Solider, Councillor, Teacher, Blogger...Alasdair Ross - Radio 4 PM interview

While driving through the rain on Tuesday from North Wales (visiting family and bossy big sister) to Lincolnshire (visiting family and bossy little sister) I listened to an interview with Labour blogger, Ipswich Councillor and 2 Rifle soldier, Alasdair Ross.

Alasdair was being interviewed on Radio 4 PM programme about his experiences during a recent tour in Afghanistan as an Army warrant officer. Alasdair gave a thoughtful and confident interview.

It started about 17 minutes into the programme and lasted for 8 (you can hear it in full here for next 5 days). He had served in the Army for 24 years when he retired, became a teacher and was elected as a Labour Councillor for Ipswich. He then voluntarily rejoined 2 Rifles as a reservist for his final tour which was spent in Helmand province in Afghanistan. 2 Rifles lost 13 soldiers during the tour including 5 killed in one day. The Battle group he was attached to lost 24 out of 1100 soldiers.

Alastair phrased the bravery of the local Afghans who despite the threats from the Taliban turned out to vote during the recent election there. He pointed out as a Labour Politician he knows that if it rains in the UK the vote will go down while in Helmand voters had to face rocket attacks! He also finished by stating that it is important that people like him who have been there now take part in the PR battle ahead about the war. What the Army wants is not sympathy - it wants backing.

Justice for Bloggers

This is a picture from last night taken of the "famous 3" bloggers and comrades in arms Dave, John and Alex in a Chancery Lane Curry house.

We were all singing "The Internationale" at the time even though it appears as if I was just posing. As if...

We were celebrating what was on the whole - a good day for freedom of expression and justice for bloggers.

Thanks to Alex's top brief MH and best wishes to Master R on his retirement. There are still troubles ahead (Dave is still facing the full monty) but today was good news and a victory for common sense.

So lets face the music and dance

John’s Labour blog: The Number One (ish) Trade Union Blog 2009

John’s Labour Blog has for the second year in a row been declared as the “Number One Union” blog by TIGMOO an “aggregator service for blogs about unions and unionism in the UK” which links to 120 UK union blogs.

TIGMOO ranks the 25 top union blogs and describes this blog as

1: John's Labour blog (1)
Last year’s top spot retained again for this blog by a UNISON convenor reporting on his work and union issues in general. The blog has a strong focus on Labour party activism through the UNISON Labour Link and on developments for union pensions activists.
grayee.blogspot.com.

“The blogs in the TIGMOO network have been ranked according to four equally weighted factors: Traffic ratings generated by Alexa.com, number of posts in the last 8 weeks, number of comments in that time, and the number of inbound links found by Google”.

Please note that TIGMOO also state “these measures have a huge margin
of error, especially when dealing with smaller sites, and of course measuring quantity doesn’t always predict quality, though all the 25 listed here are certainly well worth checking out”.

TIGMOO started off this rating last year during the TUC annual congress and state that “This guide is a play on Iain Dale’s Total Politics Guide to Political Blogs, which annually ranks hundreds of blogs from across the political spectrum”

Not that I pay much attention to such stuff – after all - was I at all bovvered that the wreakers and splitters at Tory Boy Iain Dales “Total Politics” sabotaged my top 100 “Left Wing” ranking this year?

No, of course not. All the true bloggers I have ever met have been honest, gentile, mild mannered, consensual, polite, modest, moderate, uncompetitive and contemplative souls, who simply poor scorn on the very idea of such ranking and league tables and surely agree whole heartedly with this very sound sentiment below (but nothing else)

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same"

Being Sued for Libel by a Disrespectful Tory

Alex Hilton at Labourhome first brought this to attention, then yesterday, Dave Osler, in this post here spilled the beans good and proper about an attempt to sue us all for libel.

Now, I am convinced that the case against us (and "Private Eye – now “settled”, The Labour Party – kicked out with costs awarded against the claimant and “Der Spiegel” – just coming up to speed) is frivolous and vexatious (also just plain nonsense). That is my opinion. However, I am not sure what the Court thinks about reporting actual details of the case so I will have to keep Mum for the moment.

I think that the law needs to be changed. This is in one way a truly fascinating and amazing experience but on the other it is in my view a colossal and tragic waste of Court time and money. Since there is no “Court” costs awarded in English libel cases, the costs to the public purse so far (which cannot be claimed against claimants or defendants) must run into thousand and thousands of pounds. What a disgrace. Please note how this money could have been better spent elsewhere.

I do think that with regard to Alex and Labourhome that it is just absolutely outrageous that they are facing any such legal action. I posted the original article on Labourhome and accept responsibility for it. Sue me if you must. If this legal action was to be successful then there would be no Labour, Conservative or whatever blogs which allowed un-moderated comments or posts. Even moderated blogs would be under threat since the law allows spurious claims to be made which cost £1000's to defend.

I hope all bloggers will pause for a moment and put aside sectarian interests (only for a moment of course) and realise that “there for the grace of god” argument applies to our little problem and any support you can offer in our common cause will be greatly appreciated.

Dave and I are defending ourselves in person but Alex has employed solicitors - so click on his post on Labourhome to donate to his costs and support the call for real on-line freedom of speech and expression for all.

Please note that for very obvious reasons I will have to delete any comments which may relate to the claimant or the case. You can email me privately via my blog profile (left).

(I've updated this post to take account of my Labourhome one)