Reading List

#rdgnews - Reading's Labour party bosses have admitted they were 'forced' to reveal their plans to eliminate senior management posts in a £1m savings drive earlier than required.

Cllr Jo Lovelock described her 'embarrassment' at discovering the 'leak'.

The anonymous author of the since-deleted Civic Minded in Reading blog had reported 'overhearing' a private supermarket conversation in which a senior Labour councillor proclaimed where the axe would fall, ahead of the mid-December announcement - thereby preempting any requirement to inform or consult with counterparts, as would be normally expected, and producing a fait accompli.

The reorganisation of RBC senior management will involve eliminating the £145,000pa Chief Executive job currently held by Michael Coughlin and combine his role with the equally powerful and well-remunerated Director of Resources post, held by David Peasley. Labour expects this to create annual savings of £920,000.

Mr Coughlin is widely respected for his scrupulous commitment to constructive non-partisan politics and was praised for his smooth oversight of the potentially fractious recent, and short-lived, period of coalition - the first in Reading's modern history. Cynical commenters have suggested the move is personal payback against Mr Coughlin who replaced the more Labour-friendly Trish Haines in 2008. Long-serving Mr Peasley is now expected to assume the newly combined top job.

Effectively conceding the point, Cllr Lovelock has since declared no inquiry will take place to identify the author of the blog or establish the truth of the supermarket allegation, as "there are far more important things to be getting on with."

Well, it's obviously so unimportant to her that serious breaches of councillor conduct by members of her own side are overlooked that she spends extra time whipping-up disciplinary hearings for opponents (see previously)!

Jane Griffiths vents some spleen against her former party colleagues, wondering whether it was simply a coincidence that the accepted culprit (generally acknowledged as Park Ward's Cllr Hartley) is standing down at the next election in May, so it was no loss to remove him from his frontline Cabinet position anyway.

So witness the perverse spectacle of Labour activists cock-a-hoop at the apparent embarrassment for their party!

In what was a pre-arranged and coordinated strategy, Redlands Ward Cllr Jan Gavin gives the game away explaining that she hopes any savings produced from cutting management jobs will prove to be a successful election ploy which will help her local team unseat LibDem leader Cllr Daisy Benson in the ward they both represent.

And Cllr Gavin's electoral agent Tony Jones talks up their chances declaring a belief that people who previously voted LibDem are 'coming home to Labour' - there's nothing like the sight of experienced politicians treating voters like their personal chattel!

But LibDems struck back.

Cllr Warren Swaine republishes the original rumour, adding his comment:

"It is absolutely true that Labour has had a series of meetings which were out of cycle and it was abundantly clear that they were up to something and that something is, it would appear, is to axe officers who they deem as uncooperative."

He then followed up by picking out a phrase used by Labour which he calls a 'slip' - he notes Cllr Lovelock justified the removal of the Chief Executive position on the grounds that the council will employ "a significantly smaller number of council staff."

Cllr Swaine points out that Labour is struggling to contain spending increases currently running at 16% this year having previously promised to reduce outgoings in line with national cuts in central grants, and is thereby seeking to distract attention from the increased level of debt Reading is taking on just to survive - in Reading's budget 1% equates to about £1m.

A fresh local financial crisis is looming locally... is Labour hoping for a bailout, or will they make savings by cutting more jobs?

Oranjepan says:
Having kept a close eye on local political blogs while monitoring the Berkshire blogosphere, it is beyond belief that an obscure blog-site can appear and reproduce a single post of unsubstantiated hearsay before disappearing without a trace after only a few days and be noticed, let alone be taken seriously by any political figure in the town - that is, unless the writer is a known plant operating as a sympathetic source within the established political ecosystem. The only possible conclusion is: the 'leak' was not by a whistle-blower, but a dog-whistler.

As the Labour leader said, "Rather than pretending it was not happening, we decided we would not be disingenuous" - this is absolutely untrue, she has hardly contained the fact, rather she and her colleagues enthusiastically brought the matter into the open by disingenuous means.

For Cllr Lovelock some things are more important than the truth, though clearly not the jobs of council employees.

#rdgnews - While parts of Berkshire completed the switch-over from analogue to fully-digital television on 28th September the government is moving forward with plans to liberalise broadcast media coverage across the country with a strategy for decentralising production and opening up ownership to new companies - and Reading has been identified by the DCMS as one of the 65 potential locations to be licensed.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP said, "I want people to be able to watch television that's truly relevant to them, about what’s happening where they live and featuring the people they know."

He spoke of a 'huge appetite' for local news and information which could be "a fundamental change in how people get information about their own communities, and how they hold their representatives to account."

According to media sources, the development will be supported by the £40m annual 'digital innovation fund' created from cuts announced yesterday as part of a wider strategy to reshape the BBC and open up the media sector to wider competition, although this remains subject to two separate BBC reviews as well as the official consultation process.

However media consultant Lin Glover noted this amounted to a 'volte-face' from Mr Hunt under pressure from industry experts and coalition partners, who was widely known to personally favour a new national network over a national broadcasting 'spine' of local operators. Although the financial dividend to the Treasury from the sale of more smaller license packages is expected to increase substantially questions remain over the scope for mergers between license-holders intent on creating a quasi-network.

Ofcom is also inviting tenders from technical companies to form MuxCo to oversee the allocation and maintenance of geographic interleaved (GI) spectrum freed up as part of the digital switch-over, with the first tranche of triple-stream multiplex stations due to go live in their areas during the second-half of 2012.

Meanwhile in separate news View TV Group has announced that it has selected Reading as one of it's first locations among an ambitious 660 town roll-out for channels dedicated to their locality, and "will join Nottingham, Luton and various [s]easide towns across the country."

