Saturday 11 June 2011

When Two Blogs Go To War.

I have waited a few days to compare the reaction of two Blogs that I regularly look at to giv e them time to comment on recent events.

Both Syniadau and Freedom Central are blogs which are linked to Political Parties Syniadau to Plaid and Freedom Central to  the LibDems, but the way they cover the Welsh Political scene is vastly different.

Syniadau whilst openly putting the Plaid case and commentating on other parties, will openly say when they disagree with senior Party members.  or when defending Plaid often make it  clear that this not from a subordinate position and will add their own analysis as they did with Ieuan Wyn Jones absence from the Assembly.

To my knowledge Syniadau will always post a comment which opposes the views placed on the Blog  (barring obscene and racist ones I guess) and will respond to these comments with cutesy, and will often acknowledge someone who writes contrary to the post may have a point.

Freedom Centre on the other hand are merely an LibDem attack job. They seem to have Anti-Plaid bias in particular  and although they claim to be independent of the Party much of its contribution often comes from Peter Black and other  LibDem AMs . They will cut and Paste entire news items without comment on the problems of other Parties  without comment and before I am accused of hypocrisy (I admit to frequently  cutting and Pasting ) I hope I wil always add my own comment on the issue. not merely  copy something from the Western Mail or the BBC and leave it there in the hope this will be sen as unbiased .see Insidious brilliant take on on this.

But the main problem with the Blog I have  come to call "Subordinate Centre" is that not prepared to look at news that it is critical of the LidDems in Wales or their leadership. Just recently they have virtually ignored the controversy  over the exclusion of the LibDem AM's John Dixon and Aled Roberts  from the Assembly and it ironic that it Syniadau who appears to more supportive of the two .

In the last few days former North Wales AM Eleanor Burnham said her party's response in the impasse with regards the excluded AM's "looks like farce". and Subordinate Centre has totally ignored it . Peter Black who has also been criticised by his former AM has also not commented on his Blog. Burnahm may have her own agenda if Roberts was to be permanently excluded then she would as 2nd on the party list take his place but they could have pointed that rather than ignore the criticism all together.

They  willingly at   Suborninate Centre to recently  reproduces much of Synidau spat on Elfyn Llwyd (above link)  or to copy the Western Mail report on Senior figures move against Plaid Cymru leader again without any of their own analysis

They also seem to fail to publish comments that are critical of their post but I will grant them the assumption this may be merely due to  a technical problem.

So we have two Blogs both I think should be read but only one of them has important and serious contribution to make to the political life of Wales.

4 comments:

Ceiliog said...

"Freedom Central" - Controlling freedom 24/7.

Alun said...

I can't see any point in reading 'Freedom Central' whatsoever for the reasons you state. The only people who could possibly get anything out of it are Lib Dem activists who need their morale boosting or to get their instuctions on the party line. Quite a few of those around at the moment I suppose.

MH said...

Thanks Glyn, but I'd hardly describe myself as being "at war" with Freedom Central. It is what it is, and we just have to take it or leave it at that.

Not all LibDem blogs are like that, though. Peter Black is usually willing to have a discussion, and Frank Little says some sensible things.

glynbeddau said...

I intended to mean "At War" to mean vigorous blogging.

Who am I kidding I thought it would make a good title.

Not sure about Peter Black but Frank Little who blogs as ffranc sais is at least informative though Abaravon and Neath Liberal Democrats (which he helps contribute to)often reads like a clone of Subordinate Centre at times.

By the way does anyone know what happened to Diblemmings? A Libdem which was sometimes a decent read.