There is, however, another reason for not engaging further. I note some of the rather offensive comments on Tim’s blog. I am quite sure neither Dennis or I would allow such ad hominem attacks, all unfounded. But Tim comes from a very different part of the political and, might I say it, social spectrum. Tim is a clever chap, I will not dispute it. There is, however, something very unpleasant about his methods. He tries to engage as a reasonable person on this blog, and then goes back to his own blog, hurls abuse and waits for his sycophants to come back with ad hominem, crude and sometimes blatantly inappropriate comments, all of which, I am sure, fuel his ego, but more sinisterly, fit into a pattern of political behaviour most commonly associated with the far right. The BNP work in this way, for example. I’m not suggesting Tim has anything to do with them, or their racist opinion, but Nick Griffin also seeks to appear reasonable in public debate, but relies upon working his audience of thugs behind-the-scenes and in his own domain to secure his support.
The object of the aggression ( and it is much worse on some other sites whose authors have chosen to comment here in the past) is simple. It is to frighten people away from the debate to secure the space for the far right. This is the work of extremists.
I seek to work in the mainstream. No one in the mainstream would allow the type of comment, attack, or abuse that Tim Worstall allows onto his blog. As a result I am satisfied that he is an extremist working outside the mainstream of UK politics, but who has intention to undermine it.
It is why I have decided to ignore his comments from now on. It is why the mainstream needs to eliminate this type of attack, which also seeks to suppress debate on sites such as the Guardian’s comment is free, if only by overwhelmingly out-posting these people, and it is why we need to name the likes of Tim Worstall for the extremists they are.
No doubt Tim will have a lot of fun abusing this. I can live with that. Someone has to name him (and his like) as a threat to democratic debate. I do.
There we have it, right from the horse\’s mouth. Tim Worstall is a threat to democratic debate.
And all because Obnoxio has a potty mouth.
Excuse me while I go and write that piece that The Guardian\’s Comment is Free has just commissioned from me.
Gordon Bennett, what a tosser.
“I seek to work in the mainstream.”
I never see Richie’s words outside the Guardian. Funny that: other newspapers require a teensy bit more rigour than the Socialist Worker cry of “is it not a fact that…”
Tim has done us all a favour in showing us the cant of the trade union movement and some of the idiocy upon which its arguments are founded.
“I seek to work in the mainstream. No one in the mainstream would allow the type of comment, attack, or abuse”
Ha! It’s priceless. He’s winding us up, isn’t he? Don’t you just love lefties and their twisted view of democracy. Ritchie! Go and count your bus tickets.
Best regards
Ad Hominem
“Funny that: other newspapers require a teensy bit more rigour than the Socialist Worker cry of ‘is it not a fact that…’”
You missed the enormous silent ‘…for commentators whose ideology supports that of the newspaper’. Yes, RM gets an easy ride from the G because his views are in line with its views.
Similarly, there are an enormous array of idiot free-marketers who get an easy ride from the Telegraph, an enormous array of idiot social conservatives who get an easy ride from the Daily Mail, and an enormous array of idiot populists of all stripes who get an easy ride from the Sun.
The Guardian is, objectively, no worse and probably slightly better than the average British newspaper at that kind of partisan hackery (the Times and Indy are probably the least bad; the Sun and DM are the worst for now – but as the Barclays gut the Telegraph it’s joining them rapidly).
Richard Murphy: Weapons-grade cock-end.
Well, I had to, didn’t I? :o)
I once tried to engage RM in a bit of a debate and I would classify his replies as ad hominem attacks on my own humble self.
Herr Tim,
My reply left on his site :
Having read Tim for quite a while now, I am amused to hear him called an extremist.
I go with a former boss, who said “All economists and psychologists should be sent to two desert islands, the males to one and the females to the other, then the worlr would be a better place”.
Bye, Richard.
Alan Douglas (applying to become Tim Worsthall’s thug, next)
Danke Schoen
ALan Douglas
> I am satisfied that he is an extremist working outside the mainstream of UK politics, but who has intention to undermine it.
Translation: He is against the cosy coterie of the EU and the Socialist idiots who run this country, and if he is successful the gravy train will hit the buffers.
“horse’s mouth”: you’re just inciting me to say “horse’s arse”, aren’t you?
RM dreams of being one of those People Who Matter when he grows up.
“Debating” with that person is like dancing with a jellyfish.
I gave up trying to debate him when he refused to allow my comments, just because I happened to agree with Tim. A waffling coward with the intellectual rigour of a rice pudding.