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More stories on the local media environment

Partisan vitriol and hyperbole is run-of-the-mill stuff in politics, and it's one of the main reasons why our elected officials are generally held in such low esteem.

With the emergence of numerous social media networks the motive to get your voice heard is now combining with the urge to shout ever-louder to get a message across, which in turn encourages others to use all means at their disposal in attempts to get a charge to stick.

So it was almost inevitable that the opportunity provided by a tweeting Reading councillor forced to resign as a lead councillor would 'grow legs'.

In the latest development Cllr Swaine has been suspended from the LibDems pending an internal investigation. Party activist site LibDemVoice records the news: 'What not to Tweet, part 94'.

But this was itself only ever likely to be used by opponents to pour additional fuel on the fire.

Chair of Reading Greens, Adrian Windisch, comments that he was "surprised that it took the regional party to suspend him, not the local one," although it's probably fair to say he's more familiar with disiplinary procedures in his own party than those in others.

And one Labour election manager uses the occasion to offer some insider 'dirt' under the guise of asking several seemingly reasonable questions.

Tony Jones describes the suspension as a 'penalty' which usually lasts 14 days. Then he jumps in with both feet to attack what he describes as a 'void of leadership' and stir up speculation of a poisonous electoral pact between the coalition partners.

However Jane Griffiths also offers reliable gossip, and she says only one Labour candidate standing in the local elections thinks the original remark was actually racist - by pure coincidence it's the same one Tony Jones is responsible for!

Jane then follows up with biting criticism of the news policy of the local Reading Post newspaper, suggesting the close personal relationship between the editor and members of the local Labour heirarchy indicates a connection where their mutual interests are artificially contriving to keep the story alive and in its' pages, to thereby help the opposition's election bid with a steady flow of new and supposedly-favorable content.

Perhaps so, as the unsigned Reading Post report quotes Labour leader Cllr Jo Lovelock, who argued in Council without any apparent trace of irony to insist the alleged racism in the 103 character tweet "really did go beyond the pale."

She then ramped up the story another notch to demand Cllr Swaine's resignation - using the Ali G joke hasn't inspired so much outrage since the late Queen Mum directed it at the Duke of Edinburgh!

But balance was provided by RBC's Conservative leader Cllr Andrew Cumpsty, who intervened in the spat to accuse Labour of playing partisan games. He said her response looked more like a "slur, hypocrisy and double standards" when placed alongside the multiple occasions when she personally defended acknowledged racist remarks within her party's own ranks.

Labour activist Richard McKenzie lets the cat out of the bag.

He explains that Labour couldn't defeat the coalition over its' budget proposals, so have decided to trump up the allegations and try to link the exaggerated outrage to feelings aroused by official policy.

And in a clear indication of his own lack of imagination and willingness to prejudge the pending investigation, he attempts to hammer home his preferred message by attaching the prefix 'disgraced' to his opponent's name three times in that single post - there's nothing like jumping to conclusions for self-affirmation!

Cllr Swaine himself first rose to attention as the publisher of 'scurrillous' satire on the popular and controversial muckspReading site. He has been an avid participator in, and beneficiary of, the social media revolution. But as the circle turned again his confrontational and witty style clearly started to conflict with the duties of the position he'd grown to attain.

So it raises an eybrow that his replacement in the RBC cabinet as Lead Councillor for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Ricky Duveen, is able to wryly note his expectations of advancement never amounted to taking up such 'an exalted role' as being responsible for waste management and street cleaning (among other things) in the borough.

He says, "its pretty much rubbish from here on in!"

Oranjepan says:
Cllr Duveen will have his work cut out if he takes it into his brief to also clean up the general tone of local political debate...

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more Media news

Two of the earliest adopters on the local blogging scene celebrated the anniversary of their start-ups this week.

Wendy was six, and Scaryduck is nine years young.

With so many writers not managing to stand the test of time within the medium their longevity is a testament to their quality.

We'd like to offer our congratulations - with a recommendation to check them out!

Information Technology has become an almost universal truth in daily life (well it's certainly vital for the blogosphere) and its' position in society has been placed under the spotlight from a number of angles in the past few days.

On Tuesday evening the local branch of the chartered institute for IT, BCS Berkshire, held a meeting under the title 'Professionalism in the IT industry' to help explain why it should 'take its place as a valued and respected profession'.

The industry held 'Safer Internet Day' on 9th February to launch an advertising campaign to raise awareness of issues surrounding internet usage.

Insafe provide a round-up of reactions.

BCS has also been the inspiration behind two recent campaigns. The first advocated for greater help to reduce the 'online generation gap'

This was complemented by a government-sponsored programme to provide grants to 270,000 low-income families to widen access to the opportunities access to technology brings. Reading Borough Council helpfully advertises how to apply for the grants.

Labour's Rachel Eden was particularly pleased with this initiative. She says it will save money on physical resources and help remove the stigma and embarrassment between children from backgrounds with different income levels by giving chances to develop internet and computer skills.

Meanwhile the group has also lobbied political parties to push for quicker roll-out of universal broadband.

The Communications Managers Association (part of BCS) issued a statement that it

"understands the respective strategies by the Conservative and Labour Parties to provide universal broadband, it does not believe plans by either will achieve this quickly or comprehensively enough to take advantage of the potential opportunity for growth provided by the online economy."

CMA Chairperson Carolyn Kimber explained that their plans would require a relatively insignificant commitment of £150-200m of investment per year.

Mike MacNamara raises the question and explains that broadband is an electoral issue, as market forces are failing to deliver universal access and support is needed to build the national infrastructure for the next generation.

