Posts
Tedious Tedious Tedious: Derek Draper Catches GuF Comments Out
Derek Draper inaugurated his own Dollyblog today. Expressly to carry the own personal rants. Good. But, after a short hiatus of some real Labour stories, Derek's back front and centre. This time pointing out that, remarkably, some of the comments on Paul Staines aka Guido Fawkes aka Mr GuF's order-order blog are offensive, in the chosen sample racist. And stop press the Pope wears a pointy hat apparently.
Derek has removed the link from Labour List to GuF's bloggiage - crushing for him. And also demanded that his other bessie-of-the-blogosphere Iain Dale follows suit.
Seems to me that Guido and Iain in their different ways are a window on the dark heart of the mainstream right in this country. Their output must not under any foreseeable circumstances be corrected to suit Derek Draper's wishes. I'm not going to remove my link to GuF. And I suspect that many other Labour Bloggers who do link there will also continue to do so. Others never have linked. Why did Labour List?
Derek is not the boss of me. And he certainly ain't the boss of opposition bloggers. Sheesh.
The LabourList blog was slowly but surely getting to a place where it could perhaps be useful. But latterly we've had these great tilts against Dale and Fawkes. Reaching fever pitch around Launch Day. The way things are going readers and contributors both will drift away. Someone have a word.
7 comments:
He's a tosser. Dale (Tory ish) and Guido (they're all shits) have built up their brand organically and over a helluva long time without any funding from CCHQ (unless the paranoics are right).
But for Draper to use the Labour brand for schoolyard drivel is entirely the wrong strategy - he has to be independant to do that.
Nicely put Mr Paul. I would read your words, which have the virtue of being your own, over any 'funded' propaganda sheet any day.
I agree with little of what you write, but you are your own man.
LL did look a good idea but if it's going to chase down racism on the Internet it's going to get very dull very quickly.
Interesting that you are now agreeing with Dale and Guido that Draper's List has been a disaster.
What goes round comes round?
You have to think more about your judgement, Chris.
Thanks all.
I don't think it's a disaster full stop Ted. But I think Derek has proved too easy to bait and deflect, so far. Steep learning curve. Will he learn the ropes or not? is the question. It is not too late to pull back from the abyss and be strategic, collective and attentive to his own mission.
Leftytown: Agreed. And for all his faults GuF is not, personally, a racist. That he cheerfully facilitates racism with photo caption opps like this week's is for his conscience (?) not for some dirigiste Labourist to dictate.
Why thank you Bill Quango MP. And you Dick.
If this in Berkeley/at Berkeley issue had come up from a Tory or Fib Dem it may be that I'd be giving them a harder time than such a matter deserves. Perhaps Derek would be also if it were Mr GuF or Dale or Montgomery or whoever massaging their credentials. Those "caught" would probably come out fighting too though.
Difference is detached and semi-detached voices can do that, the saviour of Labour blogging group blog cannot or at least should not.
I don't understand why he bit when his CV was questioned - easily laughed off as a bit of fun - "oh, you weasels, you got me bang to rights copper". He's not an MP, (as far as I know) doesn't want to be an MP and would have thought that his main qualifications were gained before his Berkeley mission - in fact, even if he had gone to Cal Berk it would have been a 'so what?"
On the racism issue, sure, undoubtedly more relevant at the next election than for some time but i'm not sure if it's perceived racism rather than actual racism.
I think arguments like this, in some ways, devalue the word racism or racist - if it's used in an insult but with no victim, the sure it's edgy; but then when it's used to discriminate or to restrict, hurt or intimidate, well, that's when even the majority of us nasty right wingers stand up and shout - but a bit of ribald shite on a site that as its strapline could be 'ribald shite', well, just seems to be shouting at people for having a bit of a laugh.
Well yeah, that's a point of view. But it is a laugh at other people's expense. And [serious]it does contribute to the casualisation or re-casualisation of racism[/serious].
Derek has a point. But it's not a point for a serious Labour blog, and issuing demands of others way outside your orbit is clearly foolish.
Post a Comment