Ive been a little busy and will be for a while but just one quick comment I notice that at the time of writing that Eastcliffe Richard has introduced comment moderation, which for me seems a tad ironic as it looks like one line in comment from the author is set to continue.
See previous remarks
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT HERE * no moderation here unless its personal and unverifiable in which case i shall delete
Eh? Sorry Tony, you've lost me there.
ReplyDeleteECR as of Friday evening has gone 'invited readers only'
ReplyDeleteWell as far as I know I have never put anything even mildly offensive or annoying. However I find now I cannot access ECR at all. I have submitted myself to joining Google accs but now find I have to be invited. How on earth can anyone do that if they cannot access it at all?
ReplyDeleteOh dear it looks like blogging is going to the wall.
Already I am trying to recover from withdrawal symtoms from the loss of Tl
Please don't desert us yet Tony.
I've just tried ECR's blog and am also not invited. What's that all about?
ReplyDeleteI'm not aware that I have ever called Dr Simon Moores 'homophobic, xenophobic and racist', or accused him of 'computer misuse and business fraud', or been part of a 'concerted campaign against him', or that I am involved in any 'political corruption', but those are the accusations he is making against unidentified anonymous bloggers in today's Gazette. He has, however, called me 'a welfare sponger with an axe to grind' and 'a living gloating metaphor of all that's wrong with our society' so he's clearly not in a chuckling mood at the moment vis a vis yours truly. As many people know my true identity hereabouts, I have been urged by some to point m'learned friends in his direction for such remarks, but I'm not sure that would serve any purpose.
ReplyDeleteBy pointing the finger at everyone and naming no-one, he's very cleverly closed down any criticism of his views and the policies of the local administration, IMO.
So from now on you'll only be able to read my jottings as and when you get your invitation in the post.
ECR
ReplyDeleteMy eight year old granddaughter has a saying "This is so last week".
Yes it is all getting a bit dreary isn't it.
ReplyDeleteNo-one has called the Doc a racist or any of the other things. A few people have said that some of the comments that have been made on his blog are racist and xenophobic, and that his blog has incited that sort of comment. That's quite different.
ReplyDeleteYes ECR.
ReplyDeleteThe only Thanet blogger to issue a court action, as far as I know, was me in 2006 when I issued proceedings against Suffolk Chief constable.
(now ex Chief constable)
I have now started a blog with comment moderation on. Although I don't expect too many (if any) whereas emails are starting. The site has, I am told, been put on a bulletin board used by professionals opposed to user empowerment and the charitable incarceration of the disabled.
The editor of the specialist magazine sued Leonard Cheshire over the death of her brother in their care. She did not win but I think it cost her house in legal fees (up against a charity with a four million pound PR budget)
There's those who back their play and those that posture.
well it is midnight and i got a report of a leaky roof on our buy to let
ReplyDeleteb-llocks Nite
seems a bit sad that I, and others, can no longer get on to ECR. Where will I get my weekend chuckle now? Also seems to be a waste of a blog if people can't read it
ReplyDeleteI've had my post this morning and no invite. Have you had yours Tony?
ReplyDeleteECR is an anonymous fictional character and so anyone can say what they like about him, Homer Simpson or even Donald Duck. It does not matter. But mention a named person and thats a very different matter.
ReplyDeleteNot necessarily anon. 10:32 especially if the fictional character can be linked to a real person or organisation. I'm sure if somebody acused Mickey Mouose of being a paedophile the Disney Corporation would down on them like a ton of bricks.
ReplyDeleteTony,
ReplyDeleteAs is well known I am a club hammer computer user, so could you please tell what is going on with dear old ECR? Does he want to blog or not/ By restricting access he may as well stop as browsers will just concentrate on other blogs.
10:49 shows a very limited understanding of the law.
ReplyDeleteIf by discrediting one person, you encourage others to do likewise, then there can be legal consequences.
Ken, I think this might help you understand what is happening:
"On the web, the writer, the web site owner and the ISP can all be sued just like the writer, the magazine and the distributor in the print field. A link could also be potentially defamatory if you are linking to defamatory material. Anyone who repeats allegations can also be sued. There are no special internet defences."
OVIT has also gone to invite only now
ReplyDeleteSeems to me,
ReplyDelete{Thanks by the way 1116},
That we should all shut up and not talk about anything.
And they call this a free country!
My understanding is . after some research, is that if I , as a blogger allow comment, I should remove any dodgy comment at the first available chance. I will do that on my blog, but will also try to restrict myself to fact or observation in my choice of subject.
ReplyDeleteI will also allow 'free speech' but not abuse.
I hope that we all do the same
I think you will find ECR here
ReplyDeletethanks Michael!
ReplyDelete11.53 you obviously haven't read ovit then.
ReplyDeleteThe man is ill.
Oh well. I hope ECR enjoys his chats with his mates.
ReplyDeleteTony old bean you removed my comment, any particular reason or are you coming down with thanetian paranoia that seems to be sweeping la Isle of Blogga?