Conservative MPs Rob Wilson and John Redwood responded in kind to the criticism.

Rob Wilson picked up on the issue and argues against Labour's new £7 tax to be levied against properties with multiple fixed-line telephones, saying it is unfair that pensioners who have no interest in internet take-up will be forced to pay.

He says the sums can be paid for by introducing more competition into the telecoms market, particularly by opening up and unbundling BT's ongoing 'local loop' monopoly on infrastructure ownership, usage and maintenance.

Mr Wilson also gives space to West Reading candidate Alok Sharma, who explains the ideological reasons behind Conservative proposals.

Meanwhile John Redwood attended a business solutions seminar with over 50 companies where the issue of technology was addressed. He reprints a press release explaining that he takes the economic side of the argument because investment leads to commercial growth.

However in a poll conducted by the CMA opinions are divided on the tory proposal to bring in 100mpbs broadband connections by 2017.

Completely equal numbers (31.6%) say that their proposals are and are not an improvement on the current plans made by the Labour government, while 36.8% say there is wide scope for improvement.

So there's obviously some space for other parties to get involved in the debate.

Cllr Daisy Benson speaks up for the LibDems criticising Labour's plans as a one-off gimmick, which she describes as an "attempt by Labour to try win votes from working-class voters rather than actually getting to the root of the problem."

She argues that access to IT is a secondary issue behind adequate education in schools - where much money has already been spent on hardware and software, but the ability to learn is limited by class sizes and the quality of tuition.

Separately IT users have been having their say.

Scaryduck isn't convinced by the idea to give everybody and their dog greater access to the internet - he seems to be saying with greater access comes greater responsibility, and he clearly doesn't think everyone is completely responsible.

Elsewhere Mr London Street has been developing a new customer database at work which is designed to make lives easier, but he is not completely thrilled with the reality if what is on offer.

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Update: RU technology department has been set the task of living for a day without access to comupters. Understandably Shirley Williams found giving her lecture on programming a 'challenge', while Pat Parslow finds his world suddenly disconnected.

Meanwhile Elizabeth Thomas has started to feel an obligation to her blog, which she says is draining.

Chairman Bill offers some sanguine thoughts about how the obsession with technology can go too far - he clearly thinks the ground rules and basic human skills of effective communication are laid down during face-to-face human interaction.

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Background: Geeks Get Organised

More stories on the local media & communications

The Trinity Mirror publishing company has acquired a package of 32 regional newspapers from Guardian Media Group - including the Surrey & Berkshire Newpapers stable of Reading Post, Wokingham Times and Bracknell Forest Standard.

Sly Bailey, Trinity Mirror's CEO, explained the deal was "a perfect strategic fit" for the group which is hoping to create a regional multi-media network 'of real scale'.

However Independent councillor Tony Jones commented that although he hopes it is a new opportunity for the local titles, the current environment of contraction may mean further upheaval for "this once integral voice in the life of the town."

Cllr Jones expresses concern that the recent reduction to a bi-weekly will be followed up by moves to make the paper a weekly freesheet as increasing choice and diversity in the means to access news has meant "people have just got out of the habit of buying a newspaper."

The Unison representative also highlights the sweetheart deal given to Trinity Mirror (which formerly owned the Reading Chronicle title) - he notes that the £7.4million cash downpayment includes a contract-release clause despite counting gross assets of £8.7 million on the balance sheet - which makes it a potentially juicy target for asset-stripping.

The deal was part of a £44.8m package headlined by the sale of the Manchester Evening News, which has been at the heart of the Guardian's operations and media platform for 85 years, or as Dominic Ponsford puts it, a case of 'jettisoning the regionals to save the mothership.'

GMG CEO Carolyn McCall explained that the sale was necessary to "secure the future of The Guardian inperpetuity."

FT's excellently named Salamander Davoudi rounds up a selection of analysis from the city, picking out the low sale price. This indicates market consolidation is increasingly likely as TM ups its share of the regional news market from 19-23% - although as Oliver Luft describes, this raises plurality issues.

David Prosser picks out GMG's contrary view, which is gambling Rupert Murdoch is wrong that paid-for online content is the way forward. And how often has that occurred?

Meanwhile Bracknell Blog's Dazmando provides a well-informed discussion of the issue of paid-content. He identifies divergent trends where the the evolving technology creates new opportunities at both ends of the market.

Where consolidation is the name of the game at the high-end and fixed costs are high, this is contrasted at the grassroots where costs are low and new news media are reporting different types of stories in innovative ways - so perhaps independent news reporters can 'address the balance'.

Mark Reckons takes himself along to a 'sceptics in the pub' meeting in Westminster to participate in a discussion suggesting blogs have the potential to replace newspapers, titled "What difference does political blogging really make?"

Among the high-ranking bloggerati present and giving their views were Paul Staines aka Guido Fawkes, Sunny Hundal of Liberal Conspiracy, Jonathan Isaby of Conservative Home, Mick Fealty of Slugger O'Toole together with The Observer's Nick Cohen, as well as local blogger Rob Fisher. The event was chaired by Allen Green of the legal Jack of Kent blog.

Elsewhere Elizabeth Thomas points out how new media platforms opens up new avenues for individual intellectual curiosity as cynicism with stale industrialised news formats grows and people look for different ways of addressing issues.

She quotes former journalist Chris Anderson, who said, "There was a hole in the existing media diet."

He is enthused that all the 'brain-nuturing stuff' that has become 'squeezed-out' by sensationalised headlines, over-dramatised facts and 'celebrity tittle-tattle' is being replaced by discussion of ideas that gives a real sense of community engagement.

