I have an interest to declare. I am the Number One Fan of Michael White, the Guardian's Political Editor. Not because of his superb political journalism skills, but because he is a St Austell boy and very funny.
Normally, Michael is quite affable and laid back during his television appearances. Last night he was on Newsnight with Paxo and Guido (the latter via a link and ridiculously blacked out). Michael went ballistic, as far as he can without punching someone, and it was a delight to behold.
The gist was: Guido looked silly even though, and, indeed, perhaps because, you couldn't see his face. Michael destroyed his arguments that bloggers are somehow above the law and that they can break stories that otherwise wouldn't get into the public domain. I don't altogether buy White's complete derision of these points and sympathise somewhat with Guido.
But I am glad that Guido was made to look a clot. Blogging is a bit of fun and and is an important exercise of free speech. It is mainly the province of the amateur, in the best sense of that word: people who do it for the love of it (the word is formed from the Latin word "amare" - to love). The moment any bloggers become pretentious and think they are serious "professionals" is the moment they deserve being publicly humiliated by Michael White, as Guido was.
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Billy Connolly's wise words: he's clearly never gone sailing. An hour or two in a North Sea storm on a 32 footer would put him straight.
ReplyDeleteGood thinking. Presumably he would be well Sou'westered up.
ReplyDeleteI'm a lon-time Michael White fan (and Grauniad reader for that matter), so it was good to see the old chap give guido a verbal kicking. I mean c'mon, that ridiculous attempt to preserve his anonymity - he does he think he is. Paul Staines - hero of the masses and the blogosphere. Three words: Get over yourself!
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