New Labour's wannabe croupier Tessa Jowell made an appearance on Comment is Free yesterday, arguing for "civilised parameters of debate" within the blogosphere, or "Ourspace" as she so tweely dubbed it. The comment facility on her post is, of course, disabled. Which really sums up my thoughts about the whole neither-one-thing-or-another nature of CiF,* which I did express in a post for them, although they seem to have chosen not to run it. Entirely up to them, but also a tad ironic, I think. I'll put the piece up here if it doesn't appear in its intended slot by the weekend.Anyway, for a better idea of what blogging can be, and maybe should be, go and say hello to my new blogchum Brian. It's an oddly uplifting experience. As is the new, philosophical blog of our old friend Chaucer's Bitch.
Also putting ones and zeros to excellent use: Shane Richmond, who blogs here and here, gives Welcome to the Machine a quick once-over here.
*It also rather sums up what I think about Ms Jowell and her chums, although Geoff Hoon's recent comment on Iraq, that "we didn't plan for the right sort of aftermath" is rather more succinct, pithy and depressing than anything I could have articulated.
P.S. More WTTM response here.
P.P.S. Just had a lovely note from CiF to say my piece will be run at the weekend. (It was delayed by some election or another, apparently.) Panic over, the tanks can reverse away from Farringdon Road. And they'd also like to make clear that the reason the comments were disabled for Ms Jowell's CiF piece was to ensure that people posted on their Politics site instead (is that a blog?), where (as I'm sure you'll agree) she demonstrated the engagement and incisive thinking that has made her the most formidable and respected minister named after a defunct tax-exempt savings scheme in the whole Blair government. Has he resigned yet, btw?
17 comments:
Comments closed / ourspace... lolz.
Top post Tim, and I look forward to reading your article about CiF.
Some very good points raised against Tessa Jowell's extraordinary piece here.
Libel laws already apply in the blogosphere (although I can imagine they're a nightmare to enforce, given that most British blogs are hosted outside the UK), so I'm not sure what Tessa Jowell is calling for that isn't already covered by the law.
Also, I see she's perpetuating that annoying myth that women don't like blogging (this time apparently because we don't 'feel comfortable' in the blogosphere), when all evidence points to the contrary.
Looking forward to your not-CiF piece, Tim. Out of interest, what do you get out of posting on CiF that you don't get out of posting on here?
She really does give the impression that she hasn't the faintest idea what she's yammering on about, doesn't she, even by the woeful standards of Govt ministers? And she can't spell, which is something of a drawback for a Culture minister, I would have thought...
Very good q about why and where I post. For one thing, CiF occasionally pays me; but there are also some subjects (generally more news-related) that just instinctively feel more at home on CiF. I wouldn't put reviews there, or diary-type pieces.
Also, everyone who comments here is as lovely as my Mum's chocolate mousse, and I think it's healthy to throw something to a less forgiving audience every now and then. Even if they ask for me to be banned, or accuse me of being a child molester.
You're right, everyone round here is lovely, so what are they all up in arms about? Angry responses like the ones on the CiF site? No wonder she turned comments off.
Wannabe croupier.. (sniggering here) :)
"civilised parameters of debate"
She can go fuck herself. If we wanted civilised parameters of debate, we wouldn't be paying for our troops to firebomb innocent Iraqis, would we??
Daft old cunt!
Is that Chaucer one any cop?
L.U.V. on ya,
Bob
p.s. can we have a few more Englishman abroad type posts Tim? Inspiration....
How did we get to this many comments before anyone congratulated you on your headline? Bravo!
Tim, if you havn't been over to First Nation's place lately, you might want to take a peek.
Sorry Tim - I was thinking you meant this one.....
L.U.V. on ya,
Bob
"the right sort of aftermath" is just about the bleakest concept I've heard all year.
News flash: Your Queen and Prince Consort arrived safe and sound. Hard to believe 400 years have flown by so fast since those first subjects landed in Jamestown. Bulletins as they happen.
Annie R: OK, that's your new task. Be horrid in the comments box.
Welcome, Charles, and thank you.
That's the spirit, Bob. And yes, more sub-Graham Greene bollocks coming soon.
Thank you, Sean, but Patroclus's effort on the same theme trumps mine, I feel.
Oooh, thanks for that, CB. And that's fab as well, Bob.
OA: Bleak, yes, but it makes sense, in an odd way.
Throw some tea at them, Miss Peel. It's the only language they understand (except German and Greek).
"Ourspace" ... I bet she was really pleased with that one. What a lamentable old bag.
Can they arrange to keep Liz and Adolf over there? Really, please, think nothing of it, it's our gift.
What does one expect....drinking Tetleys?
He might stay, Anthony. Apparently none of the front-runners for the Republican nomination are right-wing enough for the inbred psychopaths who make up the electoral roll for the primaries. Someone who makes Dick Cheney look like a limp-wristed tai chi instructor might just do the trick...
And she's not drinking it, she's pouring it, Clod. You missed the next shot, which was of her putting ice in the glass. And an umbrella.
I just don't think being online like that is a good idea for politicians.
On TV, you can blubber incoherently or serve up pablum endlesly and get away with it, because you have lots of visuals and body language and stuff to distract the audience, and the emcee will keep hecklers in control. Online, though, they attack like an angry swarm of bees at any lapse in logic and other missteps you make. Even simple typos are ridiculed.
So it's no wonder she's reduced to repeating her plea for civility.
Or so it seems; I only read bits and pieces of Ms. Jowell's comments, so I may have missed something.
I'm still fuming about Tessa Jowell on GU Talk. She could at least have the decency to get a literate office monkey to pretend to be her for an hour. Grrrrrrrr.
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