> I've almost come to the point of programming a macro into MS Word - "the
> left, such as it is..."
I think "such as it is..." is coming back in a big way. I'd leave "the left" out of your macro and then it could be functional with regard to any number of situations. Naturally this is indicative of any number of problems as well. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on whose problems they are.
Maybe a concentrated use of "such as it is..." on the part of the left when describing the right will weaken them over time.
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/ dave /