Lord Pearson resigns as leader

This is not news exactly but here is the link to Lord Pearson's statement in which he explains his course of action. One might ask whether this blog will carry on functioning and the answer to that is unclear at this stage. However, there are certain things that do need to be done - this blog will catch up with Lord Pearson's activity in the House of Lords before the recess. This should have been done before but the present hiatus in political activity is a good time.

A polite request

It has not been necessary to monitor comments on this blog so the policy will continue to be an open one. However, it is not helpful to discussion if people do not sign their comments (with an assumed name, if they really feel shy about revealing their real ones.

So, this is a polite request: please try to sign your comments. A Google account for blogs is free and easy to acquire. If you do not wish to bother, by all means don't. It is just as easy to put up a seemingly Anonymous comment and put a name under it.

Thank you.

First Post

A great deal of modern politics is on the internet and the blogosphere. This development started in the United States, where blogs are an overwhelmingly important part of the political scene, regularly scooping main-stream media outlets and organizing the growing Tea-Party Movement. Though we have not reached that stage in Britain, it has become impossible to run a political campaign or to have a political existence without blogs or websites.

This is the blogsite of Lord Pearson of Rannoch, Leader of UKIP and working peer in the House of Lords; it will be following his activities in those and other areas of political life. As we approach the election campaign, postings on this blog will, naturally, become more frequent and more concerned with matters that pertain to it. Until then there will be postings about the House of Lords, the planned visit of Geert Wilders and other issues as they arise.

Comments are open to all on the blog and will not be monitored at first. However, readers are encouraged not to post too many Anonymous comments. Invent a name if you would rather not give your own; even invented names create responsibility and make discussion easier.

There will be certain rules about comments. Debates and discussions, however heated, will be encouraged; personal attacks and name-calling, on the other hand, will not be allowed. They will be removed ruthlessly and repeat offenders will be banned. The same applies to open racism and any number of phobias: it is discussion we want not streams of abuse. Naturally enough, libel cannot be permitted. The law on the question of libel on blogs is not very clear and it would be preferable for this blog not to be the test case.

So, with those provisos, please read, comment, disseminate.