Labour Councillor smeared by Lib Dem activist shocker - 3 comments
Political Penguin reports that "Liberal Democrat Campaigner" Colin Ross has done a hatchet job on Councillor Bob Piper in response to his publication of the "blacked-up" Cameron image that caused so much controversy earlier in the week.
Colin is neither shy to smear Bob with the charge of racism, nor to make the completely unjustifiable accusation that a "whole load of negative comments about BME people" was also featured (I assume Colin is clear in his mind of the need neither to generalise about, nor to 'spin', any particular racial/ethnic group). He goes further:
Thankfully he [Bob] has taken it down now, he has also stated that he will be taking a break from blogging. However it's not enough he should stand down from public office and Labour should have the guts to throw him out of the party. Believe me if this was a Liberal Democrat I would be urging that course of action.Yeah, of course you would. Mercifully, though:
- No reasonable person could possibly take Colin's charge seriously, either from knowing Bob, having read his other posts, from mulling over the words "Lib Dem activist", or after discovering the nature of Colin's political activities. I assume his website is strictly for fellow activists.
- Most readers of a liberal (of all things) persuasion should object to unelected individuals - in principle, and especially when they busily mobilise public campaigns - pressurising elected members - individually, or through their party - for what amounts to no more than offending some people's sensibilities. It should be obvious to a genuine liberal how valuable such "offence" can be across society, and that elected members must accept a priori that they will take the consequences of their actions at the ballot box.
- Colin's conscience - or sense of shame - may eventually surface, prompting him to append an apology to his mean-spirited article, before genuine public opinion compels him to publicly backtrack. Hopefully this will happen before the "Stop Press" leaflets hit the streets. He might also like to investigate this while he's at it.
Labels: Bob Piper, Cameron, Censorship, Colin Ross, Lib Dems
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3 comments so far...
I look forward to seeing Baroness Tonge thrown out the Lib Dems then.
While I understand the pressures -- Bob got nasty phone calls at home -- I think it regrettable that he's retreated the way he has. It looks like an admission.
In reality the piece is clearly a satire on Cameron's attempt to get down with the kids he calls Tossers. It is far tamer than Little Britain or Sacha Baron Cohen.
Moreover, there is little sign that Bob's retreat will mark the end of the matter and his political and charitable career is clearly threatened.
There are some that behave as if blogging isn't a 'real world' activity and you can say what you like with impunity. This is far from true. To label Bob as racist or claim he is sympathetic to the BNP (as others have) is clearly defamatory and Bob could sue for libel. Furthermore, a libel that results in a breech of the peace (like threatening phone calls) is a criminal matter for which an offender could face prison and for which the claimant (i.e. Bob) may be able entitled to legal aid to fight.
I think it's just a matter of time before we see an episode like this end in the courts, with huge repercussions throughout the political blogosphere.
Quite right. I've come across a few blogging instances in which the possibility of legal action has been referred to, but they're no less serious than the charge this Ross guy brazenly throws at Bob.
It's extraordinary that the guy appears to think this is just part for the course and has evidently not had any pangs of doubt.
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