Enemies of Reason Poundshop potshots at the media moral maze.

Slipping through the net.

I wondered last week whether there'd been a change in the Mail's comments policy. I think we can safely say there has been - or at the very least that there's an experiment about comments going on at the moment.

Not only are the good, the bad and the ugly comments now being filtered through on news stories, but they're also appearing on columns. As I predicted, this puts the likes of Littlecock in a bit of a pickle, for some of the folk who are his biggest fans are, well, how can I put this politely, oh actually I can't, they're cunts, to be brutally frank.

Dicky's on about David Miliband and bin collections (in the UK, for some reason, rather than Florida), as well as some pathetic stuff about passports - normal law-abiding folk can't get them but the terrorists seem able to! Because yes, I'm sure that when there's a backlog at passport centres due to industrial action, I'm sure that workers are busily sorting passports into two piles: one for law-abiding nice folk; and one for terrorists and criminals, which obviously get sorted out first. For fuck's sake.

Anyway, here's what one of Littlecock's chums has to say:

In support of Richard's blurb about passports only going to terrorists and the like. I live overseas with my wife and two children. We planned to travel to London in June to visit family so submitted my 5 year old daughter's passport for renewal at the High Commission in late February with a late June departure for London planned. As of today (1 August), we still don't have it back. The reason given is the Home Office needs to do a parental background check on my wife (both her parents are of good old Anglo-Saxon heritage so not recent arrivals). If we had claimed asylum, or said she was a lesbian or liked to wear a head scarf I"m sure we would have had her passport back within the 4 weeks advertised on the Home Office website.

- John, Overseas, 1/8/2008 5:48

What a thoroughly unpleasant shit of a man this John is. Yes, because delays wouldn't be due to understaffing but because the PC do-gooder bastards are busily interrogating 'good old Anglo-Saxon' people while waving the lesbians, asylum seekers and headscarf-wearers through with a cheery wave! Because that's what's actually happening. It really is. The repellent use of 'good old Anglo-Saxon heritage' and 'not recent arrivals' is utterly disgusting, with its implications of racial superiority - somehow, if you're white you should go to the front of the queue. But John, here's a question for you: should the Picts and Celts go to the queue in front of the Anglo-Saxons, given that, compared to them, the Anglo-Saxons are 'recent arrivals'? You fucking numpty cunt.

And that's partly why Littlejohn hasn't had comments allowed through before. It's not just those who'll disagree with him that are the problem; there's also those who are as appalling as John who'll get through too. Once these folk see that the Littlejohn column is a happy home for stuff like this, you may start seeing more and more. It could become a bit like a BNP forum - not something Littlejohn would approve of, of course, because he's always been very clear to distance himself from them. What then?

Also, there's this type of comment sneaking through as well:

Oh dear, Richard. Just when you've got over your unhealthy obsession with public toilets you start labelling all and sundry as nazi. What's next? An article about leather caps and chains?

- Callum Durrutti, London, 1/8/2008 7:36

Don't think Dicky will be happy with that sort of Mike Giggler effort at all. But interestingly enough, one of the ads on the page was asking me if I had 'bothersome bowels?' - no, but I can see why the ad was targeted on the Littlejohn page, given the enormous amount of shit there.

Just to explore how the new comments policy is affecting news stories, here are some on an article about energy price rises:

The UK - Treasure Island.

- Gavin, Oswestry, UK, 30/7/2008 15:09

What?

ouchhhhhhh

- Tricia, Bucks, 30/7/2008 15:25

What?

No problem. Just windfall tax them by an additional 35%. That should stop the thieving toerags

- Andy L, St Helens, Lancs, 30/7/2008 15:44

You wouldn't have seen the likes of this a couple of weeks ago on a story.

thks gordon...the worst leader we ve ever had.

- donny dehaviland, fleet,hampshire, 30/7/2008 16:39

Heh. But yes, Mail readers will be blaming Gordy McBuckfast for the fact that utilities were privatised by their beloved Margaret Thatcher. True, Labour have constantly backed away from proper regulation or even - gasp - renationalisation, which has pissed off a lot of the traditional support, but I doubt there's much of a crossover between that and Mail readers, though you never know.

It is called capitalism and British Gas is a private enterprise. They can charge whatever they want - the UK voted for it when they voted for Maraget Thatcher. Stop complaining or vote communist at the next election.

- rob, Northolt, 30/7/2008 17:09

Well, Rob has kind of got a point. Privatised utilities raping their customers is the logical conclusion of capitalism and neoliberalism, without all that wishy-washy regulation stuff that's labelled as 'outdated' and 'red tape' nowadays.

Whats going to happen when the people of other EU countries revolt against their Governments? Are we to carry on doing the "english" thing and simply tighten our belts whilst we continue to be shafted by greedy utility companies and a totally ineffective Government?
Lets join the rest of Europe and get rid of all these pathetic politicians and their fat greedy counterparts running these rip-off firms.
Then maybe the English can look after the English and also run England.
Get out, the damn lot of you, and get out now.

- Tony Barratt, Rotherham. England, 30/7/2008 17:12

Another example of what appears to be a rather militant sentiment - almost as if a Mail reader is advocating public protest against greedy businesses! Very surprising, even if it does end on a 'look after the English' note.

This is utter robbery, where are the poer watchdogs ... and WHY ARE THEY NOT ACTING for the very hard pressed British taxpayers???

- Emma, West Yorks, 30/7/2008 17:23

Because, time after time, the public have been told by Tory and Labour alike that we mustn't be nasty to companies that make billions of pounds of profit, and that regulating these industries is tantamount to communism. And we've taken it up the jacksy and done nothing about it.

Only this useless new labour could allow a such horrend price increas from thesemoney bgreed utilities.Has somebodys looked in to the bonus pay of these exsecutives?

- njostrsadamus, swindon.uk, 30/7/2008 18:41

What the fuck?

Nationalise the energy industry!

- Paul H, Manchester, 30/7/2008 19:09

And there are more comments of this type than you'd expect for a Mail story. Yet will we ever see these opinions reflected in the paper itself? I should cocoa. Nevertheless, this is much more welcome - many more views are available, from the batshit insane to the remarkably left-wing, and at the same time it's showing up Richard Littlejohn's fans to be exactly what we always suspected they are. It's a win-win if you ask me.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

No related posts.