A First Time For Everything

So the Guardian ran a piece on how shocking it is that we don't trust our institutions any more, and I put up a comment which was quite popular, and I thought well measured. The forum editors deleted it. It's the first time I have had anything I've written on a news forum deleted...to be honest, if I was going to be censored I would have expected it to be on the Telegraph forums, as that is the nearest I have come to blistering a few maddened internet ears. I am surprised. The only thing I can imagine is that my comment might place them in legal jeopardy as it refers to the reportage of the Times and the Telegraph on the conduct of Baroness Butler-Sloss concerning suppressed information re upper eschelon paedophiles. But as I cite my sources clearly, I can't see that they were in danger of accusations of plagiarism. It's a bit of a puzzle, not helped by people replying in capshouts 'READ THE MIRROR! THEY'RE NAMING PEOPLE!' Maybe the editors were just irritated at the reference to other sources, tabloids included. It must be a bit galling to have your readers recommending other papers for the facts. They have now closed the comment section entirely, which again comes as a surprise, as it hadn't been up for that long.

One thing that is interesting is how the right wing press are dealing with the issue. A cynic could say that the reason they are on it like flies on a privy is in the hope of targetting those institutions the ultra right wing wants to privatise - the NHS and the Beeb. But there has been a swift readiness to admit that the Establishment cannot be its own judge, anymore than self-policing has worked for the banking industry or the Press. They have been quick to point out that Baroness BS (unfortunate but there you have it) is an inappropriate choice to lead the enquiry into the Westminster Paedophile Ring due to her brother's connection with earlier investigations, and her own possible shortcomings have been exposed without hyperbole. Only the Mail has behaved badly as usual, trying to make political capital out of the whole sordid mess. The rest of the Right Wing Intelligentsia seems to have suddenly recalled a time long ago in a galaxy far far away where they were all jedi journalists and some of them pretty good ones too. It won't last: in the end they will all return to the dark side... but for now, one can only sit back and enjoy.