With Regard to Central News

I have delayed voting on recent Blogpower internal issues till now, whilst I got a general impression of how this looked to the wider community.

Thanks very much for all the views that came in.



Firstly, less people voted in the poll than commented. But nobody who has voted so far in the poll has voted for expulsion.

There were several comments from BP members.
I think the best point here was made by Liz, who said;

'I agree with you that Blogpower is too right wing and male - but perhaps you weren't saying that but simply stating it as fact. I am totally out of place! Not even political. I visit others and think, 'What am I doing here?!'

But I am disinclined to ban anyone. I simply don't visit those I don't like - and a couple of the newbies I don't think I'll be going to often. But maybe that is against the ethos of Blogpower.

As for the recent polling that caused some disquiet, I would say that it wasn't only the far right that was involved in dodgy goings-on.'

I would agree.
Next year, the sort of anomalies that showed up this time, are unlikely to appear next time. I think there were dodgy voting patterns, but we cannot just throw that at Wayne's door.

Again, whatever existing members may feel, they joined when Central News was already a member, so it is obviously possible for them to co-exist in the way Liz describes with the BNP, much as none of us like their policies.
Welshcakes offered a good middle of the road position;

'I agree with Pommy and "the ego". I have been very unhappy about having a blog which links to BNP ones on my site but, when I read Wayne, I couldn't find anything particularly objectionable, so I didn't do anything about it. But I do think it has put some good bloggers off joining BP and does not do our reputation any good. We are being perceived as totally right-wing. I have a friend in Britain who stopped reading my blog because there was a BNP supporting blog in the roll.'

This leads me to assume that most BP members don't much care for Central News' politics, but are prepared to put up with it.

This being so, what was external opinion? Does the membership of Central News deter others from joining?

In the case of Alexys;
'Yes, it does put me off from joining. I have to respect any group I would join.'

In the case of Helen;
'"Identify, Ostracize, Confiscate, Concentrate, Annihilate" these are identified as the five steps (all accomplished legally) that resulted in the Holocaust. Yes, it would be nice to alienate ourselves from people like Muslim extremists who kill 13 year old girls for attending school (June 12, 2007), but we can't. If we refuse to find solidarity and commonality with one of us we give permission to other forms of oppression. Better to take a stand in the face of racism and say emphatically "you are WRONG" than to ostracize them and wonder how hate breeds.
If a 17 year old kid, alone, dejected and bullied wades into focused hate and finds acceptance and not one voice that cries against it, we have created one more racist. Not they, we.'

And in the case of a commentor by e-mail;

'Not having all "facts" I shall restrict myself to focusing on just two aspects:

1. Studying "Blogpower Ethos" and coming to d)] one does not even need to act as an advocatus diaboli.
d] As a family, it looks after its own but where we differ from a RL family is that we are open and welcoming to new members of any persuasion;
Thus, acting on this maxime per definitionem there exists no right/ no need asking your members for a yes or no.
In case you do it would be wise to soon cancel the superlative.

2. Given a "family-member" were addicted to drugs: Would you not try to convince your "family-member" . . . as long as he/she is willing to listen?'

But one also needs to take into account the opinions of Daily Referendum and others, as expressed elsewhere.
These are people who WOULD be members of Blogpower for sure, if it wasn't for Central News.



But of all the comments so far, Helen's is the one that most resonates with my own feelings. I cannot, as it stands find a compelling reason to vote for Wayne's expulsion, much as I loathe the party he supports.

I'm going out at half nine and will vote just before I go out. I am hoping to leave another post here before I do (on something more interesting), but in the event I don't get a chance, I will have done one for Ian at Imagined Community.

Ian is currently enjoying Glazsnost and Perestroika.