Street of Shame #5

I haven't had reason to take you down to the 'Street of Shame' for quite a while.  I expect you thought that I was getting soft in my old age, and failing to raise the usual welts and bruises on the thin skins of the 'Trot-lot Tendency', as is my wont.  However, to save my reputation, up pops Justin Horton, just in time (boom-boom!), a rather delicate flower, but one who is unafraid of laying out his private anguish for all to see and read here, or here, for example.  He writes extremely good prose, and for that alone I actually recommend his blog.  It is so good, that when you first read one of his personal pieces of introspective angst, you are moved to sympathy.  Unfortunately, like many who are self-obsessed, he cannot forbear to pick again and again at the scabs of his unhappiness, so that one senses he would be even more unhappy were these discontents assuaged.  His furious, spitting vituperation aimed at those he considers to be his political or philosophical foes indicates, to me at any rate, a degree of self-hatred.  I made a reference to this in a comment which I suspect is the cause of my banishment, but in my view, if you hang out your tear-stained laundry for all to see, then you must expect readers to comment on it.

However, some Good News - Bad News.  The Good News is that Ed Rooksby has relented and allowed me back on to his site despite my nuisance factor, the Bad News is that I have now got to move him back again from the Street of Shame to the Role of Honour.  (I wish he'd make up his bloody mind!)

The Street of Shame: Those Left-wing blogs whose owners' belief in freedom of opinion and speech is limited to those speeches and beliefs that co-incide with their own.  Anything else is banned!

chttp://www.pootergeek.com/  To be fair, more of a misunderstanding than a political act, but Damian Counsell is still ultra touchy.  Late news: pootergeek is in abeyance.  A pity because it was a sparky site even if the host and I fell out.  Late, late news: He's back again and as amusing and interesting as ever.

The Virtual Stoa  (or pseuds corner, as I think of it.)

Jewssanfrontieres (a particularly nasty site that I was glad to be thrown off.)

Lenin's Tomb (run by a man who actually chooses to write under the name of a mass murderer.  A bit like calling yourself 'Himmler'.)

http://bionicoctopus.blogspot.com (this humourless tribune of the people can talk with a straight face about "the socioeconomic circumstances of my upbringing and consequent position in life" - probably because a straight face appears to be all that she possesses!

http://fairshot.typepad.com/ His words: "Who is paperwight? My name isn't important, nor am I, really. [...] I'm a mid-thirties straight white guy (race blah blah sex blah blah privilege blah blah identity politics). "  Yeeeees, quite!  As Jeremy Paxman might say.

http://theproles.blogspot.com/ - A rare thing - a very, very fearful Canadian!

http://justinhorton.blogspot.com/ Although I'm banned, I still recommend it as one of the most elegantly written sites in Blogdom.

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Roll of Honour: the following are some, but not all, of those 'Trot-lot' sites that do not fold under incoming fire:

beatniksalad - alas, about to disappear.

http://deadmenleft.blogspot.com/ - I sometimes sense Meaders' knuckles cracking but so far he puts up with me.

http://bartlettsbizarrebazaar.blogspot.com/ - but he spends most of his time reading comics, and may not realise what a nuisance I am.

http://fruitsofourlabour.blogspot.com/ - another Yankee site, but always (so far!) polite.

http://www.stalinism.com/shot-by-both-sides/ - but unfortunately missed by both sides as well!  Only joking, 'John B' is a tolerant host despite the despicable title of his site.

http://casadelogo.typepad.com/factesque/ - run by a very fierce American feminist who I suspect has narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips at some of my comments, but who has bigger balls than the men on the Street of Shame, and stands her ground.

http://introoksbyism.blogspot.com/  11 Aug 05: Yes, he's back in favour again, despite (see his post 27 July 05) his disgusting carryings-on with an unsuspecting duck!  (The rest of this is the history of his moves to and fro the Street of Shame. )  "[J]ust arrived in the Street of Shame direct from the Roll of Honour where I wrote the following:  "I worry for Ed Rooksby who shows alarming deviationist tendencies, like the occasional flash of intelligence and humanity, and I hope no-one tips off any of the SWP grunts like 'pol pot' - damn! damn! damn!  I've done it again, I mean 'lenin', of course.  (Added later today: I go out for a couple of hours, and lo and behold, I'm banned by Rooksby!  Sadly, I will have to remove him from the Role of Honour to the Street of Shame.  Pity!)"

Comments

[N.I.B.]

Can I go on the roll of honour, can I can I can I please! I've never banned you!

Of course, I appreciate that as a non-trot I might be disqualified... But thinking about it, I did have them the other day thanks to barbecued food...

[David Duff]

Watch it, N.I.B., you're in enough trouble as it is. First off, when are you going to do some work on your own blog? I'm fed up with re-reading the sad tale of your wretched Sunday roast. Second, don't think your earlier question asking me what I actually like about modern Britain has been ignored. It's like a bloody pebble in my shoe. It's been festering away at the back of what passes for my mind ever since you posed it. Eventually a post on the subject will erupt. In the meantime, you could be the first blogger to be kicked into my Street of Shame for raising awkward questions!

[N.I.B.]

You could always put me in for having a rubbish blog!