In response to some recent debate here about the contribution of critical and non-partisan left wing blogs in elections, we’ve prepared a bit of a statement about how we see LP’s role in this, the federal election year.
You can read it here.
29 Responses to “LP’s role in an election year”
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Guess a site can’t come of age till it has nailed it’s creed to a Wittenberg cathedral door in cyberspace.
Will there be a big bash? I know someone who’s just dying to wear her new frock.
Suggestion (I may even try this at Catallaxy). In the old days, newspapers used to write a pre-election editorial with their voting recommendations. How about getting all the LP staffwriters to do a par on their view come election eve? I reckon it’d be interesting. It’d be worthwhile for us, too.
For me it’s not primarily about Teh Left as such, more about being a well-informed voter and occasional commentator. The role that the LP collective and commenters, as well as some of the people at Troppo and at Catallaxy, will have for me is to provide a huge range of facts, opinions and analysis, a smorgasbord which is laid on by everyone from clever well-informed insiders to über-whacky nerds with Aspergers but from which, overall, I can nonetheless easily tease out what is probably true and what is probably accurate or likely, if only by a process of elimination.
This has become crucially important to me in an era when I can no longer rely at all on any MSM source, not even the ABC, for detailed and non-distorted coverage of what’s going on.
Gee, thanks, PC! You’ve just summed up why I blog in a nutshell. In fact, I may pinch your comment for a post over at Catallaxy (if you don’t mind of course).
The ‘manifesto’ sounds right and my guess is we can anticipate some good blogging. However will the role of the moderator need some clarification if, for example, you get inundated/overwelmed with party hacks pushing a particular line? I’m mindful of official party blogs that don’t welcome any participation but might encourage the party hounds to go and monster sites that do. Should my innocence be concerned?
I hadn’t even thought of that, pablo. I guess it might happen – what with fake talkback callers from party campaigns and all…
SL, good idea!
Of course not, be my guest.
No mention of Brian Burke and WA politics on LP yet. I’m sure it will be a subject of interest.
Could we show some sensitivity to something that’s actually a serious condition for the individuals who have it? I have a niece with Aspergers, as well as a nephew with autism, and it’s not something that results in the person being an über-whacky nerd – nor do the über-whacky nerds who inhabit interweb discussion thingies probably have aspergers.
I know it was a thow-away line, but sheesh, would you make fun of deaf people? Or people in wheelchairs? Or people with other, more physically obvious than aspergers disabilities? I thought not.
Yes, I knew that was a bad idea. Sorry. My bad.
Heh. You kids really dislike Kruddy, dontcha?
I mean, could you have made it MORE obvious that you’re going to snipe at the bloke [i.e. in the interests of objectivity/dispassionate analysis/he's not Gilly!/his fruitbowl runneth over!/simply hate the Womble] for the duration?
While I think SL’s suggestion might produce some interesting comments, I suspect they would be redundant to even casual observers of this site. At this early stage it’s apparent that TEH COLLECTIVE’s recommendation can be summed thusly: “Anyone but Howard; Rudd if necessary.” Oh, and: “Think about your senate vote, ya nongs.”
CS, if you’re reading, any chance of giving BP the Lazarus treatment? Go on. You know you want to…
BeeF, you may be trolling, but at least part of the reason relates to the geographical distribution of LP bloggers.
I’ve been happy to post on the Bracks deal with the police union, for instance. But as most of us aren’t from WA, I gather that most of us don’t think we can add anything much to what’s already been reported.
In any case, if you want to throw stones, might I suggest that you check what your house is built of. The right isn’t exactly reknowned for its ability to self-criticise…
I just assumed that PC was referring to the Panelbeater, a denizen of Catallaxy who really does have aspergers. I thought this was pretty well known – we had most of a thread on it.
He wouldn’t be offended in the slightest.
SL, I didn’t actually know that (though sort of assumed it) — but really wasn’t meaning him in particular. There is a lot of stuff in the blogosphere that appears to me to fall somewhere well up the milder end of the spectrum. Rebekka seems to be assuming I don’t know anything about Aspergers or autism, which isn’t the case.
I recall once suggesting that Birdy might have been suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome. This was at Catallaxy after one of his sprays about the lying tax-eating commie Norton.
Paul, Tourette’s is a syndrome of tics and muscle spasms, not necessarily (and relatively rarely) compulsive obscenity. You’re thinking of coprolalia, you fucking commo bastard arsehole.
Ahem. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Ahem. Moderat/or/rix?
Just to knit up Robert’s (‘geographical distribution of LP bloggers’) and Fyodor/Bob’s (‘You kids really dislike Kruddy’) comments a bit here, it occurs to me that as a South Australian who knew nothing of Rudd before his elevation to the national arena, I automatically trust the LPers, mostly Queenslanders, on this subject.
If another Kevin, viz the current SA Treasurer, were to make a successful run in the federal stakes, then I would lay claim to years’ worth of local knowledge about him, and I attribute the same kind of specialist knowledge to Teh Collective.
SL, I didn’t know that about Bird and it makes a lot of sense.
I’ve actually put up a thread on the Burke stuff – but only on the federal implications, because, as people have said, I’m viewing it from afar. It is one of the advantages of a group blog that you can get people talking about their particular specialisations and from local knowledge. It’s also good, I think, to have a bit of humility in not blogging what you don’t know anything about.
Isn’t it rather Asperger-like to tell the blogosphere that another commentator has Aspergers? And then for other commentators to even comment on this and opine about what it explains to them about this person who they have never met, and who may or not have Aspergers and who may or may not even exist outside of another’s created cyber persona?
I have broken bread with the Panelbeater, Dr Who. Quite a few times. And I think I know him well enough to know that he’s telling the truth about his disability.
Fyodor, do you really think that? I wonder if you’ve actually read the debates about Rudd on LP if that’s the case. I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned quite a few times that he’s been my choice of leader for a few years now.
Just speakin’ for myself…
skepticlawyer, my main point was about the morality of revealing on a blogsite the disability of another commentator. I can’t imagine any circumstances in which a real person would condone or agree to someone casually doing that, either off their own bat, or on the other person’s behalf.
I automatically trust the LPers, mostly Queenslanders, on this subject.
We aren’t mostly Queenslanders, I don’t think. Yes there are about four Brisbanites, that I can think of at this moment, but there are at least four Sydneysiders, a Canberran, some Melbournites and one or two people in Perth. (And I’ve probably missed some.)
Suz, that’s roughly it, though I’m not sure where I am at the moment.
Skepticlawyer, I have a question that is very OT but I just can’t resist. If you’ve “broken bread” with GMB could you give us a brief description of the guy: young or old, education level, jobs if any, etc.
Just curious …
At long last, trackback.