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The heart of
Empire is comment’s global capital
Fuad Nahdi
Editorial Intelligence
Winter 2005
It is easy to be totally unaware of London’s great export to the
rest of the world: comment. Opinions might not figure on the FTSE
index but the value of our published commentaries on all matters
great and small have much currency wherever you go in the world.
Whether you are in Beijing or Bangalore, Moscow or Mombasa, there is
no escape from the analysis, ranting and pomposity of the British
commentator. Revered for their quality and admired for their
eccentricity, their opinions are much loved and taken seriously
elsewhere.
Comment on the environment by George Monbiot is treated with
veneration in Tokyo; in the Arab Muslim world Robert Fisk’s robust
despatches are essential reading for those studying politics at
university while Trevor Phillips’ recent intellectual output is
considered a rich source for stand-up comedians in Johannesburg.
Part of the attraction of London comment is that it is written in
“good” English. In the Eighties I was fascinated when one of Sudan’s
leading politicians and aristocrats admitted that he was addicted to
reading pieces written by the late Hugo Young: “They are a mixture
of Shakespeare and Locke. He comments on behalf of civilisation and
humanity. What he writes is for everybody,” according to the Oxford
educated Sadiq al-Mahdi.
Of course the days of the legendary super specialist are long gone:
Jonathan Steele’s insight behind the Iron Curtain, Colin Legum’s
analysis of the Dark Continent, Patrick Searle’s Middle East notes
and Godfrey Hodgson’s American takes. And then there was Anthony
Sampson. Most contributors are no longer experts but jacks of all
issues: Polly Toynbee, Matthew Parris, David Aaronovitch, John
Lyttle and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown are often not authoritative voices
on their many subjects, but they compensate by providing pieces that
are edutaining, challenging and provocative.
Their comments may be bumptious and perfunctory with little
long-term durability. But they still hold sway around the world.
Great intellectuals, for example, of modern Islam – men like Hamza
Yusuf from the US and Tariq Ramadan from Switzerland – know that to
cause a global stir they must make waves in London’s comment media.
In the global village British comment on matters political, cultural
and economical still dominates as this country retains a moral voice
bigger than its crumbled empire.
Nevertheless, it is the opinions of our American cousins which claim
the more prized pages covering social and interpersonal issues.
Whether in the Middle or Far East, Africa or Latin America, opinions
on what car, make-up or holiday home to buy come from style gurus
based in California, Florida and New York. And when it comes to
personal issues – relationships, celebrity gossip and entertainment
– nothing we have can nearly match the domination the Yankees enjoy,
thanks to the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart.
Fuad Nahdi is a consultant on
Islamic and media affairs and publisher of Q-News, the Muslim
magazine. |
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