Mr Eugenides: Blogging and Free Speech (updated)

“If you can be silenced for calling a businessman a crook, then you can be silenced for calling a politician a crook, too. Then it’s everyone’s problem.”

It seems Tim Ireland’s site Bloggerheads has been taken down by the latest Russian Uzbeck billionaire to reach these shores. Not only has he lost Bloggerheads but Craig Murray, Bob Piper and the prospective candidate for London mayor Boris Johnson have also been taken out by Alisher Usmanov as the webhoster caved in faced by the letters from his lawyers, Schillings.

So, why all fuss ? It seems that Usmanov has his eyes set on buying Arsenal football club. Tim posted some comments on why this wouldn’t be the best deal in the world for Arsenal. This all relates back to some comments made by the formal UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, about Usmanov and some less than professional business dealings.

What’s that got to do with Boris I hear you ask. Well, nothing is the answer. The problem was the hoster just decided to take out Murray’s, Piper’s and Boris’s as well - I guess some poor admin got jumped on from a great height and hit the delete key as fast as he could.

As Mr Eugenides states :

Mr Eugenides: Blogging and Free Speech (updated)

“And let’s be clear on this point; these blogs are down not because Usmanov has been libelled, but because he says he’s been libelled, and has a room full of paid monkeys sitting at typewriters firing off theatening letters to that effect.”

At the moment, sadly, that’s working in the blogsphere - imagine that approach with the offside rule ?

Free speech is a right - it needs to be preserved, upheld and defended - everywhere.

For more on this :

• Mr Eugenides: Blogging and Free Speech
• Chicken Yoghurt: Public Service Announcement
• Tom Watson MP