This article in the New York times caught my attention this morning: The Ancient Art of Haranguing Has Moved to the Internet (username/password: wrreaders). The gist of the article is that there has been a resurgence of the political pamphlet phenomenon, both in the form of weblogs and on paper.

Only about half of the article focuses on weblogs in any way, and even then it doesn’t go into any great detail about them. But I thought the basic comparison between the political pamphlets of old and the "journalistic" weblogs of today did ring true on many levels, particularly as regards the freedom, independence and radicalness of weblogs and the ability to reach an otherwise unattainable audience through them.

At the start of the article, George Orwell is quoted as having said, "The pamphlet is a one-man show…". I think you could easily substitute the word "weblog" for pamphlet here.

And I have to say I love the idea that I am, in some small way, following in George Orwell’s pamphleteering footsteps.