I was pretty shocked to learn, via Colin Ross’s blog this morning, that a councillor’s blog has been taken down. In fact, his webhost has been shut down as a result of an international legal action which had nothing at all to do with him.
Bob Piper is a Labour councillor in Sandwell and I have dipped into his feisty blog from time to time. It’s just the kind of campaigning local blog that councillors should be doing; it keeps democracy alive and lively, and I value that even when I disagree with what he writes.
The story revolves around Craig Murray, Britain’s former Ambassador to Uzbekistan. His blog has been challenged by the Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov. Usmanov is trying to buy Arsenal Football Club, but some of his murky history has been exposed in a number of blogs including some very outspoken comments by Craig Murray. You can see some of what Murray wrote preserved on UK IndyMedia. His material is being made available there because his own blog has been shut down by Usmanov’s lawyers.
They didn’t just shut down his site; his blog was hosted by FastHosts and the lawyers have succeeded in shutting down the whole server! And Bob Piper was a victim because his blog was also hosted with them.
The scandal of the suppression of Craig Murray’s blog is bouncing around the blogosphere at the moment. I’m also deeply worried about the impact it is having on the free speech of people who are completely unconnected with the main story.
Mary Reid is a Kingston upon Thames borough councillor. She won best designed blog and best blog by an elected representative at this year’s Lib Dem blog awards.
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5 Comments
Does that mean the Lib Dems will be campaigning for an end to the “oppressive” libel laws?
Which have been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights as breeching article 6 (the right to a fair trail) and article 10 (the right to free speech)
Update – Bob is back up and therefore I assume the others are too : )
Bob, yes, but no to the others. The blondest suicide note in history (who does write a creditable blog) is still missing.
Feisty? Moi? Oh, go on then… just a little bit. Thanks for your support Mary. I’ve had so many best wishes messages from Lib Dems I’m starting to worry… I must be writing to much anti-Labour stuff.
You forgot to mention that Boris Johnson’s website also went down and still hasn’t returned.