Bloggers' dilemma

 

My Sunday Times Column Today continues to try to inject some sanity into the 

SNP blogging story. See also Slaughter of the cybernats and  my consideration of 

double standards in the mainstream media. More details of the current attack on  

Scottish bloggers is contained  in this excellent post by Jeff. 

I see the first minister has enterted the fray and told party members that all use of 

the internet should be positive. Doesn't this just give credibility to those who have 

condemned Mark MacLachlan as  "spreading vile lies" and being part of some sort of 

conspiracy?  Depends whether  they were lies or not.  Universality of Cheese was 

robust and  funny. Sometimes it went too far, but this is the spirit of blogging and 

political satire generally.  He was also very loyal to the party. The leadership          

has treated him rather shoddily. Bet they all read his blog and loved it. 

I see that friends cannot even post sympathetic messages 

on his facebook  site now without being steam rollered into retracting by the party

machine. What are they supposed to retract, their basic human decency? Are they 

not allowed to express a few kind words to a father of  two kids who has just lost 

his job, his  party membership and been treated worse than  a child molester...And 

for what?  Saying a few nasty things about politicians. The poor lambs...

Heaven forbid that all bloggers from now on have to go public and parrot their 

party's line at every opportunity. How to turn even more  people off politics...

Comments

[HolyroodPatter]

i agree
the releasing press releases in peoples names by the snp hierarchy was ludicrous. norman will posted a supportive message then the esnsuing press release seemed to sugest he had taken leave of his senses and did after all, find marks posts offensive. if he didnt feel sorry for mark, he wouldnt havbe posted on his facebook. likewisee, if mark didnt think jim murphy was a c88t, he wouldnt have called himit. the meek retractions were a foolish moved, jsut made everyone concerned look silly

[Jeanne Tomlin]

A favorite Lenny Bruce clip.

Don't click on it if bad words bother you. If you are interested in an amazing monologue this brief piece is well worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiBy3wAEOn8&feature=related

One of his best imo.

[Jeanne Tomlin]

Ayewecan, the SNP went considerably beyond just accepting his resignation as you should be well aware. But in his position, blogging was a serious mistake. No blogger can count on remaining anonymous. So for once we are actually to some extent in agreement.

I agree that if a BLOGGER can't stand the heat they should get out of the kitchen or never go in.

If you're afraid of being exposed just--don't. Or at least make darn sure it won't affect your income. I respect Conan the Librarian's stand on it.

As for calling people bad names, seriously what century DO you live in? That has been a part of political satire for half a century and more. Have you even HEARD of Lenny Bruce or George Carlin? People aren't going to start acting like we live in a Victorian drawing room.

[Ayrshire Scot]

A thoughtful contribution, as was the Sunday Times article. Bravo.

Spot on about the man Montague/ Mark and his blog - a piece of fun, over stated and comedic parody, born in the context of other cyber forums, taken totally out of context, and used to totally mischaracterise the author.

The most grotesque aspects of this tale are the ways in which the NOTW "journalist" failed to mention the petty and personal spat between himself and the Cheese blog, itself a reaction to fairly heavy handed treatment of another blogger by the NOTW, which was the driver for all this.

Disgusting to see postings on Mark's facebook also used to attack other folk.

Super article in Sunday Times, and interesting reads on here, many thanks

[JFM]

I thought your ST piece was really good Joan - pleasing to see more of these common sense comment pieces regarding the world of online argy-bargy.

A similar debate is going on about the way the climate change 'conversation' is being conducted by bloggers. Like the whole Nats v Labour thing it's hard to see how anything can ever be done to keep things civil...

[Cheerful of Carradale.]

A thoroughly decent assessment of the situation. The estimable Ms McAlpine is truly the most astute keyboard wrangler of the day.

[Dark Lochnagar]

Good post Joan. Wardog and Mark were using language which although strong is the accepted norm for English bloggers and many of them can't understand what all the fuss is about. The SNP hierarchy have to be seen to be whiter than white to counter the Unionist bias of the Scottish Media. Most of the population have no idea what a blog is never mind how to access one to get a more balanced view of the Scottish political landscape.

