Blah blah blah.
Stumbling along the footpath on the information superhighway searching for commentary in response to Australia’s leading climate change scientist’s remarkable criticisms of Some Kinda Monster Called Multiculturalism (what apparently escaped from a zoo in deepest, darkest, Soviet Russia some time in the 1970s), I came across An Onymous Lefty’s thoughts on a recent controversy @ Online Opinion, the apparently “now infamous On Line Opinion spat”. Lefty writes:
On the one hand, I do believe in free speech. But on the other… if you’re publishing something, either an article or a comment, you are doing more than just listening to it – you’re promoting it. Do you, as a website owner, have an obligation to publish any material, no matter how hateful, dishonest, misleading and downright damaging to honest debate?
I don’t think you do have such an obligation. I think publishing such material is making a choice – and a statement. You are saying “this view is not so extreme and destructive that it is beneath contempt; I think it is a legitimate part of the debate”.
Which is fair enough. Only I’d add that publishing stoopid also provides an opportunity to subject it to ridicule — something uptight bigots really dislike. Anyway, the ‘spat’ @ Online Opinion also drew me, like a child in search of candy, to “The Domain” and “The Blogs: Australia’s best political blogs”. They are, according to The Domain/Online Opinion (and in alphabetical order):
- 1. Ambit Gambit;
2. Andrew Bartlett;
3. Club Troppo;
4. En Passant;
5. Henry Thornton;
6. Homepage Daily;
7. Jennifer Marohasy;
8. Larvatus Prodeo;
9. Skeptic Lawyer and;
10. What The People Want.
Curiously, in 2005, The Domain listed these sites–Ambit Gambit, Tim Blair, John Quiggin, The Road to Surfdom, Troppo Armadillo, Andrew Bartlett, Faris QC, Public Opinion, Jennifer Marohasy, shannonsays.com, Imagining Australia, Henry Thornton and Antony Loewenstein–as The Bestest (Dr Richard Phillipps, ‘News blogs as political agenda-setters’, Refereed paper presented to the Journalism Education Conference, Griffith University, November 29–December 2, 2005 [DOC]). Six years later, four–Ambit Gambit, Andrew Bartlett, Jennifer Marohasy and Henry Thornton–continue to rank among The Best. Tim Blair and The Road to Surfdom, on the other hand, went corporate, Troppo Armadillo done become Club Troppo, Faris QC is still Faris QC (presumably) and cantankerous, but does barristering not blogging, while Public Opinion is still keepin’ it real, as is Antony Lowenstein; Imagining Australia has been archived and its author, Andrew Leigh, done been bumped into Parliament as a member of the Australian Lawyers’ Labor Party.
I dunno.
What do youse reckon?
Is this the best Australia can do?
“Truth is not a matter of exposure which destroys the secret, but a revelation that does justice to it.” ~ Walter Benjamin, The Origin of German Tragic Drama (1928)
Those blogs are shite, Ambit Gambit has two or three posts since xmas – very few comments, furthermore not one of them mentions Australasian Spartacist – how out of touch can you be?
Excellent point Paul. Larvatus Prodeo deserves an honourable mention, however. Further, who could forget the infamous attack upon Australasian Spartacist by members of the SLL? Anti-SEP-tic cannot, and nor should we.
For a Multiracial Revolutionary Workers Party!
For a workers republic of Australia, part of a socialist Asia!
For Proletarian Internationalism, Not Appeals to Imperialism!
Defend the Palestinians Against Zionist State Terror!
Down With Political Gag Orders!
Honour the Memory of Leon Trotsky!
For Class-Struggle Leadership!
Defend the Chinese Bureaucratically Deformed Workers State!
For Proletarian Political Revolution!
Down With Government War on Maoists, Tribal Peoples!
Happy Valentines Day!
Oh yeah, what about En Passant? John’s a card-carrying neo-Trotskyite (and member of SAlt, which would explain his absolute refusal to debate the very reasonable points ASp makes about his blathering, lying party being Laborite fake left / staunchly Labor-loyal / Laborite anti-communists / fake socialists).
I quite enjoy “An Alcoholic’s Guide to Modern Life”, even if ‘Carlo Sands’ is a Green Left Weekly paper salesman.
I could mention Greens Blog, when it was first pitched it was meant to be more than just a stream of press releases, but it seems to have devolved.
Left writes appears to have dropped off the face of the earth.
This blog seems to be the only @ blog in Australia. A good @ group blog would be interesting, were there anyone actually interested in writing it.
Carlo Sands eh?
Greens Blog? Huh.
leftwrites. Yeah. Disappeared in 2009 I think. Jeff’s now doin’ other writerly stuff @ Overland/Crikey/et al. En Passant remains rooted in Cliff Thought, however; otherwise, Left Flank roams over similar political territory.
As for @ blogs in Australia… Marrichiweu is one–I’m sure there are others. Out there. Somewhere… As for a group blog, yeah, it’s prolly a good idea. Some young whipper-snapper (who can spel) should do something about it: I have enough trouble finding matching socks.
The anti-SEPtic blog is noice.
The Spartacists writing “Unable to dislodge the SLers without exposing the seamy side of Healyism” is a farkin cracker.
