Blears lays the blame
As our fighter-bomber dipped into another howling attack run over Baghdad, delivering another payload of white hot death to the city’s children, I turned to my co-pilot and said, ‘you know, I worry corrosive cynicism, fuelled by politically nihilistic blogs and a retreat from dispassionate reporting, is endangering British political discourse.’
‘Sod that,’ screamed Tim Ireland over the rising note of the engines as he tried to pull us out the steep dive, ‘I’ve got a million pounds from Bernie Ecclestone in the bank and a dinner date with Rupert Murdoch tonight. Jesus, I wish I hadn’t written that dodgy dossier. I DON’T WANNA DIE!’.
Back at base we agreed to give up blogging for the good of the country. It had led us to the edge of disaster and ruin. It was the only way to save the nation.
…
Hazel Blears really does talk the most unbelievably dishonest and self-serving bollocks, doesn’t she?
Until political blogging ‘adds value’ to our political culture, by allowing new voices, ideas and legitimate protest and challenge, and until the mainstream media reports politics in a calmer, more responsible manner, it will continue to fuel a culture of cynicism and despair.
Ahem. Allow me.
Until politics ‘adds value’ to our political culture, by allowing new voices, ideas and legitimate protest and challenge, and until the politicians report politics in a calmer, more responsible manner, it will continue to fuel a culture of cynicism and despair.
Hmmmm. The communities secretary continues…
She will say that if voting trends were to continue as at present: “We will see a politics which increasingly speaks with a middle-class, middle England accent, and the people with the most to gain from democratic politics – the poorest and most vulnerable – being the ones least likely to be involved in it.”
Damn bloggers for their disenfranchisement of the poor and their relentless courting of the middle classes for political gain. Damn them all to hell.
Posted on November 5th, 2008 at 8:23am under Blog, bloggers and blogging, New Labour, UK politics
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• 8 Comments |
Be fair. A “politics which increasingly speaks with a middle-class, middle England accent” is what we have. But that’s pretty much always been the case in UK politics, with a hefty leavening of upper classes and a few exceptional working-class autodidacts like Lloyd George. Why should blogging be any different ?
I wonder if her speech isn’t more of a (unconscious?) meditation on the Labour Party, which of all the parties had (historically) the highest number of working class MPs and is now dominated by the polytechnocracy and higher. Last time I looked at GB’s cabinet 9 out of 22 were privately educated.
Why should blogging be any different ?
Well for one thing, the barriers to entry are extremely low. Lower at least than those barring entry to politics.
We’ve been rumbled!
I’m glad I got in before the blogging gates were shut.
The last thing we need is new voices watering down our l33t ideas with their illegitmate voices.
Blogging, especially political *must* be controlled!
[...] Justin. [...]
>Be fair. A “politics which increasingly speaks with a middle-class, middle England accent” is what we have. But that’s pretty much always been the case in UK politics, with a hefty leavening of upper classes and a few exceptional working-class autodidacts like Lloyd George. Why should blogging be any different ?
Except that blog platforms are precisely one of the routes to redress that balance, and there are a lot of people doing it already – but Mrs B chooses to compain (as far as I can tell from second hand reports of the transcripts I have not seen yet) about gossip in the Westminster Village.
Not. Good. Enough.
Matt
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