Inconsistency

Sorry for the variable quantity and indeed quality of recent posts. I seem to go through weeks where, despite being assailed by avalanches of idiocy and governmental cynicism, I find I have little to say, instead I simply shake my head and try to get on with what life I do have. I'm probably not being overly controversial if I say I've fallen slightly out of love with the blogosphere too - the recent blogwars, which ultimately seemed to me to come down to one set of people telling another set what to do on their own patches, seemed not only pointless but the exact opposite of what the blogosphere is or could be. We have a forum of global free speech, like an enormous pub and we can go and talk with anyone we want, listen to whomever we want, ignore whatever we don't like or get stuck into debate with whatever we don't like. If we concede the need for regulation, or rules (never actually made by democratically elected representatives, and incapable, it seems, of repeal) - we lose what makes or what made the blogosphere unique. I don't make any pretences for my own status. I'm not a citizen journalist. I don't really research anything, I'm an impressionistic writer and reader and I call it how I see it. But some blogs (not mine) do feature better quality writing than you get from the professional journalists. Michael Henderson in the Torygraph I think on Saturday slated the blogosphere as "the latest excrescence" in which "social inadequates" get to mouth off about things. Well if that isn't a fine description of Fleet Street I don't know what is. It's not the blogosphere which gets paid handsomely to write ignorant vitriol; it's not the blogosphere which claims the authority of professionalism while maintaining the political biases which everyone knows it has; it's not the blogosphere which builds and destroys celebrities for its own wealth's sake; it's not the blogosphere which takes photos of people on holiday and then criticises the drooping of their breasts; it's not the blogosphere which is the world famous home of boozers,cynics, cheats and downright liars.

So, Mr Henderson. I have a response for you. And the response is: fuck off. Now in the old days, I'd have written to you and you'd have thrown my letter in the bin. But nowadays quite a few people will get to read it. So the blogosphere is a good thing. And actually, I _do_ like it. Heh - so much for consistency, eh? So here's my response once more, in case you missed it:

fuck off.