Rumour has it that **** ***** was pretty fond of exposing his seamy side and that you couldn’t dislodge him with tyre irons once the urge struck him.
Forgot to mention Mike who likes to serve the people (in a non-Bill Logan way I presume):
http://mike-servethepeople.blogspot.com/
He only has nine followers though – the Chairman would not be impressed.
On the right there is the newish Menzies House.
Sweet.
Good Ol’ Pig Iron Bob has a virtual shack named after him.
I recognise some of the names–Catallaxy Files / Andrew Norton / The Australian Conservative / Quadrant Online / Thoughts on Freedom / Cory Bernardi–but not others (the rest). Conservative, centre-right and libertarian thinkers and activists drop by once in a blue moon, but rarely stay. The last time I peeked under the bonnet was in August 2009. Otherwise…
Let’s Play (Quasi-)Celebrity Anarchy!
May 14, 2008
Anarchy… or maybe not: ANARCHY.NET / ANARCHISM.net
April 2, 2008
loon pond is tops.
http://loonpond.blogspot.com/
also:
http://benpobjie.blogspot.com/
http://disgruntledbiped.wordpress.com/
http://dysfunctionalbydesign.blogspot.com/
http://educationisausevalue.wordpress.com/
http://historicalunderbelly.wordpress.com/
http://hungryheartcafe.blogspot.com/
http://insultadarity.blogspot.com/
http://machinegunkeyboard.com
http://www.organisesa.org/
http://tell-em-to-get-stuffed.blogspot.com/
http://thedawnchorus.wordpress.com/
http://theoryoftheoffensive.blogsome.com/
http://www.uptheanti.org/
http://uriohau.blogspot.com/
and:
http://anarchofemme.wordpress.com/
http://poetsvegananarchistpacifist.blogspot.com/
http://radicalcrossstitch.com/
http://rubblenscree.wordpress.com/
http://schizoanarcho.blogspot.com/
and:
http://food-not-bombs.blogspot.com/
http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/
http://maicollective.blogspot.com/
http://melbourneblack.wordpress.com/
http://melbourneprotests.wordpress.com/
http://reasonablegrounds.blogspot.com/
Your Honourable mentions (not blogs):
http://craftcartel.com/
http://www.fightdemback.org
http://www.latinlasnet.org/
http://www.renegadeactivists.org
http://www.stickyinstitute.com
http://www.takver.com/
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h42K_byT3Uc/Rl3jRjNYIAI/AAAAAAAAAbk/AYyF4ARLLBA/s1600-h/blogging.jpg
Watch Jack wants to be a monkey in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
and:
http://theaustralianheroindiaries.blogspot.com/
Cheers for the mention @ndy!
The popular Aussie political blogs tend to stick to a narrow ‘centre-right v centre-left’ back and forth. I suppose it’s easier when you can recite the same shit (blogging is kind of a bitch to keep up).
Lavartus Prodeo always seems to remain interesting though.
I should also mention The Notion Factory which compiles some interesting stuff: http://notionfactory.net/.
I read some of these already but I will take a look around further – although most of my reading time is taken up by work and learninating my second language better.
I thank Kieran for the mention, but Carlo Sands most certainly does not sell Green Left Weekly. That is a slanderous insult on both institutions. Some of my best friends do sell it, which severely interrupts their time at the pub.
Many of the comments above relate to a blog comment of my own. Though it’s far from being Australia’s best political blog, it’s barely political, I thought it was relevant bearing in mind the obvious divisions and infighting amongst the left. It makes me quite sad.
Pingback: Australian Political Blog Roll : HALP! | slackbastard
Pingback: Q. Am I Australia’s best blogger? | slackbastard
Someone help me before I go insane!
Where can I find a genuine political philosophical blog page that discusses the concept of democracy and how it can be realised? I have no interest in this stupid point scoring crap. Genuine debate, intelligent debate, problem solving and so on.
Does it exist in Australia? Does it exist anywhere?
Please help and pass on the info.
Leonie Blah
Aren’t we already living in a ‘democracy’?
Watch the video “glass walls” with a very important message from Paul McCartney and know what you eat
Advisory: Explicit violent content towards animals
Andrew Bolt acknowleges [sic] traditional [A]boriginal owners of his property and concedes that technically he knowingly [received] stolen property in the most literal sense, Andrew said “i would compensate the original traditional owners of my property but i am pretty sure most of them were murdered some time in the past which is unfortunate” andrew commented with a knowing smirk on his face, “and anyway andrew said no one else cares so that makes it alright. But when it comes to my rich white jews [sic] friends in [I]srael i think its approprirate [sic] to defend hatred against them and their weapons of mass destruction, i mean if [they are] bombing civilians area [sic] for no reason im sure they must have some reason, i dunno said andrew, its all a bit complicated for me to understand racism and hatred only seems wrong to me when its aimed at elitist whites.
lolwut
Political satire and handy gardening tips all in one
https://youtu.be/933RAd0q9Lo
Here is a really good political blog https://pooliticianstools.wordpress.com I noticed that they refer to this recently released political book https://www.amazon.com/dp/1973778920/