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Blogger Silencer Schillings: Free Speech & Law in Pakistan
Bit slow out of the blocks on this one but Matt Wardman finds Schillings - the blogger monsterers - signing a letter about free speech in Pakistan as if butter wouldn't melt in their lick spittle mouths.
Schillings are of course also the lawyer-of-choice for the self-appointed "Princess of the Bloggers" as she possibly defames and certainly smears the young blogger Alex Hilton (Recess Monkey inter alia) but perversely considers suing him.
Nadine Dorries, for it is she, made a whole series of false accusations and smears (Reassess Recess). Possibly actionable, who knows?
Ms Dorries also potentially libelled parliamentary colleagues and Dr Ben Goodacre over her appalling Minority Report.
FOOTNOTE: A few twirls have been added on advice from m'learned friend Evan. The off colour comments from Ms Dorries were not uttered in Parliament and have no immunity. Unless that is the Nad Blog counts as an annex of the House?
6 comments:
It did not think ti was possible to libel someone by making statements in Parliament ... Parliamentary Immunity applies.
Accusing someone of defamation in a blog, however, can probably be seen as defamatory ... so please be careful!
Sorry Evan, you've lost me. Ms Dorries has published her smears and insinuations on her silly drivel-blog. Does that count as an extension of parliament now?
I'll add a judicious possible or the like to my hard hitting copy. Thanks for your concern.
You may want to look at my next post too. In which I declare that Mr George Osborne lied to the people of this country.
NB And it wasn't in parliament.
Were I to hire a lawyer, I'd look for one that was a short walk from my tv station.
I'm delighted that I can be found! I should warn that although I have been involved in a libel case - some years' ago - I haven't done much work in that area! Of course, my comments on legal issues are not and never could amount to legal advice!
Of course the old argument about what is said in parliament and what outside is an interesing one ... and I wonder what a court would make of blogs - would it be different for blogs paid for by Parliamentary misinformation, sorry, communications allowances!
Not sure whether Ms Dorries is paying for her drivel with tax payers' money at the moment. She certainly has in the past.
There was an interesting comment at the bottom of the Times Online article "Is libel dead?" on 29 November.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/columnists/article2961486.ece
Keith Schilling was named in the article as a "top name in libel". The comment will no doubt be read by all Schilings' peer group, not just bloggers - way to go Emily!
"Surely Schillings are dead in the water after the Usmanov fiasco. According to the Guardian the first anyone had heard of this man and his reputation was when Schillings tried to manage it in the most draconian manner which resulted in an explosion of repetion and ridicule across the internet They then cynically appended their name to a letter to the Guardian defending free speech in Pakistan. As if that wasn't bad enough it emerged they had unsuccessfully represented the Saudi government in an Ofcom complaint on the very day the Saudis sentenced a woman to 200 lashes for being raped."
Emily, London,
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