kettle, you’re looking fairly dark today if you’ll excuse the rascist overtones.

That made me laugh, too.

Made me laugh too………me “textbooks” LOL ! Brilliant ! 😀

“wage slips” mate ……. that’s how I leant my politics – by reading wage slips, not textbooks. That’s the difference between a Trot and a leftist like myself – I didn’t go down to the library and come out as a transient textbook revolutionary who’s rebelling against mummy and daddy’s affluent lifestyle, I learnt my politics through the harsh realities of life. Politics is not game for me, it’s a vehicle to make real changes which affect real people’s lives. Which is another difference between leftists like myself and Trots – I believe in immediate gains for ordinary working people, not having to wait for a “revolution” before that can happen.

..and posting a load of crap on a mountain bike forum is how you’re going to change the world?
Is there a big difference between reading books and copying and pasting stuff from the internet?

Viva la revolucion
Freedom for Tooting

God is Not Great is a shouty ranty mess of a book, I’d not recommend it (and I hate god).

what he do to ya?
he’s ok in small doses

Ernie – of all the politically aware folk on STW of all sides of the debate his views I respect the most. I don’t always agree with him but his positions are clearly thought out, argued logically and are coherent. Well worth listening to

A very rare thing on this forum

you two should get a room.

But he is an ugly bugger so I am reliably informed. And he smells. And he called me a guardian reading wishy washy liberal or something

i your right, you can just tell he’s ugly somehow.

and posting a load of crap on a mountain bike forum is how you’re going to change the world?

I wouldn’t have thought so. Posting a load of crap on a mountain bike forum is purely for amusement purposes – in the same way as watching Family Guy or going on a bike ride is. You shouldn’t take a mountain bike forum so seriously LycraLout, I certainly don’t. Nor am I under any illusion that a bunch of Daily Mail/Guardian reading IT wallahs who despise fat people, Tesco shoppers, and anyone else who doesn’t comply with their own pretentious and judgemental requirements, do in anyway represent a vanguard for change. I simply enjoy being the “chav’s revenge” if you will, and dishing back a bit of the same contempt some feel for others. It’s fun ! And all the more so as I appear to have rattled you, with your sarcastic remarks “Viva la revolucion” and “Freedom for Tooting” LOL ! Although you would do better to keep that sort of sarcasm for the likes of Christopher Hitchens and other Trots. They after all, are the ones who think you can make instant revolution like you make an instant cup of coffee. As I said in my previous post, I am more interested in achieving real tangible gains in the interests of ordinary working people, than indulging in a fantasy world of revolution from the comfort of an affluent middle-class background. And for precisely those reasons just a few years ago, Christopher Hitchens, in line with all other Trots, would have denounced me as a “class collaborator”. Of course things are different now, Hitchens, as is the case with all other transient textbook Trot revolutionaries who suddenly find their own middle-class lifestyles far too comfortable to want to threaten, suddenly discovers that he no longer believes in “world revolution”. Only in Hitchens case, he can’t actually admit that he was completely wrong. So he comes out with some bollocks about no longer being a socialist, but still being a Marxist, and Trotsky’s writings still making the hairs on his neck stand up. If anyone else came out with bollox like that it would be quickly denounced as complete shite. But it comes from a “polemic genius” it is accepted as a profound statement which deserves serious consideration. However, the geezer is in fact, full of sh1t. End of 🙂

ha ha – what a load of guff

And for precisely those reasons just a few years ago, Christopher Hitchens, in line with all other Trots, would have denounced me as a “class collaborator”.

pmsl – you really are one of the funniest people on here – you know that? you really think hitchens, or anyone else for that matter, gives a monkeys about your sad little fantasies, wolfie?

I simply enjoy being the “chav’s revenge” if you will, and dishing back a bit of the same contempt some feel for others

oh, please, stop it, it hurts. Who are you “dishing” it back to? What high ranking political movers and shakers are reading this quaking in fear of your awesome debating abilities, ooooh I bet they’re scared now.
Thanks for that – I haven’t laughed so much for ages – you’re not planning on a career in standup comedy are you? Really, you have glowing career as a laughing stock ahead of you.

well said – yes I know which lot I belong to.
edit to ernie that is have not read the bit above

However, the geezer is in fact, full of sh1t. End of

Reread that last post of yours, wolfie – as said earlier – pot, kettle, sound familiar?

