"Woke" v "anti-woke" is boring and redundant... and dangerous

Smart, progressive, heterodox friends, let's quit it

I was in a debate with my dear friend James¹ the other night when, for the third time in the to-and-fro over his kitchen bench, he used a version of the phrase “The problem with the woke left is…” to criticise a point I’d made.

James and I have a very robust, loving friendship. The best kind. I am possibly his most left-leaning friend. He is a compassion…