Unfortunately, I have been, and remain very busy at home so I have not been keeping abreast of developments relating to the deletion of my account and posts from the AWL website. However, I have to say that I am somewhat mazed at the claims now being made.
I received an e-mail from Martin Thomas the other day, which said the AWL still did not know what had happened to my account and posts, and derided the idea that what had transpired was in any way "censorship". For the first time this week I have just had chance to look at the posts on the AWL website, and saw the extension of this idea presented by Martin.
I have been approached by the CPGB to give an interview about events, but refused because I have no intention of aiding any particular organisation in some Leninist tribal warfare. But as a Marxist I have a duty to tell the truth even where that truth reflects badly on comrades I hold in high esteem.
The facts are these. I posted several posts in relation to the debate between Glotzer and Mandel over Israel. The Mandel post was not deleted. In order to avoid a "long" post in relation to Glotzer I posted 3 separate (not six as martin claims) posts in the Glotzer thread. Those posts can be viewed on my blog here. In what way were these posts precluding as opposed to encouraging debate?
These three posts were deleted. I posted a very short complaint about this deletion in another thread. The complaint was also deleted. I had not made copies of them because they were short. I had to think them out again and repost them. The second time I posted them not only were they deleted, but the thread was closed to comments - so much for wanting to stimulate debate!!!!
I then submitted several complaints about this further deletion into a number of threads in the hope that they would at least be seen before they were deleted. In a long standing discussion with Martina Daycoi where I had posted a complaint about the deletions I also posted the three offending items, and at the same time posted them into my blog here, along with my complaint about them being deleted - "Liberty Bah Humbug".
It was several days before I tried to access the AWL website again, and found that my account and posts had been deleted. I registered again as "Red Devil" making no secret of who I was. I posted several further complaints as Red Devil in various threads some of which again were deleted, including one pointing out that an old debate did not make sense because it contained replies to my posts which were no longer there.
A little technical difficulty? I don't think so!
3 comments:
i have been an awl sympathiser and contributer on their website. i was surprised to see you got deleted and i'm unconvinced by awl's explanations. martin, i think, has said that the site is backed up and you will be reinstated along with your contributions. let the waiting commence...
in the interest of balance though, many of your replies in topic threads were excessively long. i've done word counts of over 7000 on some of your replies.
however, at the end of the day, if they have just deleted you rather than come to some kind of understanding with you its wrong. awl effectively admits this by saying it could only have been done in error while attempting to tidy up a certain thread. awl seems to flit from saying they haven't done it to you deserved it.
anyway, good luck with the blog mate.
Well, I enjoyed your postings to the AWL site. I thought them intelligent and well crafted, even if I did not read every one or every word of the one's I looked at!
Keep well.
Can I thank you for your support. On long posts I stick by what I have said, politics is not easy to write about briefly if its to be meaningful, and although some posts were very long if you look they were ether one's posted as a blog when I blogged there, or else part of a debate with others who were also posting long items.
As far as the AWL's explanation well, if it was an accident or whatever, why did they delete my post as Red Devil complaining about it? Why didn't they at that point say, "Sorry, mate we didn't know that had happened, we'll try to sort it out?"
Post a Comment