Underblog.co.uk

Blogs are quite nice. Ok, so sometimes you get out of the habit and kinda don’t update them for weeks (sorry about that), but on the whole blogging can be a good way of disseminating information, opinion and nonsense. You often get interesting feedback from interesting people around the globe to boot.

When a member of parliament takes up blogging, discussion and flow of information between that elected representative and the normal human beings she serves can be improved. It’s not going to transform democracy, but it’s probably not a bad thing. So what would you sacrifice to get more MPs blogging?

I ask because Tim Ireland, aka Manic, of Bloggerheads, has decided that he is going to back Blair for the duration of next year’s election. Why the hell would someone who’s been trying to get rid of Blair for ages decide to support him at a general election when it matters most? Because he wants to promote blogging by politicians, and thinks he can best do that by working for Labour.

So Blair appeases a torturer, manipulates the terrorist threat for political ends, misleads parliament over WMD, and launches an illegal invasion of Iraq (100,000 civilians dead and counting). But you know, getting a few MPs blogging freely is more important than all that.

Whatever manic does, blair will win the next election. But surely it is the duty of anyone who believes that Blair has done all this to make sure his government pays as high a political price as possible to make sure that any future would-be war-monger thinks twice? Every seat that Labour loses at this election, even it it goes to the tories, places more power in the hands of the Liberal Democrats, the only major party to have opposed Blair’s war.

I have a lot of respect for Manic, which is why I’m having such a hard time understanding his decision. I’m sure it’s not one he made lightly, and no doubt he’ll have answers for his critics over the coming weeks, so do keep checking Bloggerheads for updates.

The only way forward for Britain - and for Iraq - is for justice to be seen to de done. Not dodged, and not spun.
–Tim Ireland, 10th June 2004

So, George Bush is still the most powerful man in the world. In my frustration, I find myself wondering whether the rest of the world should accept the choice of the American people. Surely if we can’t accept this situation, then the answer is not to allow America to have so much power in world politics. Let them govern themselves, but don’t let them govern us.

Today I got a John Prine CD from a great friend of mine, and some of the lyrics of track 7 seemed paricularly appropriate:

“But your flag decal won’t get you into heaven any more
They’re already overcrowded from your dirty little war
And Jesus don’t like killing no matter what the reasons for
And your flag decal won’t get you into heaven any more.”

Funny how history repeats itself.

– 8th Nov. Update: Johathan Steele suggests disbanding NATO.