LOL ! you really are a d1ckhead LycraLout ! What do you know about what I am, and have been, involved in ? 😀

Yep, I have most definitely played my part in the struggle to secure real change for ordinary working people. Some of it successful, some of it not so successful. But indisputably there has been plenty of involvement. I’m really not sure why you think I might be merely an “armchair activist” when you don’t even know me. And yes, Socialist Workers party members have always denounced the me, and the likes of me, as a “class collaborators” because of amongst other things, our commitment to electoral work with the aim of securing change by parliamentary means. You can laugh as much as you want, but it is in fact your suggestion that Christopher Hitchens, when he was writing for “International Socialism”, would not have seen me as a class collaborator which is laughable.

No disrespect mate, but I get the impression that you are in fact completely clueless 💡

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNxss3IQluQ

If anyone else came out with bollox like that it would be quickly denounced as complete shite. But it comes from a “polemic genius” it is accepted as a profound statement which deserves serious consideration. However, the geezer is in fact, full of sh1t. End of

It’s this sort of stuff that makes me glad I’m on this forum. Thanks ernie.

I would add that “polemic genius” is an oxymoron in any case, seeing as polemic (from anyone) hardly ever touches on what is true.

But if virulent polemic is what floats some people’s boats, hey… who are we to argue?

Disregarding the egocentrism and confused nonsense of much of the above, ‘God Is Not Great’ is a very handy book and ‘Catch 22’ is very well written, politically inconsistent, but interesting for anyone who is interested in that era of politics and that time at Oxford. Hitchens is a very good writer, Terry Eagleton claims better than Orwell, but Trotsky is better than all three.

I thought you had past the transient Trot stage BillMC ……….not so ?

Or is it a case that old Trots simply never die………..they might throw away the Socialist Worker and pick up the Guardian instead, and then finally vote LibDem/Tory, but hey, Leon Trotsky’s writings will always make the hairs on the back of their neck stand up ?

“very well written, politically inconsistent, but interesting for anyone who is interested in that era of politics and that time at Oxford. Hitchens is a very good writer……”

Good grief !………a Trot who is “politically inconsistent” ! 😯

But wait………“Hitchens is a very good writer” …….ah, so that’s alright then.

As I’m sure Blair, Clegg, and Cameron, would all agree.

Re Hitchens (that’s who we’re talking about, yes? Not Ernie) I tend to think that the brothers C and P are far more alike than they appear, sort of fraternal flipsides of a familiar old public school coin. Both have braying voices (at least, poor C did have before his diagnosis) which are very loud and totally opinionated, and will argue the most ridiculous points re angels and heads of pins not so much because they believe all the tosh they’re spouting, but more to be noticed as contrarians. Ultimate talking heads really. P plays at being a right-wing bigot while C’s version of consistent principled left-wing politics is enough to make many of us want to turn into Mormons. C is no more a Trotskyist than Stalin was a Marxist, but the fact he can get away with being labelled a leftist shows the mess the British left has been in for so many years.

As for Ernie, well strangely I agree with much of what you say, mate, even though I find your pointedly anti-intellectual stance a bit po-faced. Looks like you’re trying to over-make a point too!

What defines C Hitchens’ politics is more zionism than anything on the left and that’s partly why he is so feted in the USA.

LOL ! you really are a d1ckhead LycraLout

With those erudite debating skills I’m surprised we don’t see more of you on Question Time, ernie
maybe if you spent sonme time getting an education instead of bragging about your uneducated working class hero status you’d be able to argue a point without resorting to personal insult. 😀

I find your pointedly anti-intellectual stance a bit po-faced. Looks like you’re trying to over-make a point too!

No, it’s pretty much as I am. Why wouldn’t it be ?

btw, you could just ignore me you know …… I don’t mind 💡

.

BigBut…….I consider that I received excellent education, it certainly satisfied my needs. And why would I want to argue a point without resorting to personal insult……..how boring would that be ffs ? This isn’t “Question Time” you know.

And btw, my comment was in response to LycraLout’s comment : “you have glowing career as a laughing stock ahead of you” which of course was not intended in any way to be an “insult”

But hey, this thread isn’t about me …………….is it ?