All blogged out?

Having just welcomed a newcomer to the Welsh blogging fraternity, and after six and bit years of our own gobby incisive commentary on issues that we think merit a mention, we admit that we’re sometimes left wondering if there is actually still a purpose to be served by all this posting lark.

It’s a reasonable supposition that there was an outbreak of squeaky bums syndrome among various anonymous bloggers when South Tyneside council announced it was still pursuing action against Mr Monkey – which actually ceased publication nearly two years ago. It remains to be seen if the Twitter escapades that apparently prompted the renewed municipal vendetta will actually result in the US Supreme Court getting its hands on the details of five accounts held by the California-based microblogging site. Who knows? Maybe someone in Swansea Council is of a mind to take on the Google-operated Blogger empire. We shall see.

But what episodes of this kind highlight, and which numerous bloggers (anonymous & otherwise) have known for quite a while, is that unless you have the protection of Guido’s offshore status to fall back upon then you’re brown bread if you breach the libel laws (or if someone can persuade a judge to that effect). Caerphilly councillor Colin Elsbury, who found himself £53,000 out of pocket, will probably tell you as much.  

But Jacqui Thompson, author of the blog Carmarthenshire Planning Problems and More, can cite an instance where blogging related activities carries more upfront and immediate penalties.

Jacqui was arrested for using her phone to record a meeting of Carmarthenshire County Council. This happened during an “angry debate” over the closure of a day club for local elderly people. She was asked to leave by the council chairman who called the police when she refused. Ten minutes later, four police officers arrived.

She writes in her blog: I tried to argue my point but was then arrested in the Public Gallery for 'breaching the peace'. I was taken outside the door, handcuffed, searched, my phone taken and marched out to the waiting police cars.”

What the free blog has done for many people is to provide a safer and dryer alternative to the option of climbing onto a rooftop and waving a banner in order to make your point. Of course, the blogging world is not the exclusive province of the highly motivated nutter but they certainly do make the medium far more interesting than some of the more worthy material on offer from the 'think-tank' brigade.

The encouraging thing about Welsh blogs is that even when you ditch the dross churned out by political staffers and the media-struck upthemselves who think they are influencing things, there are still plenty of highly readable posts out there putting forward cogent & challenging viewpoints and which just occasionally call a spade a feckin’ shovel. That’s probably why they make the government, the courts and the rich terribly nervous.

What better motivation could there be? Blog on!