OurKingdom & Government Blogging

I like reading the OurKingdom blog, I don't always understand it, but I enjoy reading it. My politics tend to come from the heart and the guts, OurKingdom's politics tends to be more cerebral.

I have nothing against intellectual or logical politics. Nothing pleases me more than reading an academic treaties that comes to the same conclusion, through long and convoluted arguments, that I came to by gut instinct!

OurKingdom is currently hosting what the site believes to be a unique online deliberation on how the potential of the internet can be integrated into a national political process. It is about this question: can participation on the web reinforce representative democracy?

I write posts on my blog in the hope that they might have a smidgen of influence on the political process, they are my little way of taking part in the Welsh political scene. I don't expect them to be of huge significance, they are just my twopennyworth in a million pound venture.

What is important to me however is that it is MY twopennyworth, all mine! I don't want my blog integrated into a national (=Brit) political process.

150 years ago the press was seen as the Fourth Estate of Parliament, the fearless and favour-less institution that could hold Monarch, Lords and Commons to account on behalf of the people. Then all of the press owners became part of the establishment, part of the problem, the Press Barons who could claim after an election It was the Sun Wat Won It.

The internet is now the Fifth Estate.

As I have said I don't understand the whole point being made by OurKingdom, to read the whole point takes hours and involves clicking on hundreds of links. My gut reaction is that the government wants to control the blogosphere by making it part of the official political process in order to stifle its independent and unpredictable spirit.

This blog will never become a part of any government process. I will not be tempted into turning my personal blog into a vehicle for government consultation. MPs, AMs and Civil Servants are welcome to read my posts and inform policies from my opinions, but the opinions expressed here will always be my own and never part of any wider internet consultation. Sorry!

Problems

I am suffering major internet connection problems at the moment. Apparently my former ISP has given me the wrong MAC code, which is making it difficult for my new ISP to connect me to broadband. Whilst awaiting a resolution to this problem my only home internet access is through an extortionately expensive pay as you go service (6p per minute!!!).

So posts will be few and far between until this problem is resolved. I hope that the problem is solved soon and that my readers don't suffer too many withdrawal symptoms by being deprived of a regular dose of my pearls of wisdom

A Barber's Condom blogs

Nice to see that the Right Honourable Christopher Glamorgan has re joined the Welsh blogosphere, even if it is just as something for the weekend sir!

Is it Just me?

I have noticed that my blogspot instructions have become German (I think) recently!

For example, what use to say View Blog (in new window), now appears as:

Blog anzeigen (in einem neuen Fenster),

I have reviewed my language settings and my option is still English (Welsh not being available) so why the German posting messages?

Is anybody else experiencing the same difficulty, or is it just me?

First Post

I have had complaints that I Blog without Blogging myself

The only reason why I opened a Blogger account was in order to respond to points made by people of greater importance than me.

I doubt that I have much to say that is either important or original. But the keepers of the important blogs think that they should have the opportunity to pay me back by posting nasty comment about me on a site that I edit - here is their opportunity! I must now scratch my head to think of something worth saying on this site.