Well this is odd.
Last night I asked why a comment I had made on Slugger O’Toole had been removed.
Can I ask who removed my observation that recently on Slugger it was claimed that surveys are “evidence” and that maybe a survey would be a good idea in respect of this thread.
To be clear, Slugger can get along fine without me. It did so for over a year before I got a message in a thread that simply said “welcome home John”.
I think I have made some pretty good comments down the years and even contributed some well received posts.
But really I would be doing myself no favours if I let the comments removal pass without declaring that I am very offended.
(there are 8 upticks to this)
Around 11am today, a reply from Mr Fealty.
This?
Last week, it was suggested on Slugger that surveys were “evidence” So would a survey on this issue be a good idea?
You’re always welcome John, but I removed it as a passive aggressive refusal to engage with the flow of the game. It’s also a poor piece of absurdist theatre (for which I’m to blame, having perhaps encouraged you to think it was funny last week).
Like I always used to say in the old days the barrier to entry on Slugger may be low, but the quality is moderately high. If you want to witter, go to Twitter.
Disqus is a sophisticated tool, it doesn’t actually delete anything, it just removes it from the public space so we have an accurate record of what’s been removed.
This makes us accountable to you and others for the decisions we make, and helps us maintain trust between strangers. I hope folks will make their minds up now and let us move on.
I replied.
Aye right.
Please dont call me “John”. I only like to be addressed as “John” by friends and/or people who have a degree of respect for me.
A few minutes later, I composed a post on an unrelated matter and got this message.
We are unable to post your comment because Slugger O’Toole has placed your account in a timeout. You will be able to comment again when your timeout expires 7 days from now. Find out more.
Needless to say I dont want to find out more.
Well there is always Keeping An Eye on the Czar of Russia but as I pointed out last night, I am way behind the curve now.
It is a pity in some ways. There are people on Slugger that I never met and never will meet. But the nature of Blogging is that 50% of it is the “post” and 50% is the “comment” or the “uptick” and there was a consistent coterie of folks……..Seán Óg, SNQ, Provan Mill, Zeno2, Zig, Seaan UíNeill, Oggins, Choyaa, Korhomme, Herdsman, Kingsize and many others who have not always agreed with me but have always respected what I said.
I hope they remember me fondly.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
I simply cannot get my head around why you have been blocked. There are people who don’t appear to have ever been blocked, who disregard the rules around man playing all the time. I will miss you.
Thank you Chrissie.
It will of course be impossible to get this Blog to its former glory.
Being “Timed Out” for a week means that the decision is in the hands of Mr Fealty. I really have a bit more dignity than to think he has any influence over me. So I wont be back.
By way of background, Blogging was considered to be the big new thing about 15-20 years ago but I always took the view that it was largely irrelevant.
This Blog was maybe my fourth or fifth attempt to get a (parody) Blog off the ground. The name “Keeping an Eye on the Czar of Russia” is a tip of the hat to the editor of a local newspaper in County Cork who had an inflated view of his influence…warning in an editorial that the “Skibereen Eagle was keeping an eye on the Czar of Russia”. The surprise to me was that a lot of people really liked this Blog and out of respect to them, I took it rather more seriously than before.
I even got picked up by some American universities, got to deliver a lecture in Texas and also got on the British Librarys “good blog guide”.
In many ways Mick Fealty is not much different from me. He is at his most when name dropping his friends. I can only dream of having friends like “Newton” and “Eoghan” and “Alex” and the rest.
They are a protected species.
I dont know if you are a follower of Rugby. But there is a rugby rule that the players in the front row of the scrum are in such a difficult and dangerous position, if they have to be substituted by players who are not so expert, then the scrums are not contested.
I would certainly say…and have said…that some of Micks chums in the LetsGetAlongerist community are heavy hitters but oddly treated like unskilled prop forwards.
As to my own “time out”, its bit bizarre.
The significance of “surveys” (particuarly those that show nationalism stalling, declining or only making a little progress) seem to a favourite of Mick.
Last week there was such a survey was in itself “evidence” which to me is a bit daft.
If a survey claimed that 99% of people brushed their teeth twice a day, I would not consider it as “evidence”.
Likewise last night he claimed an article he wrote on Sinn Féin (and unsurprisingly it was negative) was based on a “report and a long record”.
Again is it evidence.
I should not be bothered one way or the other. But since I stopped blogging here, Slugger has been my platform to get my views across to an audience and a chance to test run some “memories” hat are currently being edited by a friend in USA with a view to publication.
If you want a more confidential discussion, email me: korhomme@gmail.com
Thank you.
I actually meant to add a paragraph. I am involved in writing up some stuff from the 1970s. Some memories…good and bad…lead to other memories. It is as much about simple family stuff as big headline stuff from the Troubles.
I look forward to reading that. I find other peoples’ experiences very interesting.
I’m delighted that the blog is back John! Not so delighted at the circumstances which have caused the revival. To be honest, I found myself searching for comments by yourself ( and some of those mentioned above) on Slugger as I found some of the ‘letsgetalongerists’ comments the equivalent of mental wallpaper. or ‘group think’ .It is nice to have comments that you may agree/disagree with that have a bit of ‘fibre’ to them. Welcome back John!
Thanx Bernie. I appreciate that. It will never really be back to previous levels. I always considered that Slugger had a “group think” but I think that it was once involuntary but now it seems to be a decision. There are maybe six or more Slugger insiders and interesting to see if one or two of them react. It could have been claimed that Slugger is market leader (it is) but probably some within Slugger would have considered it independent or even a “Blog of record” or simply all opinions welcome.. Now it is a kinda tabloid Blog.
But I do think theres a distinction to be made between the Slugger “staff” (not really a good word) and the LetsGetAlongerist advocates who are seemingly untouchable.
What is happening behind the scenes at Slugger…the emails passing between six or seven “staff” ….thats a bigger story.
I can’t believe I spent most of this bleeding lock down without realizing you were back to this blog! Love your writing. Hope it keeps going.
Thanx Zig.
I get tired easily and more often these days. There are some health issues now so I will just keep it going as long as i can.
I have not looked at Slugger since Donald Fealty imposed his “time out”. Even if tempted I cant look at it because I have blocked the site.