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Update: Peter Kirwan has a graph which shows exactly where GMG's problems reside. He quotes insiders at Hold the Front Page (report; analysis) who think the takeover will mean drastic job cuts.

Jane Griffiths is not particularly concerned whether Reading Post is saved of not.

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More stories about the local media environment

No, it's not more about the state of winter road maintenance which has been getting bloggers all worked up, but the 180-degree reversal by Reading West MP Martin Salter regarding the validity and value of blogging.

Only 3 months (at most) before he follows through on his self-imposed decision to leave office he has decided to take up typing a few regular thoughts to engage more directly with the people he represents.

His 'blog' can be found on the Telegraph's platform - here - which is unfortunate because post syndication is disabled.

This is, as martinsnothteone reminds us, a man who used the law to delete 3 previous versions of critical blogs and who once said:

"There is no prospect of my ever blogging. What little I have seen of the blogsphere, it seems to me to be the last refuge for tragic insomniacs who lack social skills."

This in contrast to reknowned social-media advocate Cllr Daisy Benson, who argues that politicians should embrace new media as a way to 'break down barriers' and engage with the public.

The move has given former colleague Jane Griffiths a whole new lease of life as 'Salterwatch'.

She starts off by welcoming him to the arena, but notes the irony of a Labour party stalwart choosing such a solid right-wing platform as the Telegraph.

The former Labour MP follows up by recalling Mr Salter's 'fulminating' on BBC Radio 4 that blogging was 'anti-democratic', and asks when will local media outlets advertise the site to local electors?

Jane manages to sustain her attack against Mr Salter by asking whether he recieved any support from his tax-payer funded staff to help produce it, and if he has whether he has declared this to the Parliamentary fees office.

She subsequently discovers that the Telegraph pays £150 per blog post - which is nice work if you can get it (considering I average about one-per-day), but that Mr Salter is already resorting to recycling his 'Westminster Diary' which he supplies to the local print media every fortnight.

Elsewhere well-known local commenter Nowtas emerges from his shell to write a blogpost on the subject. He describes Mr Salter's blog as the 'feeblest' among the Telegraph's stable, worth only a 'giggle'.

In unrelated news Conservative MP for Reading East, Rob Wilson warns too much hot air may suffocate, as new research shows 76% of the population in the south-east of England are putting themselves at risk of being poisoned...

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More stories about the local media environment.

Warfield's Jeremy Kyle is taking his controversial TV show to America.

He gains consistent ratings of 1.5-1.8m viewers on the daytime schedule since launching his Jerry Spinger-styled personal advice show in 2005 and has achieved the feat of remaining fresh and enthusiastic after more than 1,000 shows.

He said "This show isn't about me; it is about their issues and problems and how we can face them together - with complete honesty and openness," adding that "I am particularly looking forward to meeting ordinary American people and hearing about their extraordinary lives."

The Jeremy Kyle Show gained notoriety when it was described by a district judge as "a human form of bear-baiting which goes under the guise of entertainment" during a court case in 2007, brought for assault against a man who headbutted his girlfriend on-air. The man was subsequently convicted and fined £300 plus costs.

Another man was jailed in summer of 2009 after admitting grevious bodily harm committed against his girlfirend during recording for the show. In a lengthy and detailed article Richard Price grabs the sensationalist headline 'Jeremy Kyle Nearly Killed Me'

Co-president of production company Debmar-Mercury, Mort Marcus, said "We believe there’s a market for it if he can hit the right tone for this country." He explained that he was confident America would "wholeheartedly embrace" Mr Kyle because he brings "a unique sensibility to a proven format".

But media analysts point to declining daytime audience on CBS as the reason why executives have decided to lay out a big contract to lure an experienced performer in an established format stateside, although ITV executives think the process is being driven by greater media integration resulting from globalisation which naturally leads to greater competition for talent.

Meanwhile, On The Box commentator Sean Marland doesn't hide his contempt for the presenter. He thinks it is a shame Jeremy Kyle no plans to leave Berkshire for the US, and says it might be interesting to subject his PR statements to his own lie detector tests!

Elsewhere Jeremy Kyle appears to be exactly the type of man capable of splitting opinion down the middle.

In a online poll asking 'Is Jeremy Kyle a legend?' 52.6% responded 'no, he's just a moron', while the rest were impressed by his ability to entertain.

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Update: the Gyppo Byard at Last Django In Paris is unhealthily addicted to Jeremy Kyle - he says it is "the guiltiest of my guilty pleasures."

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More Media stories

Mike McNamara is frustrated at the news media's inability to provide adequate information of what's going on around Europe. I can sympathise, although my focus is more local.

His attention is drawn by the Belgian beer crisis, and he explains how this reflects the conflict over differing attutudes to the response to the economic crisis.

On the one hand corporate debt has been built up to an unsupportable level, but heavy job losses in an important export-oriented industry could have wider consequences for the speed and sustainability of the recovery.

Mike attacks the mainstream TV media for neglecting its' duty to provide enough scrutiny on matters of widepread interest and importance.

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Past Recommended Reading List

The Local Government Information Unit has nominated Reading councillor Daisy Benson for an award as one of 5 representatives across the whole country for their efforts at the forefront of the sphere of online activism.

The award is designed to highlight politicians who have "embraced new technologies and used them positively to communicate with communities" in order that their example can be used as a way to encourage best practise.

Congratulations must be given to Cllr Benson, who explains how she has picked up lots of issues concerning members of the public through her engagement with social networking sites.

Apart from her blogging, and being highly active on twitter and facebook, she also cites the innovative use of online video and photo sharing sites which have enabled her to use communication technology to push for political change and improvement.

