Letter: Ethic of idleness

Tom Hodgkinson
Monday 14 July 1997 23:02 BST
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Ethic of idleness

Sir: Your readers who enjoyed Suzanne Moore's superb anti-work piece ("I don't want to be in Labour's chain gang", 11 July) may be interested to know that there does indeed exist a publication dedicated to exploring the very issues she touches on.

The Idler magazine - the title comes from Dr Johnson's series of essays of the same name - was founded four years ago with the intention of questioning the Protestant work ethic. At the time we were opposed to the emphasis put on full employment by the Tories; now our concerns are even more appropriate as a paternalistic Labour government introduces pernicious welfare-to- work schemes.

I hope your readers will forgive us this plug. Our defence is that Suzanne Moore did ask the question, "Who will strike out against the new work ethic on the grounds that it is neither ethical nor workable?" The answer is, us.

TOM HODGKINSON

Editor, `The Idler'

London EC1

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