I’m not surprised the Guardian loves him.
Hissy fit.
‘You’re just being mean to me so I’m not listening to anything you’re going to say anymore, ever again, so there!’ Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi (fingers in ears)
“Comment is Free”
Don’t be like the WGCE and forget the other bit:
“.. but facts are sacred.”
Some time ago I decided not to debate with leftists since they are both irrational and immoral.
In a way Tim you should be rather pleased since this clearly demonstrates that you have him rattled. Keep dissecting the nonsense of Toynbee, Hutton and the rest. It is good for them to know that out there, not everyone laps up their statist ideology without complaint.
re JP comment
If it’s good for them (leftist pundits) then we shouldn’t do it.
Just as negotiation with terrorists should be abjured so should debate leftists because at a minimum it a) legitimizes their position and b) helps them get better at propaganda c) is a waste of time.
Walk past them and engage in positive debate with your allies and the uncommitted about what can do to advance freedom, free markets and free people.
Someone has to do the “Common Purpose” books
What a fucking idiot.
“As a result I am satisfied that he is an extremist working outside the mainstream of UK politics, but who has intention to undermine it.”
Well I certainly hope so. I like to think of myself in that category as well. Undermining the sanctimonious statist kleptoctacy does indeed put you outside the mainstream of UK politics. Wear that badge with pride.
First they came for the Worstalls, but I did not blog up for I am not a Worstall.
Then they came for His Audience of Thugs, but I did not blog up for I am not one of His Audience of Thugs.
etc.
We are all Tim Worstalls now. Threats to democratic debate! “these people”, “extremists”. He equates ‘your’ tactics with those of the BNP and Nick Griffin, being equally careful to not quite tar you with the same brush. How goes your attempts to “secure the space for the far right” Tim?
Tis the age old communist stance – you are free to think, say and do what you like so long as you agree with me. Does Dickie not see the menace in his words? His is the language of Stalin, Mugabe and Brown. Closing down the very debate he claims he wants to have by labelling any opposition as extremists and painting them as far right.
It’d be awfully nice if Dickie was right once or twice.
Mind you the ‘I am satisfied’ line is a masterpiece of understated pomposity. Clearly a literary genius. And for what it’s worth, I too am Tim Worstall.
Christ on a bike.
He comes over like Hyacinth Bucket confronting the Queen and coming off worst.
If he ever had the benefit of a scrap of sound advice from a grown-up, he would know that you should never launch a baseless ad-hominem attack on someone who has a successful track record of lampooning you.
But I’m not going over there to put him wise.
And another thing; Just how far right are the BNP?
I’ve always thought of them as potty left wingers meself. Nationalise everything, British jobs for British workers and all that. Oh no. That wasn’t them was it…
Would it be a beastly ad hominem blitzkrieg to suggest Richard Murphy looks like Pete Waterman?
“It is why the mainstream needs to eliminate this type of attack, which also seeks to suppress debate on sites such as the Guardian’s comment is free, if only by overwhelmingly out-posting these people, and it is why we need to name the likes of Tim Worstall for the extremists they are.”
So is it just me or is he calling for Tim Worstall and his “type” to be silenced?
How do you “eliminate” this sort of criticism?
Nasty little Stalinist isn’t he?
And does it occur to him that the reason people, even on the Guardian’s sewer CiF, don’t agree with him is because he is a imbecile?
Invoking the BNP should qualify for Godwin’s law. The unthinking left always reduce the debate to either Nazi and or BNP as they realise the debate is lost.
It appears from Mark Wadsworth’s exchange with Richard Murphy (above) that RM is in favour of LVT.As is Tim Worstall.As is Mark Wadsworth.As am I. And a lot of other people into the bargain.A bit of mutual support would n’t come amiss.All of this bickering is really counter-productive: we have a vast and pig-ignorant mass of bribed-silly homeowner voters to deal with.
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DBCR wins 10,000 awards, to which nobody will play the blindest bit of attention, because all the ‘right-libertarians’ are too busy hating dim well-meaning socialists to actually bother with anything important, whilst everyone who’s actually left-wing and hates NuLab for being a bunch of lying authoritarian dullards is deterred from supporting the ‘right-libertarians’ by the fact that they’re insufferable, arrogant wankers.
But yeah, whatever, it’s “the left” who’re unthinking. Not the people who could attract the (small D) decent ex-Labour supporters.