ReplyDeleteDR Moores presumably has disappeared as HE and his colleques must be starting to realise what a mess they are making of regenerating Margate and any criticisms is not acceptable, the High St nearly dead, crap new libary, putting up parking charges and still very happy to charge on a 24hr basis in carparks, yet Westwood is free. Even Ladyman came out fighting for what is left of our seafront amusement centres. ECR was always very readable and captured the local scene!
ReplyDeleteFarewell ECR, Enjoyed our friendly disagreements.
ReplyDeleteThe blogging scene in Thanet is now getting nasty. Simon Moores of Thanetlife has been making allegations in the press and on radio that many commentators find hard to understand and seems to be threatening to obtain recourse from Google to silence other sites and clearly seems to be threatening legal action.
ReplyDeleteIf you visit his site you will see that on Monday 11 Feb he was operating in normal Thanetlife mode with an item on Dane Park but only a few hours later was in righteous indignation mode. The question that will be unanswered is what did he see on other sites in the intervening period that caused him to suddenly become upset? The spats and bickering between 3 sites in particular in Thanet has provided much entertainment in the pastwithout it reaching this unpleasant stage.
Most readers in Thanet will be well aware of the Aitken case and its origins and outcome. I hope the silly situation amongst Thanet Blogs will soon be sorted sensibly and that implied threats of legal action are soon laid to rest.
The spotlight of the media is likely to turn fully on all those involved and perhaps with no benefit at all to anyone.
The lock-out that has now been imposed by ECR and Thanetonian is I suspect the result of them monitoring their sites and perhaps identifying, as Simon Mooores on Zentelligence has observed, that 'cyber-stalkers' are crawling all over their sites and that they are not happy with the implications of what purpose there is behind such activity.
I suspect that Google has complaints all the time from 'opposing' bloggers in areas getting heated with each other and it does smack a little of 'playground disputes' of "he hit me"
no "she hit me first" etc! Perhaps all concerned need to grow up a bit?
ECR & Thanetonian seem to have recently gone private. Anyone else? We will all soon start writing to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who knows anything about blogs knows this goes with the territory.The answer is quite simple really. You have a registration system where anyone who wants to post must register.You have an alert button so people can notify the blogger of something nasty. You don't have to give your right name or info but if you post anything offensive or threatening, you can be blocked.
ReplyDeleteIn less than a year since his election, Dr Simon Moores now appears in my opinion to be a fully paid up member of the small town Tory brigade, whose use of bully boy tactics is legendary in these parts. He must be cock-a-hoop. He's effectively closed down two critical, popular local blogs, and now even this blog is censoring comments.
ReplyDeleteBy the crude tactic of spreading fear and alarm in the local blogging world, he has ensured that his own blog, which will no doubt shortly return, is the only forum for debating the local Tory council's ramshackle policies that are slowly but surely strangling the cultural and environmental heritage of this island. Policies which even he used to criticise, but which he now miraculously endorses since his election as a Tory councillor.
Well done Simon, you must be very proud of yourself.
err.. here's a thought 9:11. Try counting the number of Thanet weblogs without going to sleep.
ReplyDeleteBig News Margate is highly critical of local politics but is still here, as are everyone else but two.
Anyone with half a brain could see that they were going way over the top with what they were writing. In fact, this may be a good thing, leading to much more responsible reporting and comment than we have seen lately.
All it took was one phone call to the Gazette's cub reporter and hey presto. Did the reporter ask for any evidence of these so-called papers being served on Google, or did he just write Dr Moores' words up verbatim?
ReplyDeleteSmacks of manipulating the press for the purposes of cynical political censorship. Moores and the Gazette should be ashamed of themselves.
Anon 9:25 - Bignews Margate is now censoring comment. There were only ever two other blogs that anyone looked at regularly for criticism of the local Tories and they are now both dead. It is fair to assume that now Moores has effectively killed off any dissenting voices he will bring back his own blog. What a great day for freedom of speech.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is just me who will be of the opinion that the whole episode stinks, and shows Moores and the Tories up for the arrogant political bullies we have always suspected them to be.
You may be in a minority 10:12 and you do rather sound like a mini-OVIT with your anti-Tory screams.
ReplyDelete"Arrogant political bullies" don't make me laugh! I thought we lived in a democracy?
Big News Margate,and Cllr David Green seem to do quite well criticising the Tories or any political party without being personal.
So what's your problem? You prefer insults instead?
Who said OVIT was popular?
ReplyDeleteOVIT?
A single issue weblog.. AKA "I hate Tories"
Oh what a tiny island this is. Criticising a local Tory councillor or his party has now become 'insults' and we must all now bow to their 'standards' of debate. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI agree OVIT had a one track mind but as a former regular Thanet Life reader I was beginning to find ECR a much more informative source of local 'alternative' stories all done in a very entertaining and funny way. Only a very small number of his posts poked fun at Simon Moores who should be able to take it being a politician, the posts were mainly critical of the council. By tarring all anonymous bloggers with the same brush and not naming names Simon Moores has got rid of any serious alternative source of news and comment in Thanet. I suppose I will have to make do with Bignews Margate now!
