THE POINT OF BLOGGING.....

The point of political blogging is to tell the truth. Comfortable or otherwise. And, when you can no longer do that, then maybe it is time to stop.
The reason I'm at my computer at such an ungodly hour is because I was daft enough to read a book about a woman being stalked. And now I can't get to sleep.
I'm pondering the fact that when I started this blog it was in a spirit of optimism and also in the hope I could say what I thought and that people could agree, or otherwise, and engage in a way which recognised I wished to write with some irreverence and humour. Maybe sometimes I was OTT and, in hindsight, maybe I would have said certain things differently. But behind it all was a belief in the Labour Party as still the only place where socialists should be.
I was reinforced in that view as, in my Branch, I was surrounded by people whose only wish was to retain this seat at the next election and see a Labour Government sympathetic to the policies we'd supported over many years. It did not seem that awesome a task. Or objectionable as an ideal.
Since 2007, our hopes have been gradually eroded to the point where it seems impossible to tell it like it is - because the truth I'm afraid is that this constituency has been torn apart by a bitter selection battle which means this blog is of course read by people who also blogged malicious comments and briefed the media with disparaging remarks about our former PPC, and who ultimately succeeded in their bid to displace her on grounds so trivial in the light of the MP's expenses scandal and other events that the NEC should hang its head in shame.
Some months ago, a senior member of the NEC acknowledged to me in a private conversation they had probably got it wrong. And actually suggested that those who could not stomach the injustice of what had happened should go and campaign elsewhere. I suspect that, at the next General Election, that is what many will do. Others, I'm sad to say, have simply left the Party in disgust.
And to suggest, as someone did in the local media the other day , that that is not the case is disingenuous and insulting.
The campaign against the left in Calder Valley continues to be waged by those who presumably prefer the current state of schism to what we had before. A CLP which flourished and worked hard - despite the ideological differences - in a spirit of co-operation with our MP Chris McCafferty. Where we are now is not where any CLP would like to be. I hope that will change.
In terms of the blog, I had to impose comment moderation and then stop anonymous remarks as the stream of offensive remarks became unsustainable. I'm still of course getting the remarks by idiots calling themselves things like "Barack Obama." But by now of course I recognise the style or, should I say, lack of it. It is the very same people who used to post anonymously.
All of which is to say I'm suppose that maybe the toxicity round here is such that I might stop blogging for a bit. At least about local stuff. And concentrate, instead, on the very difficult task of persuading those I respect and value that it's still worth hanging on in there. Thoughts which I will be articulating at our fund-raising event on Thursday night.