Comments on: Tim Ireland: An Internet Bully?

By: Carl Eve

Carl Eve — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:33:05 +0000

Pete – there’s no shame in having brown eyes.

It’s only when the whites of them are turning brown you need to worry.

By: Pete Connolly

Pete Connolly — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:41:51 +0000

Now now Carl, I’ve got brown eyes and I’m not full of..

Actually, there might be some truth to what you say

By: Carl Eve

Carl Eve — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:14:52 +0000

Ian – if you create rules, do us a favour luv, fucking stick to them yourself.

At present you make up the rules, break them yourself as often as you like, then bullshit like mad that other people will be banned for breaking your rules.

In laymans terms, it can be described thus.
- You’re so full of shit your eyes are brown –

There now, was THAT sarky enough for you…?

By: Tim Ireland

Tim Ireland — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 10:28:08 +0000

*sigh*

The first comment in this thread made in the name of Iain Dale (#15) is out of character for him and has serious implications. AFAICR, previously, Iain Dale has only ever allowed* sock-puppets on his site to use the ‘axe killer’ label in this way.

If a comment appears on a weblog in someone’s name and that comment appears to be out of character or in some way suspicious, the wisest course of action is to contact that person directly and ask them if they really left that comment.

Unless, of course, the person is question is so childish that they will refuse to answer any email requesting that they do so, in which case that person will only have themselves to blame when assumptions are made in future.

[*Please note that this position gives Iain the benefit of the doubt, by assuming that he is not making anonymous comments on his own site.]

By: Pete Connolly

Pete Connolly — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:51:42 +0000

I’m late to the discussion, as per usual, but it seems that the core problem isn’t bullying or ’stalking’, but credibility. Tim has been around on the internet for a long time, he knows how it works, and the man is capable of analysing an email header (no mean feat!). Iain runs a blog that accepts comments from anyone without verification, a model that was used on usenet, forums, BBS sites etc. in the past. All of these suffered from abuse, with roving bands of trolls posting anonymously, under pseudonyms, faking identities of other posters and so on – you get the picture. Conversations were destroyed, attacks were plentiful, and slanderous accusation and shit throwing were the norm. Fast forward to the blogging era, and now we see people like Iain using the same failed model for political discourse – despite the fact that it just can’t work. I don’t know if the Iain posting comments here is really Iain Dale, maybe I’m the same poster trying to stir things. Maybe it’s Tim himself – who knows?! Maybe Tim is an idealist, in that he’s seen how badly things can go without control over comments, so when the poster boy (ahem) for UK political blogging can’t get the basics right, and allows many anonymous commenters to attack him without properly debating a single point, he get the hump.

I know I do, which is why I don’t bother with a lot of political blogs. If your commenters can’t be arse to identify themselves, why should I listen to them?

By: Iain Dale

Iain Dale — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:24:12 +0000

You really are deranged aren’t you? So you seriously believe I should confirm to you every time I post a comment on a blog that it is really me. Well do you? Fruitier than a fruit cake.

By: Tim Ireland

Tim Ireland — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:43:28 +0000

Gareth: Now why would they go and say a mean thing like that?
http://www.backingblair.co.uk/

All: Still no confirmation that’s really Iain, so you may be wasting your time. (It certainly sounds like His Royal Highness, but I wouldn’t want to make a decision based purely on perception.)

By: Gareth Davies

Gareth Davies — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:28:17 +0000

It’s not just Tim’s targets who think that he is off his rocker, I’ve had private mails from Labour supporters saying the same thing.

By: Confused of S. Yorkshire

Confused of S. Yorkshire — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:14:01 +0000

Stunning argument there Iain, must remember to use your masterful and articulate approach to debate sometime.

Anyway, you claim justification in calling JohnHirst and axe killer on the grounds that he once killed someone with an axe. Certainly an accurate description at the time it happened, but given that he subsequently served his sentence and never repeated the crime, is it a fair description of him now?

If it is, then it would be equally valid to continue to label you a “failed Tory candidate”, regardless of subsequent achievements.

As I said earlier, some of us believe in rehabilitation, though it would seem that you don’t. Still, what can one expect from a failed Tory candidate who is incapable of conducting a civil discussion.

Isaac Asimov once said that “violence is the last refuge of the incompetent”. I’d add a rider to that; abuse is the last refuge of the ignorant.

By: Iain Dale

Iain Dale — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:11:11 +0000

S. Yorkshire. You really are a dick. If I had been elected to Parliament I wouldn’t have failed, would I? You’ll have to do better than that.

And yes, Tim, I ignore your emails because if I ever reply to one, it just sets you off on another frenzy. Which, no doubt, this comment will too. Hey ho.

Carl Eve, yes, I remember your oh so sarcy emails. My blog is my domain. I create the rules. If you don’t like them feel free to frequent Mr Ireland’s blog. He needs the traffic.