I’ve been frequently contacted by readers asking why I don’t display readers’ comments under each day’s blog and why they have to click on the title to leave a comment or see comments. So today I’ll take a break from the usual current affairs stuff and answer the question.
There are several reasons:
1. Legal liability and EU censorship
You have to remember that in most EU countries, many press and media groups (like the BBC) receive large amounts of EU money in return for “informing” the EU’s 500 million citizens about all the “good work” the EU is doing. This means that very few will ever print any articles or allow any broadcasts that are critical of the EU. When I went to Brussels in 2008 to research and write my book THE GREAT EUROPEAN RIP-OFF , I was handed tons of material by journalists from other EU countries who were not allowed to use it as all their stories had to be in support of the EU.
So the only source of truth about the EU’s waste, corruption, lack of democracy and catastrophic policies is the Internet. The EU has been trying to control the Internet for years and this year managed to gain a massive victory against free speech. The European Court of Justice (which is actually a political court dedicated to “ever closer union” and has nothing to do with “justice”) ruled that websites were legally liable for any comments put on them by readers. I reported this in www.snouts-in-the-trough.com/archives/7084
In the case a ferry company complained that commenters had damaged its reputation. But rather than using the “report” function to have the negative comments removed, the ferry company waited 6 weeks so that maximum number of people could read the negative comments and then it sued the website. The ECJ naturally supported the ferry company against the website. If you haven’t read my blog on this, I strongly advise you to as the ECJ ruling is probably one of the greatest attacks on free speech in decades. So, I cannot risk being liable for what people write.
2. I can’t moderate
Given the above, I would need to moderate all comments. But as I work alone, often on bad Internet connections, often thousands of miles from the UK, I can’t moderate comments.
3. Hijack by people with extreme views
Most comments I get are informed and useful. But sometimes I get rants accusing the Jews/Blacks/Muslims/Immigrants/whoever of ludicrous conspiracies. While I personally have no problem with people revealing their ignorance and prejudices, I feel that displaying such stuff would detract from the serious messages I am trying to communicate
4. There are better forums for discussions
I appreciate that most people don’t have the time or energy to look behind the main news stories. So I use the information I find writing my books to try to pass on things I hope people might find interesting or useful. Hence so many diagrams and charts. People are free to comment on my site, but if they do so, they’ll probably only get 400 to 500 readers. If you comment on the Telegraph or Times websites, you’ll probably get many more readers.
5. Cost
It would probably cost me a couple of hundred quid to make changes allowing display of comments and including a “report” function. I don’t mind spending the money. But when I started the website I naively thought readers would show their support by forking out a few quid to buy my books. With my latest book GREED UNLIMITED about 70% of readers have been too tight-fisted to buy the book and so I’ve lost a fair bit of money writing and producing it. That makes me less than enthusiastic about throwing more money into the bottomless pit of trying to inform people of what’s really happening if I don’t get any support. And that’s why I’m considering closing down the website. I’ll probably soldier on till mid-February 2014 when my next book gets published and see how things go before making the final decision about whether to continue. So, if I close the site down sometime in the next few months, there’s no point spending money now improving it.
Hopefully that all explains why readers can comment and view comments but why they are not displayed immediately with the articles.
Tomorrow’s blog – Some possibly interesting figures on the ethnic/religious make-up of Britain’s prison population
David, any right minded thinking individual, would be sympathetic to the injustices of certain constraints upon you to ‘toe the line’. It is a very sad reflection on our times that we have less ‘freedoms’ than sixty years ago. I applaud your efforts to fight on.
In 1975 I was appointed an Justice of the Peace, although I no longer sit as an Justice, I sometimes wonder if it was all worth it and, what the so called free world will be like in another sixty years, although I wont be around then, my fear is for my, at present, four great grandchildren. I often wonder what is to become of them, in the coming New World Order.
Mr.Craig, to keep your excellent blog open, if I had the money, I would willingly buy
200 of your books. Alas, I am a Cameron pensioner which means my source of income
has
been reduced, I.e., one quarter of my heating allowance taken away, and
frozen tax allowances which means I pay more tax. Those readers who cannot
contribute to buying a book will live to regret it when this gem of information has
gone.
I can afford to buy a book, so I will and I encourage everyone who reads this blog, to do like wise.
You will not find a source of such brilliant and insighful information anywhere else on the internet.
Even if it is a clever sales pitch (pleading eternal poverty and threatening to close the site down), for the sake of six pounds + free postage on Amazon, its still worth it for the read….I assume. The recommendations on Amazon and the content of this blog would certainly support that assumption.
Christmas presents or Davids go-go girl fund……its worth it, just so we can continue to read the insight he provides.
Keep it up!!
I know some of my comments are a bit near the knuckle at times, but they are generally factual or are based on honestly held opinions. Some of the comments in the Express suggest that the moderator takes some lengthy tea breaks, and the Telegraph can get a bit X rated too. The Telegraph doesn’t seem to mind slagging off the EU, but are quick to shut down comments on certain topics such as Mandela’s death. I’m sure if the general tone had been “he was a saint” they would have let them run. One hack even compared him to Jesus. I’m sure we can all imagine Jesus sanctioning planting bombs in shopping areas.
I hope you don’t shut down your blog, I do buy your books, and visit daily.
Keep doing the blog, it’s awesome.
I bought your last book so this gives me a financial interest in the site (David blinks rapidly and thinks: “Really?”)
Tomorrow morning you must approach both Camelot UK Lotteries Limited http://www.national-lottery.co.uk/
and the EU’s The European Social Fund http://www.esf-works.com/
to ask for a yearly £7 million grant to continue your works.
They like paying out for lots of stuff, so it should be easy to get funding.
Ps. Tell them that you are a Muslim.
(Point of note: We are all born Muslims according to the Koran, so this is technically correct)
pps. Please keep doing the site.
ppps. DaveCam says 11% pay rises for MP’s is too much.
So if the EU/Lottery thing falls through, ask Dave to fund it.
pppps. If he says no, then register the site as an independent third world country with the UN. Stress that you are corrupt and intend to steal money, murder any opposition and buy big cars and huge palaces. Then you can get funding from the totally excellent UK Overseas Aid fund. (currently running at £8.7bn) Again ask DaveCam.
This site is going to make you a very wealthy man!!!
pppppppps. You do realise that if you ran the UK, things would work better. Do a job swap with DaveCam?
Article 19 UNHR.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The design is beautiful. This makes a collosal difference
when wanting to spend time on a blog. You’ve got me coming back for You’ve definitely got my seal of
approval.