Wednesday 27 December 2006

Correcting a mistake

I was never completely comfortable with my decision to add Councillor Kelly to my blogroll. You can read my "justification" here.

The other day I read this post by the wonderfully named J Arthur MacNumpty:

The reason that I keep him off my blogroll is that I prefer my readers to have access to coherent writing, that I might not always agree with but I can at least see where the writer is coming from. Councillor Kelly, on the other hand, has decided to throw reason out the window and his blog is little more than a series of rants about groups he doesn't like.
I've decided to remove Cllr. Kelly's site from my blogroll for exactly those reasons.

But there's also something a bit more personal. Back in November I wrote this:

When I was eighteen, my father's job took us from Scotland to London. For almost twenty years I lived on an average sort of wage and then decided to get myself a professional qualification. That took four years of study at night, at weekends and during my holidays. I continued working full time and never received a penny of subsidy from the taxpayer. As a result of this I was able to get a much more highly paid job, but, guess what, that meant working longer hours, going in at weekends, not taking full holiday allowance and lying awake at night worrying about how the company was going to meet its payroll. Quite normal in the wealth-creating sector. Later, I did another four years of evening study (at my own expense and while continuing to work full time) and obtained a first class honours degree. So, if I earned more than average, I EARNED IT ALL.
Cllr Kelly responded with his usual wit:
I really wish I was more up to speed with computing I've just read Mr. Ferrer's (sic) remarks in response to my web, you have to read them. I challenge anyone to read his heroic account of his struggles without wetting yourself laughing.
I let that go at the time. I'm an adult and there's no point in blogging if you can't cope with a bit of opposition.

But Cllr. Kelly isn't any just any commenter: he's an elected politician who represents the most deprived area in Scotland.

Have a read of this sad tale:

Those who try shouldn't be slapped down by a repressive State that permits millionaires to parade the world stage paying nil tax, while the likes of me pays 33% marginal rate of tax, end up with £600 a month, then are expected to keep my sick mother too.
And who's created this state of affairs? Councillor Kelly's own Labour party, that's who. Radical Scots used to encourage self help and that tradition contributed to our becoming one of the most prosperous countries on earth. But for today's politicians "wetting yourself laughing" is apparently the appropriate response to someone who tries to get ahead without the aid of the state. God help Scotland.

1 comment:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

Longrider
You are attempting to rationalise the irrational. A waste of effort. Kelly is the politics of envy personified. A thoroughly malignant tumour on the face of the political landscape.

Still, as stated, at least we see what goes through the empty vessel he uses as a hatstand...
30 December 2006, 11:16:18 GMT – Like – Reply

Will P
To be honest, I think that's unfair to the average social democrat: most are honest, decent people who genuinely believe that redistribution of wealth and opportunity will make a real difference to people's lots in life.

The problem is that these people get overrun by people like T.K. who would climb over their mothers to gain power. And what's the easiest way to throw such people off course (and gain a new enemy, as they'll do everything they can to destroy you from that moment on)? Two simple one-word questions: "How?" and "Why?"

Of course, you have to admire them in a way. They aren't people who'll let pesky little things like facts get in the way of a good rant against their perceived enemies.
27 December 2006, 22:12:16 GMT – Like – Reply

Wild Pegasus
Kelly's blog is great. You can see what goes through the mind of the average social democrat, in all its twists, turns, and thirst for power and blood. That Kelly admires Castro is good evidence of what people like him have in mind for Scotland.

I forget who said it (I suspect it was Rand), but this mangled quote is apt:

Many people give socialists the benefit of doubt, that they have good ends but horrible means. But the truth is much more grotesque: those horrors are their ends.

- Josh
27 December 2006, 22:02:51 GMT – Like – Reply

james higham
I think you should always drop a blogger from the blogroll who consistently misspells your name.
27 December 2006, 16:20:27 GMT – Like – Reply

Will P
Many thanks for giving an extra outlet to my pre-Christmas rage. There doesn't seem much point in engaging him in a debate (and I'd just love to see him at a hustings) but I view any point left undealt with as a point left standing.

I look forward to viewing his next string of meaningless slogans shoehorned into sentence format, in lieu of an actual answer to any of the points that anyone has made. I could do with a laugh...
27 December 2006, 16:10:32 GMT – Like – Reply

Grant
I couldn't agree more, only I wasn't so gracious to add him to my blogroll in the first place!
27 December 2006, 16:03:17 GMT – Like – Reply

Max
It is utterly disgusting... that this man and his dreadful daughter are elected actually depresses me.
27 December 2006, 12:57:47 GMT – Like – Reply

Tenement Tory
Thanks for flagging up my story to a wider readership. Great blog you've got going here, and I'm very heartened to see that I'm not the only Scottish right-of-centre commentator.
27 December 2006, 12:28:47 GMT