the politics of blogging revisited

A couple of topics seem to be exercising the minds of Irish bloggers this weather. The first concerns the art of blogging as perceived through the musings of several people. The subject was raised last week on Spanish Exposition but I only got around to seeing it today. As usual the bus departs and Matt Vinyl is left stranded at the bus stop somewhere outside Moycullen. The post managed to spark some debate amongst concerned bloggers all over Ireland. Even as I speak the storm in some nice wedgewood china cups still goes on. The quality of blogging is a subject that I encounter on a regular basis in blogs but one that runs out of steam fairly sharpish. Opinions are like shoes, everyone has them except the people that don't. Some people like their own style of shoes more than others. Some people don't like shoes at all. Some people like hemp slippers instead. I treated the subject of blogging back in my early days on the blogosphere. I've just re-read what I wrote and to be honest not much has changed in the interim. I'm not in it to win it, nor am I here to impart any wisdom to the world. It's always been an outlet to indulge my own passions and interests. It's a bit like the Douglas Hyde Gallery in Trinity, sometimes it has interesting stuff but a lot of the time you just wander right past it. I think I like it that way. As with most things that I turn my hand to I soon find out that there are others who are infinitely better at it.

The other topic that seems to be generating a fair whack of keyboard action is the result of last weeks referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Politics is a peculiar subject but in much the same manner as blogging, everyone always likes to give their tuppence worth. If you can imagine collecting all those tuppenceworths and putting them in a jar and eventually emptying them all out and counting them you'd soon find that you had a lot of tuppences worth fuck all. It's the shoes analogy all over again.

When trawling through the many responses to the outcome of the referendum and when reading the media coverage there is a consistency in the feelings of those who called for a Yes vote. It would appear, according to these commentators, Ireland got it wrong. This is a strange kind of reaction. How can you get a vote wrong? It's a pretty simple option. You're either for something, or you're against it! You can, by all means, not have an opinion either way. Judging by the turnout it would appear that such is the feeling of 47% of registered electors. That means that more people couldn't give a fuck about the Lisbon Treaty than voted for either the yes or no camps. The people of Ireland have spoken: We don't give a fuck!


Back on topic Ratatat, the Brooklyn based electronica outfit, recently released their new single 'Shiller' on seven inch and I bought it today. Malheureusement, I managed to leave it in work so I've no idea what it sounds like. If you want to find out then go and buy it yourself.