Melissa Kite bites back
2:38pm
Tory blogging is close to death, I can announce. It's been in intensive care for some time thanks to the meanderings of Iain Dale and the endless pronouncements of ConservativeHome but now the Cornerstone has launched a blog and, mind crushingly dull as it is, it can only be a matter of time before these sites start eating each other.
Conservative blogs are already almost exclusively the preserve of right wing men of a certain age. www.Cornerstonegroup.wordpress.com is just overkill.
To explain for those who actually have a life, Cornerstone is a group of Christian right wing MPs who follow Iain Duncan Smith - yes, that's right, some people still think this is a good idea.
They believe in - altogether now - "traditional family values". I had lunch recently with a member and he spent the entire meal trying to convince me that my life was meaningless and immoral because I am not married. A few years back I had a similarly charming lunch with another leading "Tombstone" member who told me that women had no place in the armed forces. You get the picture.
So, it comes as no surprise to me when a website allied to Mr Duncan Smith - ConservativeHome - "authorises" (lol, I think the bloggers would say) a statement by Alan Duncan (lol some more) trashing me for an article I wrote in which I speculated on how David Cameron might reshape his shadow cabinet.
The furore caused by my well sourced and entirely reasonable predictions can only be explained in the context of the misogyny that reigns supreme in these circles. When they say my article was spurious and shoddy what they mean is, how dare this woman threaten our boys' jobs.
As the comments attacking me personally accumulated, I was contacted by a lawyer who said I should sue. My instinct was against this. But then it occurred to me that she had a point. Where else could you call a professional every name under the sun and expect them not to uphold their reputation in court? Worse still, Mr Dale cack-handedly named someone as my source who emphatically was not my source.
Tory blogging is ripe for a libel challenge. And there will come one. I know these bastions of male political debate love the fact that I'm a woman in their world so let me put it in language they might understand:
The next time you guys go into a tizzy in your little chatrooms you ought to ask yourself one question. Do you feel lucky? Well, do you?
Previous
Comments
Pisaboy
May 15th, 2007 3:24pm"lol" indeed, you can barely conceal your sense of aloofness, and indignance at being questioned. You don't seem to have a problem challenging politicians but it's out of order for people to challenge you? If your best defence is to belittle and threaten those who point out your mistakes, then you have to ask yourself if you're an analog hack in a digital age.
Guido Fawkes
May 15th, 2007 3:43pmI don't think it was misogyny, more likely the perceived improbability of your speculation that brought about the scepticism. We shall see, come the reshuffle, how well sourced you were. Conservative blogging seems to be thriving, witness the Speccie launching blogs. It is newspapers that seem to be in decline.
Tim
May 15th, 2007 4:33pmLegal rule #1 Vulgar Abuse is not libellous. Legal rule #2 Don't go to court anyway. It's only ever us lawyers that win you know.
Craig Barrett
May 15th, 2007 4:38pmWhat you say is, in some ways, all very well, but you didn't really respond to the specific points which Iain Dale raised in his response to your article: http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/05/fisking-shadow-cabinet-reshuffle.html It looks to me like Iain was pretty much spot-on in his critique of an article which seems to be entirely without facts and is riddled with waffle.
Matt
May 15th, 2007 4:48pmWe'll see - how precious is your reputation? Will you resign if the reshuffle proves you to be substantially wrong?
Tuscan Tony
May 15th, 2007 4:59pmYou seem to be confusing misogyny with mischievousness; as for 'ad hominem' attacks your article here makes at least two. I am also baffled as to why being a 'professional', paid for ones opinions, somehow automatically enhances their worth and credibility. Oh, and as for them being "little chatrooms', Guido Fawkes assures his readers (and I have no reason to doubt him)that they are more numerous than The Spectator's.