As usual, listening to TW and DK makes me think that the libertoonians aren’t inherently appalling ridiculous madmen; reading the comments section reminds me that they are.
john b – “As usual, listening to TW and DK makes me think that the libertoonians aren’t inherently appalling ridiculous madmen; reading the comments section reminds me that they are.”
We love you too John. Every village needs its idiot.
I think it was Roger Scruton that said:
“One of the great distinctions between the left and the right in the intellectual world is that left-wing people find it very hard to get on with right-wing people, because they believe that they are evil. Whereas I have no problem getting on with left-wing people, because I simply believe that they are mistaken. After a while, if I can persuade them that I’m not evil, I find it a very useful thing. I know that my views on many things are open to correction. But if you can’t discuss with your opponents, how can you correct your views?”
The Graun isn’t mainstream it’s left wing! The whole point of blogging is to get away from MSM and tell things like they are in real life and to pick up the topics that MSM either glosses over, doesn’t report or which it doesn’t challenge. This little rant is utter bollox IMO.
“DBCR wins 10,000 awards, to which nobody will play the blindest bit of attention, because all the ‘right-libertarians’ are too busy hating dim well-meaning socialists to actually bother with anything important, whilst everyone who’s actually left-wing and hates NuLab for being a bunch of lying authoritarian dullards is deterred from supporting the ‘right-libertarians’ by the fact that they’re insufferable, arrogant wankers.
But yeah, whatever, it’s “the left” who’re unthinking. Not the people who could attract the (small D) decent ex-Labour supporters.
As usual, listening to TW and DK makes me think that the libertoonians aren’t inherently appalling ridiculous madmen; reading the comments section reminds me that they are.”
I wonder if some kind soul would translate this into english for me.
Thanks ever so
Needhat
PS – What is a libertoonian?
“One of the great distinctions between the left and the right in the intellectual world is that left-wing people find it very hard to get on with right-wing people, because they believe that they are evil. Whereas I have no problem getting on with left-wing people, because I simply believe that they are mistaken.”
…was a breathtakingly arrogant thing to say when Scruton said it, was false even at the time, and is immediately disproved by the comments section of any right-libertarian blog (where the prevailing *theme of debate* is that lefties are evil…)
Needhat: Richard Murphy is a silly man who doesn’t matter very much. He’s not the threat: the consensus among both political parties against individual freedoms and rights is the threat. If libertarians want to gain any kind of support, then building a coalition of everyone who opposes the erosion of individual freedoms and rights is a Good Idea. Demonising the people who hate detention-without-trial and restrictions on freedom of speech, but don’t really mind paying a bit of tax, isn’t a clever way of doing this. Clear?
A “bit” of tax? Jesus.
Who is Richard Murphy and why should I give a toss what he thinks?
“Who is Richard Murphy and why should I give a toss what he thinks?”
Because although he’s an ignorant leftie twat, he’s in with the brothers, influential with the Guardianistas, and part of the ‘intellect’ of Zanu Labour. Thus he has a great opportunity to stir up shit.
Nipping him in the bud is an important part of that eternal vigilance price that a free people must pay.
Sucking 43% of the GDP is more than a “bit of tax”. Frankly free speech issues and trouble with due process is completely fucking trivial compared to the huge sucking parasitic mass attached to the body politic.
“…was a breathtakingly arrogant thing to say when Scruton said it, was false even at the time, and is immediately disproved by the comments section of any right-libertarian blog (where the prevailing *theme of debate* is that lefties are evil…)”
I’m not sure. I think the generalised view of the right is that they have evil motives, whereas the the generalised view of the left is their foolish motives lead to evil outcomes.
So Roger Scruton says “if you can’t discuss with your opponents, how can you correct your views?”
wonder what he would make of this then?
“Just as negotiation with terrorists should be abjured so should debate leftists because at a minimum it a) legitimizes their position and b) helps them get better at propaganda c) is a waste of time.”
@DavidNcl. If he were to keep his temper for one moment he might consider that a lot of younger households are shelling out hundreds of pounds in mortgage repayments for,as well as their bricks and mortar, the land underneath.This money, a kind of land tax, goes straight to the private sector.All that land taxers ask for, not demand,is that at least some of this private levy go instead to local or national authorities to replace taxes on income or business transactions. This where I came in to this alleged debate in order to call for some unity from the numerous supporters of LVT right across the political spectrum for a policy which makes a lot of others look trivial.
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“This money, a kind of land tax”
Bwaahahahahahahahaha! That’s a land tax in much the same way that I’m a gibbon.
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