The full list if nominations are:

Cllr Daisy Benson, Reading
Cllr Tim Cheetham, Barnsley
Cllr Ross Grant, Leicester
Cllr Alex Perkins, Canterbury
Cllr Steve Tierney, Cambridgeshire

Meanwhile ward colleague Cllr Glenn Goodall has been a reluctant convert to the advantages of online technologies, but decides the recent snowy period has convinced him of the power to make a positive difference when it is used well.

And Alan Bunce powerfully explains how he is won over by the immediacy and accuracy of new media to bypass propagation of negative ideological messages.

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Update: Reading Post gets a quote from Cllr Benson, who says

"People sometimes dismiss tools like Twitter when really they should embrace them. It’s important to break down barriers between politicians and the people they represent to improve understanding on both sides."

However some commenters seem all too willing to dismiss the award on the grounds the LGiU is a public affairs advocacy group which saves taxpayers money by working to improve political services and championing local democracy. It was itself awarded 'Think-Tank of the Year' at the Public Affairs News Awards in 2008.

Oranjepan says:
It seems that Cllr Benson's selection to fight the general election in Reading West for the LibDems is at least partly off the back of the reputation and profile she has gained online - Labour and Conservative opponents will be concerned that the ability this provides her with to reach voters directly will have a big impact on the outcome of the result.

@carocat is a one of the tweetiest people locally (over 27,000 to date) and something of a pioneering user of digital communications.

So she is well placed to give an informed view of the risks and concerns of social interactions through emerging media.

In an authoratitive article she offers some fascinating insights as she explores some of the concerns about digital identity - particularly when and where it crosses over into real life!

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Related reading: Discovering The Faces Behind The Name, Geeks Get Organised

Media industry watchdog, the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has come under heavy fire over the past couple of days as a new row over freedom of speech has broken out.

At the annual Society of Editors lecture PCC chairperson, Baroness Peta Buscombe, called the use of so-called super injunctions "a constitutional outrage."

She argued that developments in technology have created an irrevocable shift in favour of the freedom of speech, but this required conscious restraint by those who value that freedom in order that it is protected from future changes in the law.

The former parliamentary candidate for Slough criticised the use of hyperbole and "shouty headlines" by newspapers and warned that they may prove counter-productive and lead to bad legislation as organisations and individuals try to protect themselves from any detrimental impact.

She described it as symptomatic of a 'dysfunctional democracy' that the media was forced to fill the 'democratic deficit' during the expenses affair.

You can read her full speech here (and quite entertaining it is too).

The speech came as Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger resigned from the PPC's code committee after it emerged a parliamentary inquiry was misled during the News Of The World 'phone-hacking' investigation and calls have been made for the Baroness to resign.

Lines have been drawn between the former Conservative party Vice-Chairman and Labour-supporting Guardian (part of the same company which owns our local Reading Post) as this media battle underscores the general election contest.

All this may seem somewhat distant, but it matters for anyone with a blog.

Media correspondent Roy Greenslade explains that the PCC hopes to regulate the blogosphere.

He also reports on the efforts to resist the suppression of free speech, reprinting a draft open letter of complaint which you can sign online at Liberal Conspiracy.

Local reaction

It is interesting to watch how this overtly political debate provides a clear dividing line across the blogosphere - liberals and left-wingers are clearly more concerned than conservatives and right-wingers.

Jane Griffiths is obviously concerned about the potential impact on restricting criticism, although there is clearly a distinction between news reporting and comment.

Mark Reckons is more imaginative - he raises the important point about legitimacy: that all regulation should be matched by representation... so if the PCC wishes to regulate blogs then bloggers must be represented on the editorial board to stand up for bloggers' concerns.

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Update: Matt Blackall is concerned about how the media can be targetted as a means to silence opposition.

Oranjepan asks:
What do you think?

If you have a blog please comment below to say how you feel about the prospect of being regulated and potentially taken to court for what you publish.

Digital Identity was a major issue discussed at the first Reading Geek Night, and it's definitely something which we're interested in here surveying local news from our treetop perch.

While meeting people face-to-face remains the best way to build trust, how we associate with each other as social media gains an increasing foothold in society is growing as a topic of importance.

Previously I raised the subject of the psychological pressure of being a publicly recognisable figure and how this can affect the ability of an individual to do their job.

Mental health experts concluded in a report that stigmatising chosen identities is a political tactic to restrict information and limit freedom of individual expression which can have serious consequences.

However Graham Jones reports on new research showing that avoiding social media as everyone else gets a blog and hooks up to facebook or twitter could be increasing the social isolation which is at the root of many public health problems.

And in a neat coincidence local bloggers have addressed the issue from their own unique perspectives.

Mr London Street writes up a fascinating reflection on his flowering fame as he was recognised for the first time when buying his morning coffee.

It's obviously been uppermost in his thoughts recently since he's been wining and dining a series of classy female writers he's met though their blogs.

Elsewhere Tim Liew also considers the issue of public identity.

He reports on the unveiling of notorious blogger Belle Du Jour and compares her to former US vice-presidential candidate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. In a powerful statement he asks:

"Who, really, is prostituting themselves here? Who is distorting the truth more? And who would you trust? The established bestselling author recounting her time as a high-class escort, or the soon-to-be bestselling author attempting to rewrite history to further her unbridled lust for higher office?"

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Update: The issue of identity and data security has been brought into focus over the past day as it emerges employees at telecom company T-Mobile have been engaged in one of the biggest breaches of the law ever - selling the personal information they were entrusted to protect.

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham is pushing the case as grounds to introduce prison sentences for serious breaches of data protection laws.

Geeks have recently started reclaiming the term as a means of empowerment.

And now they are using this to create a social movement pressuring for change.

