Is Iain Dale becoming the most hated blogger in Britain?
Or is it that other bloggers would sell their own mothers for a tenth of his traffic and attacking him is the best they can do?
Or is it that other bloggers would sell their own mothers for a tenth of his traffic and attacking him is the best they can do?
November 6, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Heh. You know all those years I spent pursuing the serial liar Tony Blair? I was only jealous…
November 6, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Hehe! Although I think even you’d be hard pressed to convincingly compare Blair and Iain!
Seriously though, while understand and in some cases agree with the criticisms leveled at Iain I think the high volume has got a bit extreme. There’s plenty of better things to get on with (like spreading our Conspiracy) then focusing solely on one blogger. He’s never going to give his critics what they want, he is very popular, he’s likely to become an MP and wont have the time for blogging.
Far better in my view to build an effective alternative, lead by example and let the readers decide over time what real blogging is all about.
I mean should I spend my blogging time linking to every ‘Iain Dall is a cunt’ story or should I spend it bigging up worthy campaigns like the Iraqi interpreters campaign or your campaign against that Arsenal shareholding cunt that took you and Craig offline?
November 6, 2007 at 10:21 pm
becoming?
*confusion*
November 6, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Well, I didn’t really want to make an assertion without backing it up and can’t be arsed to pull together all the posts for and against him so had to phrase it as a question…
November 6, 2007 at 11:58 pm
If I were the leader of a leftist conspiracy, I would agree, but my concern is – and always has been – for the ability of all sides to engage in fair and open debate.
And all three examples you cite are primarily complicated or obfuscated by disinformation.
The dishonest and misleading tactics that Iain and many of his followers use need to be unveiled and documented for the benefit of all pamphleteers. I often get a personal hammering as a result, but even this can be instructive for others.
November 7, 2007 at 12:10 am
But you said it yourself in your first post, you have bigger fish to fry.
All sides can engage in a fair and open debate, we have the Internet for that, it’s bigger than Iain is!
By getting overtly focused on one blogger you’re in danger of adding to that obfuscation because it’s too easy to characterise your actions negatively. I fail to see your good reputation being tarnished can serve any good other than more cannon fodder for Dale’s Disciples.
Further to this looking like such an obsessive over time can turn off the very people who initially agree with you (well aside from those people who see political capital to be made for Labour out of your views) and that could lose you support for more important campaigns.
I just think there are better and more constructive things to do with my time…speaking of which what happened to the National Service project?
November 7, 2007 at 12:31 am
I’m one of those bloggers you refer to who has attacked Dale, but I remarked the other day that I’d quite happily settle for obscurity:
http://lobsterblogster.blogspot.com/2007/10/phew.html
I should add, that I don’t hate him, and I don’t approve of top 100’s etc, so I don’t particulary want to see him in a bottom 100 either. I hate what he does, and the fact that he gets away with it. Life’s like that though. I blog because it’s a way of expressing my views, and discussing them with others, not because I expect him to change for the better by being lectured by the likes of me.
November 7, 2007 at 12:46 am
Fair enough, I should point out my post is half sarcastic piss take and half lament than a thoroughly considered view of the situation. Sometimes I think that we bloggers (if I can embarrass us by using such chummy language) can do so much more [than focus on one person].
Take a look at the campaign for Iraqi interpreters for instance, almost entirely started and co-ordinated by bloggers. That gives a good idea of what we can accomplish if we put our time and minds too it. For me, and my lack of time for this pursuit, that’s a far more productive use of energy.
From my general political viewpoint it’s also why I’m supportive of the new Liberal Conspiracy…
November 7, 2007 at 1:52 am
I’ll add my tuppence worth on the reason why I think bloggers should not just let Iain get on with it.
The Sun is the UK’s best selling newspaper. It’s disinformation cannot easily be challenged (as anyone who has tried to submit a critical comment to their site will know). Myths like “Winterval” have become accepted wisdom because they cannot easily be contested
Blogging can be different. Disinformation can be challenged with facts and rational debate. Myths should not be able to prosper in such an environment.
Iain does not seem to believe in this. No matter how wrong he is, he’ll stick to his version of events if he thinks he can get away with it (see his ridiculous 4:3 format claim and non-retraction for a perfect example of this).
That sort of thing devalues everything that makes blogging different and valuable, especially when it’s done by a blogger with Iain’s profile. He is, in short, damaging our medium.
That’s what I reckon, anyway.
November 7, 2007 at 2:46 am
I’ll just add a small clarification. The “our” in “our medium” refers to all bloggers who want blogging to be about open and honest debate. Wouldn’t want there to be any misunderstandings about that.
November 7, 2007 at 9:30 am
Money’s the main delaying factor on National Service. The Usmanov adventure didn’t help.
On your other point, I’d normally agree with you, but this particular ‘one person’ makes himself hard to ignore by writing guides on blogging and appearing in the MSM billed as a blogging expert. I’ve blogged about this recently; Iain and his ilk are pissing away all of the potential to do things differently.
November 7, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Hmmm, lot’s of food for thought, I still remain to be convinced that I or we should be spending our energies on one blogger; my thinking is I have more confidence in our own capability than his alleged influence. More later, think I’m going to mull on this a bit and write a proper piece for Pickled Politics about it…thanks for you comments peeps!
November 7, 2007 at 1:50 pm
I think hated is too strong a word. Some bloggers are simply annoyed at Iain Dale’s lies and hypocrisy.