Irish Political News

This post list of resources that you can use, places where you can make your points, and some suggestions for further things to do. Everything on this page is under a Creative Commons License, and can be used on your own sites and to make further work.

Briefly, Dave Walker, the official Lambeth Conference Cartoonist in Residence, has taken 75 posts down on his blog after being threatened with Libel Action by the new owner of SPCK - the oldest chain of Anglican Bookshops. He has been reporting the story of alleged mismanagement for two years. Already there are a lot Industrial Tribunals from ex-employees, among other things.

For details of the case, please see my other articles.

It’s that time of year again. From Iain Dale’s blog:

We’re asking for your votes to decide the Top 100 UK Political Blogs. Simply email your Top Ten (ranked from 1 to 10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com. If you have a blog, please encourage your readers to do the same. I’ll then compile the Top 100 from those that you send in. Just order them from 1 to 10. Your top blog gets 10 points and your tenth gets 1 point.

I haven’t decided who I am voting for, but they will be blogs that I have enjoyed and want to help get into the top 200-300 rather than the top 10 - especially writers I like who have been blogging for a couple of hundred posts and may be getting weary, or blogs that are relatively new. However, here are some blogs I will not be voting for.

Yesterday I promised another Hofmeister beer commercial.

This is - apparently - about why bears are extinct in Bavaria.

I have also updated the list of people posting on the Dave Walker Cease and Desist notice. There are now 27 linked.

Remember - follow the bear.

Odd little piece by VB in the Irish Times yesterday. Under the heading:
Second poll still on agenda, despite Sarkozy’s sweet talk and the subhead
European Council could sway some Irish voters by promising one commissioner for each state if treaty is passed
…we learn that our intrepid correspondent has been baiting the beast in its home.

I visited […]

This post is a straightforward list of blogs and websites posting about the legal threat made against cartoonist Dave Walker by Mark Brewer to force him to take down his reporting and comment about the SPCK bookshop chain’s takeover and management by the Society of Saint Stephen the Great (SSG). I followed the story, and my view is that Dave has been careful almost to a fault to stay the right side of the “defamation” line; I would happily repost everything here.

But this list is not primarily about taking a view of the SPCK/SSG “affair”; it is about the right to discuss it in public and not have anyone try and close down debate by having (or claiming to have) access to a bigger legal bludgeon. The list is articles I am aware of that have been posted; they are listed in the order I found them.

Cartoon: Lingamish

If you would like to be added to it, please email me at mattwardman at gmail dot com using the subject line “My Name is Dave Walker” with the complete webaddress of the article you have posted, and who you are. Or make a comment here.

There’s a new Libel threat to close down Yet another Blogger.

Of all people Dave Walker - the Artist in Residence at the Lambeth Conference - has been sent a cease and desist letter at half-a-day’s notice to take down all posts (75+) relating to the reporting of the new management of the SPCK bookshop chain SPCK bookshop chain by the Society of St Stephen the Great, which he has been covering for 2 years.

Dave has been keeping a close eye on all of this, and providing a forum for people to share news about the chain. He has been told he’ll be sued unless all SPCK posts are removed from his website.

This does not seem like a good way to do it quietly - The Lambeth Conference is crawling with Journalists looking for “different” stories.

One can’t help but think that Sarkozy had something when he noted that, as Cian on IrishElection put it:
‘if I come it is meddling, if I do not it is indifference’ (my own rough paraphrasing - Cian). .”
I saw the protests around Government Buildings on Monday and the thought crossed my mind that the EU […]