[joanmcalpine]

To clarify, I have said before that Mark was in the wrong and some of the postings were offensive. The c word posting was crazy and probably sealed his fate. But Cheese wasn't a smear campaign and the other stuff wasn't any more offensive than Private Eye or most contemporary stand up comedy, or Fawkes, which is fed by journalists and politicians.
I am just trying to put the thing in context. The SNP leadership seem to be going along with the "vile evil blogger" line. I know Mark personally and I know that is not the case. Yes he made mistakes, but he is paying for them and unlike some of his fairweather friends in politics, I don't drop people I like when they are down.

[peter1958]

Joan, probably during your time at The Herald a promising your columnist called John MacLeod in his regular Monday column linked the death of two young girls in Soham to the failure of their parents to observe the Sabbath. Outrage and harm followed. He was immediately "dropped" and his career has never recovered.

Whilst Wardog might well be forgiven for a lapse in taste and decency, I'm afraid MacLachlan went much, much further.

Like MacLeod, he devalued his own currency to such an extent that he became a liability to his own party. Whilst senior members of the SNP may well have greatly enjoyed the frisson of having their opponents defamed it is quite clear they would never endorse his views. Not publicly at least.

MacLachlan may well be a good father, husband, poet and philosopher but in his spare time (I hope) he enjoyed defaming people and causing hurt. He also enjoyed receiving a salary from the Scottish Parliament and the people he enjoyed harming were/are its elected members. Good riddance to Mr MacLachlan.

[ayewecan]

Alternatvily Jeanne dont call folks bad names ( and worse). And your "cant stand the heat" proverb applies to bloggers too

I dont like what has happened to fellow bloggers in recent weeks any more than you, but it has and it will continue to - "get over" that. We need to smarten up I think.

And Joan - Re the SNPs treatment of Mark McLauglin, what else were they able to do? You know how the media works, how their poltical opponents work.

[Hythlodaeus]

It's interesting to note that Labour has recently hired a digital communications specialist with the remit of getting Labour bloggers on messages and is seeking to employ another specialists to deal with blogs and communications.

I don't believe the demise of Wardog and Cheese was due to some kind of Labour plot, as some suggest, but it does show that the next election is going to be fought in cyberspace as well as the real world. It's going to be interesting and dirty. it will certainly keep a few political analysts employed for a good few years afterwards.

In addition to my comments on Twitter, I do have to say that your article was an excellent and very fair piece. I'm not just saying that because I'm still somewhat embarrassed by the mention in it.

[Allan Moore]

Interesting post, which does not appear to mention the alledged identity of some of the stalkers, of the rumours of being contacted by alledged "Screws" hacks.

Yours, Allan
Dispatches From Paisley

[Newsnet Scotland]

I posted this message on Iain MacWhirters blog, I think that it is both relevant and revealing.

On the subject of insult and smear; I find it rather odd that our esteemed Secretary of State for Scotland, Jim Murphy, has himself decided to remove alleged defamatory comments from his own website after a threat of legal action, yet not a peep from the Scottish media.

Also, I have found out that the BBC recently had to apologise to Alex Neil MSP after BBC reporter Catriona Renton misrepresented his views on TV.

Again though, not a peep from our selective Scottish journalists.

[joanmcalpine]

Yeah...hard to believe Lenny Bruce died 43 years ago....

[Jeanne Tomlin]

Good blog. This attempt to muzzle bloggers and say they can only utter the party line is contemptible. I'm disappointed in the SNP for not showing more backbone.

I followed Universality of Cheese and Wardog. Yes, they were both over the top a bit but a heck of a lot less than political satirists like George Carlin in the US for example who never met a "bad word" he didn't like.

These polticians and journos need to take an American president's words to heart: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the (f*ing) kitchen!

That goes for Labour, Tories and all their ilk.

People are going to call you bad names, people. Get over it!