The group has set up its' own blog home to raise awareness of the issues tech-conscious 'geeks' are into.

They advertise their first night, which Katharine Robinson explains has been built out of the success of Twitter in enabling people to make new connections via technology.

However she's more interested in the prospect of being near a bar than in the details of coding and pushing for coding to be introduced into the national curriculum!

Simon May was also in attendance and he got wrapped up in discussions about digital identity and how different media formats can co-exist in a symbiotic relationship.

Both Simon and AmyKate have published albums of photos from the event, just to prove they do exist and what the 'geeks' really look like!

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Update: bennuk provides a summary of his presentation on 'digital identity'.

Reading Geek Night writes up its' own review of its' first night.

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Follow the Twitter hashtag #rdggeek for more information - the next meeting will be on 7th December.

It's always causes a stir of excitement when TV provides a forum for recognisable public figures to go head-to-head in confrontation.

Although this week's event was no competition for the recent controversy caused by the appearance of BNP leader Nick Griffin on the BBC's flagship political debating programme local intrest was piqued because it took place in Reading and a representative sample of local residents were on hand in the audience to give a flavour of public opinion on the issues.

You can watch it again for the next week on the BBC's iPlayer.

Over on my other blog I was bitten by the bug of anticipation and started the build-up by asking what the main topics of discussion were likely to be.

The BBC handily provided a resume of the panelists, who included:

Labour's Peter Hain MP (he recently declared he would boycott the programme in the aftermath of the BNP affair);
Conservative Nick Herbert MP;
Former Veritas MEP and BBC presenter, Robert Kilroy-Silk;
Comedienne, Times contributor and Humanist, Natalie Haynes; and
Former Metropolitan Police Commisioner Sir Ian Blair.

Mark Reckons provided his usual excellent service and covered it live with his message board - highly entertaining reading it makes too!

Mark's live survey suggested 2-out-of-every-3 people think David Cameron's decision not to offer a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty now that the Czech courts have approved ratification is a climbdown, while 4-out-of-5 think this will upset potential tory voters.

On the deployment of troops in Afghanistan 94% of respondents said our strategy is not working.

But while there was an almost even split on whether MPs deserve a pay rise only 1-in-6 said it was politically feasible.

A similar number (1-in-6) thought the Government was right to sack Professor David Nutt.

For those of you with more patience than me, you're welcome to pick through the BBC Have Your Say forum, home of the widest range of commenters online.

-

Update: Reading Forum's commenters are uninspired by the edition.

Piwacket says they were scraping the bottom of the barrel with panelists, while Riverside turns his attention in reverse, noting how the Labour party managed to pack the audience.

Oranjepan says:
Frankly it's amazing how much can be packed into just over an hour of TV time, but for an occasion on a wet November 5th (or maybe because of it) it was more of a damp squib than a display of fireworks.

Reading East MP, Rob Wilson (Conservative) is facing an increasing barrage of criticism after he issued a press release prematurely claiming credit for the community campaign to save a local pub.

Local media outlets picked up the announcement and published reports repeating Mr Wilson's claims, which were subsequently picked up by Green party blogger Adrian Windisch.

Adrian notes that it is a grassroots and cross-party effort, but Mr Wilson claims he 'spearheaded' the campaign, despite not attending any meetings of the Jollydarity committee, nor appearing among the 227 members of the 'Save The Jolly Angler' facebook group.

Mr Wilson pre-emptively named the company which he says has already concluded negotiations, thereby putting a potential deal at risk, whilst also stating that the restrictive covenant placed on the sale of the property by current owners Enterprise Inns has been removed - a fact which is yet to be confirmed.

Reading Post removed an article (see here) it published online after receiving numerous complaints, replacing it with a short statement that the Jolly Anglers is 'rumoured' to be re-opening.

They quote West Berkshire Brewery spokesman Dave Maggs, who said, "Negotiations are ongoing and that is all I can say."

Meanwhile BBC Berkshire and Reading 107fm amended their articles after outraged campaigners got in contact, while Reading Chronicle undertook a complete rewrite to change the emphasis.

The Chronicle's Newsdesk quotes Mr Wilson's statement that he was "delighted that this has been resolved and we have saved a great British pub from disappearing," but adds a contradictory statement from WBW director Karen Baum, who said she was 'hopeful' a deal would be concluded, but that it was still too early to confirm anything at this stage.

LibDem parliamentary candidate Cllr Gareth Epps made an implicit attack on the man he hopes to unseat at the General Election, saying that any suggestion of the "pub reopening is only speculation at this stage, and it would be irresponsible to say anything that could put negotiations in jeopardy."

Oranjepan says:
Mr Wilson's desperate attempt to curry favour by providing local news organisations with a cheap and inaccurate headline has damaged his reputation and embarrassed editors.

-

Background: Save Our Pubs!

There have been some significant movers since last month.

Mark Reckons continues his astonishing march up the charts by overtaking Wokingham's Conservative MP to become the No1 Berkshire blogger - and it looks like he's not stopping there!

Nationally-renowned communications professional Neville Hobson jumps into the top-5, while Cllr Dave Luckett makes a spectacular leap (90%) as the main beneficiary of the scoop interview fed to Conservatives by BBC Berkshire presenter Andew Peach which had Labour candidate Naz Sarkar digging himself into a hole.

Elizabeth Thomas, Tony Partridge, June Stoute, The Rock God and Flashing Blade all got into the swing of things with significant rises, but overall the main theme appears to be the continuing consolidation over the top of the chart by elected politicians as demonstrated by Thatcham's Cllr Lee Dillon.

