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Pledge “notoeuston”

"I will never sign the Euston Manifesto but only if 10 other people will also refuse to."

— Ian, democratic, progressive, and sceptical. (contact)

Deadline to sign up by: 28^th May 2007
29 people signed up (19 over target)

Country: United Kingdom

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I'd call myself democratic and progressive - hell, I even subscribe to the New Statesman - but the Euston Manifesto does not speak to or for me. Obviously, we can see how many people have signed the manifesto, but there has not been, up to now, a single place where people can say "Thanks, but no thanks."

Clearly, this pledge is self-fulfilling, and not enormously scientific, but then again you only need a name and e-mail address to sign the Euston Manifesto, as well.

This is a rough and ready attempt to create a proxy by which to judge the Manifesto's success, or otherwise...

Comments on this pledge

• I know I set the tone by only putting my first name to the pledge when I created it, but please sign with a full name, and then choose the option not to show it on this page if you prefer.
  Ian Appleby, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Just want them to go away and stop boring on about Iraq.
  Guido Fawkes, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• PRetty much agree with Guido, it's over, done with. Hearing Hitchens on the radio this morning realyl got to me, the man's deluding himself if he thinks Galloway is the "leader" of those who did oppose, and Norm et al are just so dull when they try to justify things.
  
  Ah well.
  Mat Bowles, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Woo! Pledge fulfilled already. I'll certainly not be signing now. Thanks to the early adopters.
  
  However, the experiment continues. If you do not accept the Euston Manifesto, please add your name to the list.
  Ian Appleby, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Sorry, folks, no can do. Already signed the Euston Manifesto.
  
  Can I pledge instead not to burn down any orphanages and not tell any people that they are idiots? For today only, mind you.
  
  P.S. The colors on that page really... no, I have given that pledge above.
  SnoopyTheGoon, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• STG, could I suggest you add "not missing any points" to your pledge list? For today only, naturally...
  Ian Appleby, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Wouldn't sign it either - load of tosh!
  
  But then sorry mate, none of this online stuff really means anything. I could sign your pledge 1000+ times with no bother and, at the same time, sign the Euston Manifesto 1000+ times.
  
  I'm not only sceptical, I'm cynical too. Good luck!
  
  PS this is a genuine comment, I didn't fake it at all. Honest. Look in my eyes, am I lying?
  Greg, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• The Euston Manifesto is an unimaginably poor piece of work. Only an idiot woud sign it.
  Michael Gilligan, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Some of the individual signatories are OK, but as a whole the project is sectarian and they don't understand the left.
  Chris Baldwin, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I agree with a lot of the sentiments in the manifesto, e.g. the concern for human rights, democracy, equality, etc, but I don't like it's tone and find the points that it chooses to emphasise perplexing. Why the big song and dance about not hating America? Yes, we shouldn't have a knee-jerk reaction that assumes that the US is always bad, but why do we need to sign up to promise not to criticise the US too harshly? It just smacks of being set up by apologists for Bush and co. Which I'm sure it's not, it's just badly written.
  Jessica Baily, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Jessica: Completely agree with you. IMHO most of the EM signatories are nascent neocons.
  Michael Gilligan, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• It would be useful if it explained somewhere what this Euston Manifesto is ...
  James Harvard, 2 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• James, you're right of course, at the time Ian set it up you couldn't hit a political website without some mention of it, part of this pledge was frustration at reading about it everywhere.
  http://www.google.com/search?q=Euston+Ma...
  http://eustonmanifesto.org/
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euston_Mani...
  http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/norm...
  Are mostly in favour, being written by the authors, but a good critique I read at the time is:
  http://numero57.net/?p=65
  
  I would say it's been forgotten, but it hasn't, people mimic what they tried to do, and it influences the media and certain elements of the 'left'. I still intensely dislike the patronising tone, the straw men arguments and the waste of verbiage in what could have been a simple, punchy document.
  
  Given Norm's background, you'd have thought he'd know about the Chartists, for example.
  MatGB, 2 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Thanks, Mat. My e-mail comment notification appears to have fallen over, hence my apparent silence.
  
  What do you reckon, one last push?
  Ian Appleby, 2 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I have just looked at the Manifesto again and it seems more pompous and arrogant than the last time I read it! For example:
  '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.'
  No, they just disagree with you, and you have written a whole manifesto to whinge about it because you are annoyed that you were proven wrong over Iraq. GET OVER IT!!!
  Also, doesn't section 12 - 'Historical Truth' - somewhat contradict with section 15 - 'We stand against all claims to a total — unquestionable or unquestioning — truth.'
  Hmmm...
  The sheer arrogance of the whole thing simply astounds me! They go on about being critical and open, but then assert Enlightenment ideals (and other universalistic beliefs) with all the vigour of rich, white men who don't think that the rest of the world has anything to teach them.
  Grrrr.... I hope this lot never end up in charge of the world!
  Jessica Baily, 2 years ago. Abusive? Report it!