links for 2008-01-01

• Kevin Jon Heller: Bilal Hussein's Kangaroo Court
• James Doran and Richard Wachman: Merrill seeks more funds to avoid crisis
• Econbrowser: Home sales and prices continue to fall
• Horses Mouth December 31, 2007 10:17 AM
• Matthew Yglesias
• Donald Gregg: George Smiley's War
• Sheera Claire Frenkel: Seven hurt in punch-up at Church of the Nativity

Comments

[Maynard Handley]

It is interesting, regarding George Smiley's war, to point out that the US is not unique in this regard (of having trashed its reputation so aggressively). Consider the progress of Le Carre's attitudes towards Britain (its secret service, and its society as a whole).

Even in such bitter early novels as _The Spy Who Came in from the Cold_ and _The Looking Glass War_, there seemed to be some element of hope regarding Britain and the West, some element of acceptance that what was being done was for the greater good.
But in the most recent works like _Absolute Friends_ and even more so _The Mission Song_, there is none of that. Britain is seen as irredeemably corrupt, from its government agencies through its upper/commercial classes, through the military, with a few good individuals having no hope of improving the situation.

"Le Carre was a British intelligence officer who served in Germany in the early days of the Cold War. He knew what he was writing about."
If he knows what he is writing about, well what he is writing about now is that anyone who chooses to get involved in doing the work of the British or US governments, no matter what the role, no matter how much they might rationalize their behavior, is doing the work of Satan on earth, is working to advance pure evil. Anyone who has read _Darkness at Noon_ knows all about supposedly decent people, "skillfully employing the scalpels of deep insight".