But less of the preambles - here's the ranked list according to Wikio: -

#21 - Mark Reckons (+10)
#47- John Redwood's Diary (-19)
#95 - Boulton & Co (-21)
#230 - Neville Hobson.com (+812)
#253 - Reading List (+56)
#280 - Richard Willis's Blog (+79)
#452 - Bracknell Blog (+81)
#486 - Redlands Libdems (-3)
#652 - Clive Davis (+28)
#654 - Cllr Ricky Duveen (+363)
#655 - Scaryduck (-206)
#674 - Jane Is The One (-27)
#682 - Was Was 'ere (+277)
#885 - naws (-34)
#894 - Cllr Prue Bray (+118)
#918 - Want to be a free thinker, but still a nice person (+1895)
#920 - Cllr Dave Luckett (+8548)
#958 - Green Reading (-106)
#1012 - Reading Roars (-298)
#1156 - Sean Green's Blog (-593)
#1284 - Cllr Glenn Goodall (-576)
#1336 - Gideon Mack - Orangutan (-321)
#1356 - Andy Peacock (-152)
#1393 - windsorfirestation.co.uk (+317)
#1529 - Para//elism (+13314)
#1610 - Bloggy Blanc (-405)
#1622 - British Royal Wedding (+1991)
#1638 - NYOOTW (-752)
#1705 - DTT's Memoirs (+13586)
#1790 - Through A Peep Hole (+13873)
#1847 - gCO2e (-831)
#1895 - Cllr Lee Dillon (+28048)
#1932 - Grasp The Mettle (-854)
#1933 - David Burbage's Weblog (-854)
#1987 - The Flashing Blade (+7480)
#2100 - Right To Common Sense (-896)
#2262 - Beasley's Place (-941)
#2541 - Thames Valley Mums Blog (-900)
#2707 - Ticking To A Different Tock (-999)
#2708 - Windsor Judo Club (-999)
#2709 - EJBC (-998)
#3569 - Marketing By Permission (-1343)
#3705 - Libertarian Party South East (-1993)
#4024 - The Mysterious World Of Matt Blackall (-1318)
#4025 - Adrian Hollister (-1318)
#4026 - East Berkshire Green Party (-1318)
#5166 - Ramblings of a Pheasant Plucker (-1004)
#5167 - Berkshire Websites (+661)
#5168 - Berkeley Blog (+1476)
#5169 - Thames Rail (+3538)
#5170 - matthewmillen.co.uk (+3647)
#5171 - Sophie Berkshire Escort (+3987)
#5172 - The Age Of Stupidity (+4294)
#5173 - Cllr Emma Warman (+4296)
#5174 - Brian Moore - KAMInsighter (+6038)
#5175 - The Timber Yard (+8304)
#5176 - ClayHill Newbury (+9090)
#5177 - Ramblings of the Bum-Nosed Weasel (+9108)
#5178 - berkshireborn (+9118)
#5179 - Basildon Blog (+9138)
#5180 - Greening St John's (+9316)
#5181 - Volunteering With RISC (+9327)
#5182 - Prof Will Hughes (+9339)
#5183 - z0man's Political Thoughts (+9375)
#5184 - Treetops - One-day Classes in Newbury (+9596)
#5185 - Sport Minded (+9597)
#5186 - my random rants (+9642)
#5187 - Knit Happens In Newbury (+9678)
#5188 - hang-on (+9685)
#5189 - Owt4Nowt (+9767)
#5190 - The rise and rise of social media in UK retail (+10013)
#5191 - mishaps (+10049)
#5192 - what's the idea (+10141)
#5193 - dot.green (+10167)
#5194 - Slouching Towards Thatcham (+10410)
#5195 - Woz Write's (+10418)
#5196 - Stumbling blocks to stepping stones (+10476)
#5197 - Let's push the big red button anyway (+10514)
#5198 - Some Thoughts (+10518)
#7277 - Goring-on-Thames (-1213)
#14529 - The Blogshire of Thiessen's on Thames (New Entry)
#14726 - Kurly Wurly (-292)
#14775 - Yasmin (-281)
#14858 - Magic Photography (-257)
#15088 - Macbeth Insurance Brokers (-176)
#15163 - Reading Youth Sikh Association (-150)
#15167 - Reading Toy Run (-150)
#15307 - Scribblings (-166)
#15441 - Jazz From Geoff (-57)
#15696 - View From The Tower Of London (-16)
#15705 - John Llewellyn Blogs France (-15)
#15706 - John Llewellyn Blogs (-15)
#29002 - WendyHouse (New Entry)
#29003 - Katesgrove Libdems (New Entry)
#29004 - Independent Jones (New Entry)
#29005 - Naz Sarkar (New Entry)
#29007 - Puglia2010 (New Entry)
#29009 - The Reading Fan (New Entry)
#29010 - sheepdrove (New Entry)
#29011 - 106 points and 99 points (New Entry)
#29012 - Phil Spray (New Entry)
#29015 - Baba Mzungu (New Entry)
#29016 - Jim Anning (New Entry)
#29017 - PKS Property blog (New Entry)
#29018 - thamesvalley.org.uk (New Entry)
#29019 - Bucolic Frolics (New Entry)
#29028 - Visions of Future Past (New Entry)

-

Of course no ranking system will ever be definitive so Reading List encourages all bloggers to participate and apply to add their blog to the Wikio directory - the more the merrier.

If you are a Berkshire blogger or you know of a site you think we may have missed, please let us know in the comments section.

Almost as if on cue, Cllr Willis raises the issue of a mooted code of conduct for politicians and their use of social media.

He cites the current state of regulation, as covered by the current councillors code of conduct and libel laws, before asking - somewhat rhetorically - whether his blog should be regulated. He then goes on to argue - somewhat contradictorily - that anything which seeks to constrain freedom of expression should not be to the detriment of the public interest.

