Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Bob Piper

I’ve blogged with Bob for years. We swapped links virtually in the first week of his blog life. I met him through mutual blogging acquaintances like ‘Occupied Country’, ‘Johnny Billericay’ and ‘Our man in Hanoi’… Back then he was quite witty – and I enjoyed his one eyed old Labour cynicism – and his distaste for Tony Blair and the Nu Labour circus of hogwash and hyperbole.

I must admit though that over the last couple of years he’s changed. He’s got angrier, more spiteful and erratic…. And after looking at his blog – especially over the last few days, I wonder where he has misplaced his plot – for he has surely lost it.

Bob – what the hell were you thinking of?

2 comments:

Gareth said...

I think Bob's politics have become more and more despised as the Government has gone on. Basically he has few allies, he finds himself attacking everyone, including New Labour, then feels obliged to defend them. He's become a extremely vindictive, and because of that the minstrel graphic was just a good opportunity to beat him was his own stick using his own unpleasant tactics.

I doubt that any normal person found it offensive or racist. In poor taste probably, definately, but given that it was Cameron that he was attacking most people, even most Conservatives, should be prepared to overlook poor taste. No, this was very much a personal attack on Bob and what he stands for. At least it was for me, having been on the receiving end of his taunts.

Bob Piper said...

I think toque is spot on in most respects. I don't think I have unpleasant 'tactics' but I suspect part of the problem has been that I tend to react (over react?) to people who engage in vitriol in the comments section, and it has led to the site becoming unpleasant at times. I do find myself attacking most things politically, including New Labour, for which I have little more time than other social democratic reformists.

I'm not sure, however, where you think the plot was lost 'over the last few days'. I posted a fairly innocuous image which was then taken completely out of context by half a dozen wannabe Iain Dale Tory bloggers and made into something 'racist'. If even YOU believe the gibberish they wrote, heaven help us all. Again, toque is correct, the image was not racist and not offensive to those wioth the brains to see it in context and think a tiny bit.

However... given that I have had nearly 400 people e-mailing or posting in the comments box asking for me not to give up blogging, including two of the fine bloggers you mention, it cannot quite be the piece of spiteful vindictive shit toque makes it out to be.