For any American citizen with faith in the possibility of progressive reform, these are exciting times. Of late, the Democratic presidential campaigns have often had the air of revival meetings. It will be no surprise, of course, if the Republicans continue to beat the drums of fear and resentment; one does not abandon an orientation so tried and true. (Social science research shows that the candidate who pushes the fear button most tends to have an advantage.) But who could have expected such a change of temper on the other side? Who knew that the old rhetoric of progress, of facing the future with confidence, still had such appeal?

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George Bates

WHY WE?RE LIBERALS

A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America.

By Eric Alterman.

Viking. 401 pp. $24.95.

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Up Front (March 16, 2008)

Alas, as an old-fashioned socialist and congenital cynic — one prone to barking “No confidence in the twin capitalist parties of war and exploitation!” in my sleep, which startles my wife — I have been immune to all this fervor. Or at least I was until I read Eric Alterman’s new book, “Why We’re Liberals.” The subtitle promises “A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America.” For now, my faith in the possibility of reform extends at least as far as thinking the time has come to create a new regulatory agency: one ensuring that a book’s title will give the consumer an accurate idea of what is inside the covers. No doubt “A Political Handbook for Arguing With Conservative Bloggers and Talk-Show Loudmouths During the Years When George Bush Was President” would reduce the market share. But accuracy counts for something.

Alterman, a columnist for The Nation, is among the best and the brightest of the liberal commentariat. His 1998 book “Who Speaks for America? Why Democracy Matters in Foreign Policy” was a call to open deliberations over America’s national security and international presence to voices outside the usual Beltway chorus. His proposal for a sort of national foreign-policy jury — consisting of ordinary citizens, elected every six years — found no takers but reflected John Dewey’s credo “The cure for the ailments of democracy is more democracy.” At the same time, few pundits have been so tireless about blaming the people to their left for the mess of the past several years. Scourge of the Naderites, Alterman has no patience for those who doubt whether putting all eggs in the Democratic basket is a wise policy.

In short, it is difficult to imagine anyone better qualified to update Arthur Schlesinger Jr.’s notion of liberalism as the “vital center” of American politics. You pick up Alterman’s new book expecting a round of brainstorming about the reconstruction and nation-building that seems so necessary for the United States itself today. While unapologetic liberals are the obvious target audience, the very notion that liberalism has a long and honorable tradition in American life cannot now be taken as commonplace. A manual for post-Bush liberals would need, in part, to be a guide to pre-Reagan realities.

Alterman does seem to have set out to write such a book. The first third of “Why We’re Liberals” offers a quick shot of intellectual vitamins for the liberal who, if unapologetic, may be feeling run-down. There are stirring quotations from Dewey, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy et al., and reminders that polling data repeatedly suggest that Americans are far more inclined to express liberal than conservative opinions regarding big business, the environment, energy policy and social issues. “That liberals remain on the defensive regarding the accusation that their positions are out of step,” he writes, “is more the product of effective conservative propaganda and credulous reporting than of any genuinely identifiable trends in public opinion.”

The challenge, then, is translating this durable but inchoate mass of left-leaning public sentiment into an effective political movement. We might call it the policy problem. Another approach is to ask why, if a majority of Americans are liberal at heart, only a minority identify themselves as liberals. Call it the identity problem — determining why the label “liberal” has so often been used as a term of contempt, often even by people whose opinions ought to lead them to embrace it.

In the final two-thirds of “Why We’re Liberals,” however, Alterman seems to relinquish a chance to shape the political agenda of the next decade in favor of settling accounts with such heavy thinkers as Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. If it has never before occurred to you that conservative polemicists might sometimes be dishonest or hypocritical, then this book will offer a good remedial education: for example, a long chapter called “Why Do Liberals Hate Patriotism?” contains lists of famous liberal military veterans and equally prominent conservatives who declined to serve. Alterman debunks the idea that conservatives have some monopoly on religious belief — or on disgust with the craven and sometimes vicious nature of American pop culture, for that matter.

Tom Parker Bowles: Honest to cod with the best fish and chips

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The concept of upmarket fish and chips is hardly a new one.

Such distinguished names as Marco Pierre White and Mark Hix have had this British classic on their menus for years ? though you could hardly describe Mirabelle or Le Caprice as your local chippy.

But the news that Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens has just added a fish and chip shop to his burgeoning empire comes as something of a surprise.

Tom's Place, in a quietly immaculate Chelsea backstreet, is not exactly your local fried fish palace.

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Tom Aikens serves only sustainable fish varieties in his new restaurant

Rather than faded adverts for dubious pies, there are black-and-white portraits of swarthy fishermen, all Tom's suppliers.

Cod and chips comes in at £12 per portion, with breaded scampi priced at a regal £20.

And there isn't a jar of pickled eggs to be seen.

It's enough to have the residents of Whitby spluttering into their haddock.

But this is no mere over-priced vanity venture, where posh fish and chips comes slathered in retro irony.

Because not only is Aikens seeking to create one of the most environmentally friendly, sustainably sourced chippies in the country. He also wants a taste to match.

I meet him on opening day, when he sits serenely amid a sea of chaos signing cheques and fine-tuning the last details.

"We should all be entitled to great food," he says as another document is passed to him, "regardless of where or who we are and our class."

This is a laudable philosophy, from a chef who made his name at the top end of the market.

But what differentiates Tom's Place from other establishments is an all-encompassing commitment to the future.

"The conservational aspect of fishing and the way we fish is an area I want to promote through the restaurant, relying on sustainably sourced fish, line- and net-caught as much as possible, and highlighting the fact that most people think that fish is available all year, when actually it's a seasonal product that we must cherish and look after."

The cod is Marine Stewardship Council-certified ? there's ray instead of skate, and less glamorous fish such as gurnard and pollack play a big role.

In addition, all of the wine is British, along with the apple juice, ginger beer and even tea (from Tregothnan in Cornwall).

And Tom's dedication to all things environmentally friendly goes further still.

The building is heated by hot air recycled from the kitchen, the lights use low-energy bulbs and the tables are made from recycled plastic.

You get recycled cardboard for your takeaway, biodegradable napkins and cutlery made from corn and potato starch.

It's enough to make the eco-warriors shake in their mung-bean gilets.

But if the food tasted like a dirty hippy's beard, all the good work would be in vain.

Thankfully, though, Aikens is equally obsessed with the ultimate fish and chips.

Everything is fried in beef dripping, which immediately makes me happy.

Fish arrives in batter so crisp and golden that it can be grasped in one hand.

The cod is firm, pearly white and steamed within its golden casing, peeling off in fat, sweet chunks.

And the chips, although a touch meagre in quantity, combine beautiful crunch with a hot, fluffy centre.

Tom's Place is easily an equal to two of my favourite chippies in England, Henley's Of Wivenhoe and Petrou Brothers in Chatteris.

Those less enamoured by battered fish can choose anything from grilled Cornish sardines to spaghetti alle vongole.

There's something for every taste, and all can be devoured with a clear conscience.

"I think that this is the future of restaurants," says Aikens.

"It's about sourcing well and sustainability. In five years, this will be more than a trend. It will be a given."

Make the food this good, and my rather bleak vision of the future becomes positively enticing.

Tom's Place, 1 Cale Street, London SW3. Call 020 7351 1806, or visit tomsplace.org.uk