He says that changes proposed by Thanet council seem to set a 'heavy-handed' precedent and adjudges them premature.

However, with Whitehall recently having published a 20-page document governing the use of Twitter [ref], a number of local proposals around the country addressing the issue ahead of the Standards Board for England's consideration of new statutory measures at its national conference in October [ref] and Japan using electoral law to control public communications during forthcoming elections [ref] (among many others), the matter could hardly be more current.

In Berkshire there have been a number of cases where behaviour isn't exemplary, and the issue of anonymous comments by members of all sides (including on this site) means that transparency and accountability aren't always absolute.

Primary among examples is Cllr Swaine's MuckspReading which provided a regular diet of satire and spoofs. Although a standards board hearing concluded the present code did not apply in that specific case the site was voluntarily discontinued as it was clearly becoming a conflict of interest as he became an active voice on council committees.

Meanwhile Cllr Swaine identifies another casualty of the fray.

He describes Tyler's World Of Reading as a "Standard Tory rant masquerading as humour", which was signed off by it's author (the pseudonymous self-styled voice of the ordinary oppressed common man, 'Wat Tyler') in a move which he states "will become apparent in good time."

Reading List understands Andrew Waters intends to restand as the Conservative councillor candidate for Abbey Ward, but was reminded of previous online indiscretions and therefore decided to avoid causing further damage to his side.

According to Jane Griffiths' inside information Labour activists have been officially warned off engaging with the public through social media, though whether this is because they fear additional electoral damage to that suggested by polls or because the party bosses don't trust their ordinary members is not known.

More generally Gil S provides an interesting discussion of the issues from a non-partisan Quaker perspective. She notes how Facebook and blogging require a strategic vision, concluding that it is better to be safe than sorry as it is impossible to know exactly what effect words may have on those who hear them.

Meanwhile Theale Village provides a succinct introduction to Twitter, arguing that there is always value in any communication however small, and inferring that education is the only real way to raise standards and get best value from the service.

Elsewhere in the professional sphere a whole industry has been built out of providing advice on how and what to say through social media communication channels - any of which should be consulted by a hesitant n00b.

Nikki Pilkington rounds up the three main areas of social media with a collection of links including some of the pitfalls.

Maidenhead-based eCommerce professional James Gurd gives an excellent summary of the main concepts to grasp when using social media, Aldermaston communications expert Graham Jones shows his unswerving expertise by describing how to make it work for you, while Wokingham's nationally reknowned communications guru Neville Hobson provides a collection of best practices.

The name of the game is relationship-building, and that means a bit of give and take on each side - Ant Hodges recalls a talk given by Grant Leboff to a Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce lunch, while Nigel Morgan singles-out the bad netiquette of one Newbury estate agent for a free lesson (learnt).

Carloyn Williams and tinnion are clearly worried about the distancing effect, but agree that spreading a bit of positive charisma is the best way to get your personality across, while Katharine Robinson reminds us that not everything can be policed or controlled.

-

Jim Anning helpfully resorts to diagrams to show us what he means.

...is what it's being called.

Conservative executive member in West Berkshire and Purley-on-Thames representative Cllr David Betts is facing strong criticism after he unleashed a barrage of offensive comments against his political opponents via social-media microblogging network Twitter.

The incident started when Theale's Cllr Alan Macro (LibDem) gave an interview on local radio station 107fm on June 23rd regarding the recently lodged outline planning application for Pincent's Hill and White Hart Meadow.

Cllr Betts wrote the update:

"Woke to Alan Macro talking bollocks on 107FM. Failed to point out we are consulting on housing in Theale, or that it is Government imposed."

Cllr Macro soon responded that Cllr Betts' language was "immoderate, unnecessary and did not conform to his council's requirement to treat people with respect."

The war of words threatened to bubble over into official business, but council leader Cllr Graham Jones refused to take any questions on the potential subject of an official code of conduct when Cllr Betts presented a report into an ongoing review of the authority's ICT strategy.

Cllr Betts was less than penitant when he subsequently sent an apology to Cllr Macro, saying "you have to accept a bit of knocking about on Twitter" and "I've got to ask whether there was really anything to get upset about."

He then fired his second barrel of criticism by taking offence that his apology wasn't acknowledged.

Meanwhile local PR guru Nigel Morgan says 'shame on Cllr Betts' for his bad manners, and wryly notes how the inconsistency in the excuse of the "foul-beaked local politician" given Cllr Betts has "ignored repeated invites to join the debate over his own bad language on Twitter".

The Newbury-based Public Relations professional delved deeper into the episode and highlights Cllr Betts' self-description: "He calls himself a PR Consultant on his Twitter bio, but it doesn’t take a great deal of PR savvy to know becoming the story isn’t such great practice, especially online when it will be around long after..."

Another nugget of information came from Cllr Betts' discussion with ConservativeHome editor Tim Montgomery, in which he was clearly seeking advice on how best to defuse the embarrassment caused. He Twittered: "On reflection, I should not have used the term, for which I apologise. However, mountains and molehills spring to mind."

Nigel Morgan compares Cllr Bett's online habits to that of a stroppy teenager and forcefully argues that this is completely inapropriate for a man in such a senior position in public office - and it is apperently far from being just a one-off slip from a grumpy old man who woke up on the wrong side of bed!

Using the case as an example of bad practice in social media he concludes: "Don’t swear on Twitter. (Especially if you are an elected councillor!)" and "Don’t swear in business... unless you really have to!"

And just to reiterate the consensus view within the industry, Swindon-based Ant Hodges is emphatic: "Swearing does not belong in any professional business context."