ReplyDeleteCriticism and abuse are two very different things. Clearly you have a very short and selective memory or simply haven't read any of the material over the last year 12:28. If it was such innocent fun you might wonder why it has been removed from public view?
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:35 - You have clearly not been reading the same blog. Forget abuse if Moores is not big enough to take abuse why did he get into politics? Besides one man's abuse is another man's mickey taking.
ReplyDeleteWhere on ECR was Dr Simon Moores called xenophobic, racist and homophobic which are his precise if rather widespread allegations?
As for it being removed from public view I would imagine that Moores' blanket targeting of all anonymous Thanet blogs has had the desired effect of silencing criticism. He may live to regret his actions in driving debate about him underground if what I have heard is true.
anon 12:28
As I know from my own rather abysmal attempts good blogging is a gift, something that both Simon and Richard have and while their bloggs are not operating in the normal way those of us who enjoy the local blogs are missing out.
ReplyDeleteI also think that some of the important local news stories are probably failing to come to light and that much healthy local debate is now stifled.
We seem to have reached a point where we would all benefit from some sort of truce, looking at the local paper it does look as though ECR is being chased by the intrepid doctor and that has he set Sherlock Thoms on him.
So perhaps it is time for these two gentlemen to communicate with each other and set out the terms of a truce, I don’t think either of them are benefiting from the current situation.
I wonder if it's time to draw a line under all of this and move on. Thanet's REAL problems are taking a side position to all this squabbling, which is surely not what any of us want. That said, from what I've read over the past couple of weeks, it's not posts that have appeared on other blogs that have caused all the tension and upset, it's comments some have been making on the Doc's own blog (TL), and, as James indicates, comments that are being made off-line. A cooling-off period sounds good to me. Blogs will pick up again, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny that Simon has turned to the newspaper for which he hasn't had a good word to say in the past. And why go to the press and get more publicity for the bad things he says people are saying about him?
ReplyDeleteMy apologies if your comment has been deleted, this is not for censorship reasons etc. but your comment may have unintentionally been unhelpful and if you contact me at tonyflaig@gmail.com I shall explain.
ReplyDeleteNo offense intended on my part either
If you have Thanet's largest circulation weblog and you suspend it with a message explaining why, how long, do you think before the local paper calls for the story?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 4.02 while I couldn’t agree with you more I think it’s time to try and get these two gentlemen to see the situation from each others point of view. Richard evidently feels pursued while Simon evidently feels personally abused, and as fellow bloggers in the arena where this has happened we surely have a responsibility as peacemakers to these two who have contributed considerable effort to our own entertainment.
ReplyDeleteAbuse is not defamation. Where is the proof of defamation? Where is the proof that he has even started a law suit? He does not need to he has got the result he wanted without spending a single penny or risking everything coming out in a high profile court case with only a 50/50 chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteHe seems very competitive from what he writes on Thanet Life and I would guess that he could not bear to see a better written, better informed more entertaining local blog becoming more popular than his and attracting dissenters from all sides of the political spectrum so he spat his dummy. End of.
Anyone like to play the game of spot Simon Moores posting on this site as 'anon'? I love trying to work out who is really saying what! 10.32? 11.16?
ReplyDelete9.25? 11.19? 12.35? 4.02. all sound familiar?
It's time to get the bloggs back on track, simply informing people of local issues, and they are VERY infomative and interesting to read. It's a shame that local politics have spoilt this. Thanet residents respect for local politics, the Council and it's plans is already at a low. P.S Does anyone know why there are oil slick signs along our coastline and what was the cause, the signs have appeared in Broadstairs.
ReplyDeleteoil is washing up at Dumpton Gap, something to do with vessels cleaning up, and some birds have been found affected by the oil
ReplyDeleteHave just come across a new 'Biggles' at www.thanetstrife.blogspot.com! This has really got out of hand.
ReplyDeleteWell one good thing has come out of all this - Simon Moores has made himself look more ridiculous than ECR ever could.
ReplyDeleteAs a former journalist with national newspapers and TV I can honestly say I have never read anything in ECR or OVIT which I thought even remotely amounted to libel. As someone who has successfully defended every trumped up libel case that has been brought against me I would be happy to offer them my advice, or point them in the direction of my excellent lawyers should they require them (which I very seriously doubt they will).
ReplyDeleteCould not agree more, 12.38. So what is the real issue?
ReplyDeleteIs the contamination at Dumpton Gap a completely new problem? I seem to recall it happening some time ago. Whichever, bad news if it's affecting wildlife.
ReplyDeletemust be a first for a james maskell comment to be deleted.
ReplyDeleteIt wasnt meant to be objectionable, but I can see why Cllr Moores might think it so and ask for its removal. Im fine with it.
ReplyDeleteI thought James was only objectionable to some-one on another site. (I can't mention his Voice, I mean name) as Tony has threatened to remove any anon post that mentions ***** or ******!
ReplyDelete