In terms of the argument that Zizek is not 'useful' enough, I wouldn't agree with that. Anyone who has seen one of his lectures or read one of his books can see that he's heavily concerned with practical matters. However, I'd say that Zizek's political output hasn't really developed of late, and he is stuck in a rut, seeming to endorse the idea that some sort of abyssal act is necessary to break the stranglehold of the current political (and economic) climate. On the other hand, his recent 'straight' philosophical work has been very good.
Perhaps a better target for Nathan might be the 'opinion' pages, where I have noted a tendency towards moralizing commentary, as if having the right point of view ('I object to x and everybody else should too') can somehow change the world. In reality, it's just a politics of the beautiful soul, as if being right - divorced from getting one's hands dirty - is the most important thing. This is usually the case with left and right liberals.
Simon
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