Ruth Bennett
May 15th, 2007 5:17pm"I know these bastions of male political debate love the fact that I'm a woman in their world so let me put it in language they might understand:" Melissa I think you are being too thin-skinned. I don't read any misogyny into the comments of these 'Tory Boy' Blogs. Indeed as a female political Tory activist I cannot start or end the day without a visit to Iain Dale, Conservativehome, Guido and others. I don’t doubt you researched your original article thoroughly - but as your sources are not named (“an insider” is as close as it gets) in my opinion it is as speculative as any gossip on any blog. What is the motivation of your unknown sources? They may be telling the truth but – they may be spinning for their own ends. Would your sources reveal themselves in court – if you did decide to sue? I doubt it. So Iain and others opinions are as valid as yours (they have their "insider" sources too)
judith
May 15th, 2007 5:18pmYou are quite wrong to say that commentators on ConsHome, Iain Dale and Guido are all men. I'm female, and I regularly post on those sites; and as someone with direct contact to the Conservative Party in the HoC, I'm inclined to think Dale was right to criticise your article. By the way, whilst you are right that the Cornerstone website is deathly dull, you should check out the membership, it isn't all Christian. And no, I'm not in favour of Cornerstone as I dislike some of their more extreme views.
hogarth zombie
May 15th, 2007 5:22pmBrookside moment - calm down, calm down...
Frank McCallister
May 15th, 2007 5:24pmMisogyny? Legal challenge? Really? Because someone had the effrontery to take a fine comb to one of your articles?
Weak, Melissa. Really, really weak.
Paul
May 15th, 2007 5:31pmIt's interesting that choose to post these comments on your blog. I trust if you feel this strongly, we'll be seeing a column in the coming weeks in the Sunday Telegraph, giving a similarly thoughtful, measured and balanced account of your views on the Conservative Party. Muchly looking forward to reading it.
brooks
May 15th, 2007 5:55pmI thought your original article was poor; the "bite back" piece is less impressive - sorry, I back Iain Dale on this, so please take the other posters advice and do not sue for God's sake; this free advice for what it is worth.
Richard Patient
May 15th, 2007 6:43pmGet a life, Melissa. If Iain Dale wants to criticise you, let him. But claiming "Tory blogging is close to death" just suggests to everyone reading this blog that he has hit a raw nerve.
Richard Havers
May 15th, 2007 8:07pmMelissa your article seems a little unfocused. You attack Tory bloggers en masse, you accuse us (I feel lumped into that because I voted Tory two weeks ago in Scotland and I blog) of being misogynists, and you seem to feel you’ve been personally attacked. Apart from Iain Dale’s article, which seemed perfectly reasonable I’m not aware of what these slights upon you are. Heat and kitchen come to mind – said without a hint of misogyny. ‘Political Journalist Sues’, it ranks up there with some of the Sun’s least plausible headlines.
p.s. Your Telegraph article ‘The weird world inside the Blairs' goldfish bowl might be worth reviewing to make sure you’ve not been caught stoning your own glasshouse
Steven Bainbridge
May 15th, 2007 10:31pmMelissa, this is a dreadful piece, especially by trying to claim that Conservative blogging is dead. We vastly outnumber our leftie friends, from what I can see, and are quite a force to be reckoned with. To claim otherwise is terribly short-sighted.
Nicholas Bennett
May 16th, 2007 1:36amIt is ironic that a well paid print media journalist uses a blog to proclaim that blogging is dying. The reality is that like the failed attempts of the Soviets to jam Western broadcasts in the 1950s and 1960s, the internet including blogging is here to stay. Blogging is democratic and expands the range of sources and outlets for news and debates even if most blogs have a readership coounted on one hand.
Royce
May 16th, 2007 1:51amOh dear - it's bury your head in the sand time. Right of centre blogging is more popular than ever. You only have to check the numbers.
Praguetory
May 16th, 2007 6:31amTouchy touchy. This article is an example of how "not" to react to criticism.
dizzy
May 16th, 2007 8:03amHow cool is this? A proffessional journalist engaging in a flame war! The rubicon has been crossed! We're through the looking glass! [insert random cliche here]!
jane
May 16th, 2007 12:29pmMelissa get over yourself. You have been well and truly fisked. And I second the comments (mostly) - why are your opinions more valid because you get paid to express them? btw I'm female and left of centre
Umbrella man
May 16th, 2007 12:35pmConservativeHome was right to publish Alan Duncan's attack on Melissa Kite. Why should journalists be permitted to speculate about politicians' careers but not face scrutiny themselves?
Sarkis Zeronian
May 16th, 2007 4:12pmWhy must competing conservative blogs eat each other? Why can't they offer different perspectives? Are you seriously attempting to suggest that comments from Guido, Iain, ConHome and Cornerstone are uniformly similar? If you are then may I suggest you do a little more research, perhaps actually read the sites? The four could hardly differ more!