Wednesday, October 26, 2011

NDP Blogging site goes Offline. . . .

I was very sorry to see the NDP Bloggers site go off line. It seems odd that at a time when the NDP has never been stronger, their primary online voice has been silenced. If I were a conspiracy minded person I would say that insiders at the NDP, such as those that might favor the victory of one of the two most high-profile candidates, have intentionally put a stop to it. The good thing about the NDP Bloggers site was that it was an independent voice of fellow travellers and in a leadership race many of the bloggers were looking at alternatives to Mulcair and Topp. Not that I think the bloggers were necessarily going to make a big difference in which leader got elected, but it is one more area of debate that has been closed down in the lead up to the vote.

It seems strange that the Liberals who have a fraction of the seats in the House of Commons  can maintain a very strong internet blogging site but the NDP, as soon as it gets close to power, suddenly cannot. Coincidence? I find it difficult to believe. It will definitely be harder to get a sense of what people who are sympathetic to the NDP are thinking.

4 comments:

susansmith said...

I'm thinking it has to do with lack of maintaining the "independent site" and zero to do with the leadership race.

Did you bother to ask the site managers? No, than you are really just doing gossip.

It really has not been maintained for a very long time.

Greg Fingas said...

I'm definitely sorry to see the site go, but don't think it should affect the leadership race much - if anything Twitter should offer more chance for bloggers to reach a wider audience than might have known about the aggregator.

(That said, I would hope there's anything one in the works eventually - and thanks to everybody who's put their hard work into the previous incarnations.)

doconnor said...

This seems to have happened at the same time Progressive Bloggers is having technical problems.

I doubt the people who ran New Democrats Online are influenced by NDP insiders.

You always have the option of starting your own NDP blogging site.

Kirbycairo said...

Dear doconnor - I do, indeed, have the right to start another site, but as with so many rights, it means little without the capacity. Alas.

Dear Greg - Yes, thanks to anyone who did devote their time and skill to the project.

Dear Jan - You are, of course, as you usually are, correct, and you have taken me to task. And, oh, how cruelly you scold! I will be glad to put my tail between my legs, so to speak. But, my dear friend, if you are going to scold me so, in future cases of indictment let us smooth out the grammar lest the Blogging Tories imagine that we are uncouth in our derision.