Contra Leveson
Tomorrow, Guido will demonstrate the freedom of the press, in the internet age, empirically. Contra Leveson….
Saturday, November 26, 2011
We’re Off, But Before We Go
Guido is, Aer Lingus allowing, off to the home country this weekend and Neo-Guido is off to Russia, so there is not likely to be anything posted this weekend. Nevertheless Guido is sure co-conspirators will enjoy passing the time reading Toby Young’s patient and fair-minded shredding of Mehdi Hasan’s Debt Delusion, available for £1.79 from Amazon. It is worth enriching Mehdi in a small way to enjoy how his forcefully made assertions have unravelled as the Eurozone debt crisis has worsened. Mehdi’s central claims have been shown by the worsening debt crisis to be false within months of being made.
In the piece Toby notably draws attention to argumentative Mehdi’s often used trick of appealing to the authority of others to back up his opinions, committing the classic fallacy of argumentum ad verecundiam. Guido suspects that is because Mehdi is not confident that his argument stands alone on its own shaky foundations. Toby doesn’t mention thin-skinned Mehdi’s other trait, which reflects badly on him, of just dismissing an argument because someone he finds disagreeable makes it. He will describe the opponent’s argument as “hysterical” or “desperate” when in reality it is just contrary to his own. Mehdi does the converse of argumentum ad verecundiam when he seeks confirmation by disapprobation, dismissing an opposing argument because the proponent is someone he holds in disdain. Mehdi should resist his tendency to do this and take on Toby’s critique head-on.
James Delingpole breaks the eleventh commandment…
“We’re hated by our own because we’re a daily reminder of what cowardly, loathsome ideological sell-outs the rest of our kind are.”
Saturday Seven Up
This week 99,953 visitors made 276,658 visits to view 444,751 pages. The top stories in order of popularity were:
- Farage’s Rage Going Viral
- Up Close and Personnel
- Piers Hits the Spot
- Justice Delayed is Justice Denied
- Fa-Rage Against the Machine Hits Half a Million
- Dale Toys With Sally
- Gordon Finally Wakes Up To Local Crisis
You’re either in front of Guido, or you are behind…
Tobin Distanced Himself From Robin Hood Tax Protesters | FT
Tories Must Move on From Gay Marriage | Ben Brogan
Has the Right Split Irrevocably? | Iain Martin
Dave’s Woes Stem From 2010 | Janan Ganesh
Cameron Has Trashed His Own Brand | Rachel Sylvester
Secret of Farage’s Success | Prospect
It Was Beeb Not Tabloids That Smeared Help For Heroes | Speccie
Alternatives to Business For Britain Are Muppets | Charlie Mullins
Obama Counsel Knew of IRS Claims Weeks Ago | WSJ
Bunga Bunga Trial: Dancing Girls, Nuns, Nurses & Obama | Reuters
Dave Must Learn From Conan the Barbarian | James Kirkup
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Tom Harris bemoans the public’s attitude to politicians…
“Mr Oborne echoes the lazy, anti-politics whine we hear so often these days, all based on the absurd notion that politicians were once loved and only fell out of public favour during the expenses scandal. He should take a walk to the Strangers’ Bar. But not to sup with the patrons he seems to despise so much, dearie me, no; he should instead look at the paintings on the corridor outside the bar, which depict the devastating fire which consumed most of the Palace in 1834. And he should reflect on the fact that on that dramatic night, as the Commons went up in flames, a crowd gathered on the South Bank to clap and cheer.”
Harold Macmillan says:
” Evans, dear boy, Evans “
