Noam Chomsky’s got a new book out. (In fact, since I last looked, he’s probably had 3 out.) “Left” newspaper the Observer gets its Chief Leader Writer to hack together a review(*) which is a masterclass in the kind of consent manufacture that Chomsky (and Hermann) laid out years back:

• label as extreme
• irrational, emotionally-driven
• monomaniacal
• hey, you’re in a free country, shut up and appreciate it.

The good news: commentators on the review eloquently take the review to pieces. (See, for example this by China Mievielle)

Maybe techno-utopian fantasies about internet democratisation aren’t so far out. Are cracks appearing in the propaganda model?

(*) — do you think he’s related to Dani Behr off of The Word?