PSA: Liberal Conspiracy

[miss_s_b]

The straw has landed. The camel's back is broken. I have tendered my resignation.

I wish Sunny all the best, and hope the site continues to be successful, but I can no longer waste the mental energy required to beat my head against the brick wall of the various issues I have with the site. And yes, before anyone asks, the straw was the bitter, nasty, juvenile, ill-conceived and factually inaccurate piece posted by Rupert Read today. I suggest scrolling down to the comment by matgb (#39) if you're going to actually go and look at the article. I have had to resist retitling the article Wah, I failed to get elected and it's all the nasty Lib Dems fault!!.

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Comments

[From: jamie77]

For some reason I did not get any Liberal Democrat Europeon campaign literature so I cannot comment on the accuracy of what Rupert Read says, depsite it being my Euro constituency.

I did get his leaflet though - it arrived with the BNP and UKIP literature - from what I remember it was somewhat light on what he stood for as regards the Europeon parliament - A living wage, affordable homes, safer streets, free school meals, better public transport, Green energy for all; all sound like policies for Westminister in the main.

Though the politics were not ones I often found myself in agreement with, I have enjoyed your Liberal Conspiracy internet round up thing these last few months and think it a shame that you are discontiuning it.

[From: miss_s_b]

In practise, you'll probably end up with more linkage. I have a habit of "saving" stuff for the netcast and then forgetting about it. Whereas now I'll wait till I have seven or eight and then just do a post here.

[From: (Anonymous)]

What were the Greens doing in anything liberal anyway?

[From: miss_s_b]

I know some liberal Greens. I know good people in all parties. Yes, even Tories. The point of the site was supposed to be progressive discussion. To that end, I don't mind criticism of my own party (hell, it's not like I don't do enough of it myself), but an entire article of monkey-poo-flinging is beyond the pale.

However, that's not the fault of "the greens", but solely of RR. There are lots of greens in the comments of that thread telling him he's wrong.

[From: staceyuk]

Quite. *sigh*

RR may have a point, I haven't read the literature, but the whole tone of the article screams 'petty sulking'.

I hope you will do link round ups here. :)

[From: nickbarlow.myvidoop.com]

I've never met Rupert Read, but people who have tell me that he's annoying even by the standards of the Greens. Though I do like the guy in the comments threatening that they're going to get their revenge against us by standing in LD/Tory marginals - because nothing helps advance the environmental cause than giving the Tories a hand, does it?

[From: miss_s_b]

From my limited interactions with Rupert, he seems to me to be a bit of a cock. But as I say, he's a small part of the problem. The fact that his "article" is published in such a way as to be the top article on the site for the next 8 hours, having already been up there for some hours already, is a bigger part of the problem. The fact that the site thinks it is in any way constructive or useful to publish ill-written, mudslinging articles just to get a busy comment thread is bigger still. But the fact that the article has been published in the way it has after the many reamings I have had from the editors for being MEAN to Labour posters (one of which was for politely asking one of them if he wouldn't mind spelling my name right, FFS)... that is what takes the cake, pisses on it, sets fire to it, and shoves it in my face.

[From: (Anonymous)]

Which Labour posters were you rude to? Don't recall you ever being rude to me :)

One of the nice things about being a Labour supporter is that you get used to tuning out poorly written, mudslinging articles, whether on Liberal Conspiracy or elsewhere. Anyway, thanks for all the work you did on making LC such a good site.

Take care

donpaskini

[From: miss_s_b]

Oh don't give me credit I don't deserve, Don.

* hug *

Thanks for the good wishes though.

[From: andrewhickey.info]

You do deserve it. There were only about four competent writers on that site at its best, and you were one of them...

[From: staceyuk]

Agreed.

[From: burkesworks]

Rupert Read is not just an amateur of a politician, he's no match for some of the Labour "two-minute-hate" brigade who like to chip in to LabLibCon from time to time. You may have noticed a contribution from the consistently noxious Chris Paul in the "The Unbearable Pointlessness of Guido" thread today; I'm sure your friend Mr Leech may have something to say about it.

[From: andrewhickey.info]

Oh, Chris Paul's just a stupid prick who can't believe there can actually be an honest politician in Manchester - Leech's expenses were already thoroughly gone over, and the worst anyone could pin on him was he had quite a good stereo for his second home and had bought some bathroom scales for it - he has some of the lowest expenses of any MP...

asquith

[From: (Anonymous)]

The Green Party is full of fuckers like this. It's why, depsite being an environmentalist, I've never voted for them.

See also shite along these lines: http://tinyurl.com/mytb8b

It's always Labour they pal up with, despite the third runway, "eco" towns & every other environmental fiasco. I can't help thinking the environment isn't actually what they're all about at all. (This may also be the thing running, consciously or otherwise, through Sunny's mind in giving prominence on his page to Reid's assault).

What angers me most is that I would consider supporting them if they weren't clowns, but I can't.

Out of interest

[From: crustofthegrouch.blogspot.com]

What were your issues with the site? I do find from reading the blog, that the "Liberal" in Liberal Conspiracy is sometimes questionable. Granted there should be a range of opinions, yet some posts make me cringe. For example auguring with the Tories over the BNP being Left or Right wing.

Re: Out of interest

[From: miss_s_b]

I just felt that I was an increasingly lone voice for actual Liberalism, and was getting sick of beating my head against the brick wall of various people's opinions. Rupert's post was the trigger for something which has been coming for a while now.

Re: Out of interest

[From: andrewhickey.info]

There are all sorts of different problems with that site, ranging from the London-centric bias to Sunny's lackadaisical attitude with contributors' rights, to the assumption that Labour is the only real party and none of the other little pretend parties really matter, to the obsession with Westminster village poli-gossip... pretty much every Lib Dem who's been involved with the site has ended up regretting it (not all - I know Mat's still involved, for example).

NO!!!

[From: (Anonymous)]

Don't quit Liberal Conspiracy. Without Lib Dems, that site will be just left to Green and Labour supporters. I think Lib Dems need that site, because it's a pretty high profile site. If there are no Lib Dems, who'll defend the party when it gets dragged through the mud like in that post?

Re: NO!!!

[From: andrewhickey.info]

The problem is that (as I found during my own brief period writing for the site) that having Lib Dems there actually gives the site some legitimacy.
Given that the site policy and editorial stance, for all it purports to be a collective enterprise, is chosen by one man, who has repeatedly had the problems with the site brought to his attention over a period of years without actually doing anything differently, I can't see that it's at all productive to be the token Lib Dem on the site...