I must confess I was thinking of withdrawing from the Total Politics poll this year as well… it’s run by Tory Iain Dale (and the Left categories are a joke) and the competitive nature of it all isn’t really about solidarity or collectivity.
But the latest news from TCF has made my blood pressure shoot up. Total Politics aim to publish an interview with Fascist Nick Griffin. Why give this Nazi a platform? Why give this man credibility and respectability? His politics are based on hate, violence and racism. No platform. That’s why, like TCF, I will withdraw from their annual voting process if they continue with their publication of this interview (and why bloody interview him in the first place??!!)
No platform means no platform. Other progressive leftie bloggers should think about whether they want to be a part of a process that gives a platform to a Fascist.
Well done Louise. That’s two blogs now. The team at TP will be quaking. But heh, you have to start somewhere.
btw, your solidaristic action makes you a possible vice-captain in Cricketblog 2010, which is much more important than TP’s thing anyway.
Indeed Paul…
Vice Pres, eh?
[...] I am always impressed our *enlightened* media manage to report on Africa with reference to tribalism but our big shiny developed world is of course beyond such primitive behaviour. We really do need to Study Up. The extent to which right wing terror is hidden and excused is the extent to which our society wallows in unthinking entitlement and privilege, more sinisterly it also indicates a tolerance and even support among organs of state power for certain ideologies. Speaking of which… turns out Total Politics (nb. I don’t take part in their blog ranking polls, fixed tory nonsense) are going to publish a nice big interview with Nick Griffin. [...]
[...] Dale fails to provide a link to the main proposers of the boycott – ourselves, Harpy, Bad Conscience and others. (See here for a similar point by Tim [...]
[...] call has ignited much discussion in the blogosphere with Harpy Marx, Paul Sagar, The Provisional BBC and Stephen Newton all joining the boycott. However, I like Dr [...]
[...] why I am boycotting Iain Dale’s Total Politics Blog Awards (and regret not boycotting it from the [...]
Talking about platforms for fascists, I’m surprised there hasn’t been an outcry about this government site:
http://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk/
I’ve reported it to the EHRC.