While I’m thinking of my young virile mate Paul Macmanomy I’ll just note that he has been removed from my blogroll. For no other reason than Paul appears to have gone blogging AWOL again and the URL of his site has been picked up by what appears to be one of those horrible blog advertising sites. Therefore I have no desire whatsoever to give it linkage for which I’d advise other colleagues to do likewise.
Paul, if you come back let us know and back up you go.
Won’t be back mate – I’ve given up childish things.
Paul, you’re an intelligent man who’s quite capable of articulating yourself to a much higher degree than ‘I’ve given up childish things’ or summing up all of someone else’s arguments as just ‘spin’.
You know as well as I do that blogging is what you make it. Yes, there’s a lot of dross and pointless rubbish out there but there’s also some real nuggets of good written quality stuff. Dismissing it all as childish things is about as valid a criticism or comment that all Welsh people shag sheep. You of all people I would have though would be able to differentiate between such things and take a more considered approach and evaluation, not to mention avoid the trap of putting all people of a particular group into one basket and labeling them.
Equally I’ve come to the conclusion and this is not specifically aimed at your comment but I’ve simply noticed it appear much more in what some might regard as the political discourse. The common practice of dismissing without consideration other people’s points or arguments by describing it as ‘spin’. Spin is fast becoming a dirty word in the English language but interestingly it is often used to cut off or discount what others say without offering an alternative or reasoned criticism.
I’m a bit of a fastidious sod sometimes but I like people to set out their stall, their argument but most of all to justify their position. Dismissing someone else’s point of view as just ‘spin’ is the equivalent of saying ‘whatever’ or ‘as if’ in ‘yoof slang’. It is the inability to engage or convey ones argument in a structured and coherent manner and given the level to which political discourse has sunk I’d hate to think that someone like yourself Paul had succumbed to such a simplistic approach to political discussion.
That said Paul, your blog was good, something different and really gave people who are not aware of what goes on, a little window into the workings of Walsall Council. OK, you didn’t write any political essays or thesis’s on the management of public sector bodies but what you added is in short supply so for that I will miss it. The irony is of course that by your withdrawing your more considered blogging, you’ve ended some good quality content which I’m sure will have its place taken by the next dipstick with a gob that far outstretches their cranial capacity. Like the Labour Party mate, you’ve got to be in it to have your say, not in it, you can’t do anything when things happen that you don’t like.
My job means that I change people’s lives every day of the week and that’s more than enough for me – writing about it just became self indulgent.
Quite understand mate.