Friday 17 January 2014

The Phoenix Arises

The King is dead....Long live the King. The phoenix arises. The New Doctor Who.

The clichés are endless, they all mean the same. A well known, hopefully well respected, figure steps down and is replaced. What will change? What will remain the same? There is a hush. The public hold their breath. Then, the successor speaks.

It is clear to most people who read the blog that TC is a respected piece of work. It is arguably the most independent commentator on public and political matters in Tameside. May I remind people of the "Cohesion" episode in 2008 when the censorship of the local press was exposed? Or the recent "Grim Reaper" episode? In short, we have arrived.

But this is not to say there are no problems, no issues, to be faced and challenged. There is room for improvement, there are changes that need to be made. Changes which have already been made need to be consolidated. So here is the New Manifesto.

Comments will remain on moderation. The possibility that defamatory, abusive or illegal postings could be deliberately placed on the blog in order to close the blog down cannot be dismissed. We have clearly annoyed the powers-that-be and so we must take precautions.

The comments page is often a shambles. Postings are made which bear no relevance to the main article. This is both unprofessional and disappointing to those readers who have made relevant postings. In the future I shall be ruthless! "Where's the relevance?" will be a guiding motto in future. But there is a reverse side of the coin. We shall encourage guest writers to submit items for the main feature. We will encourage any submission with a local connection....and also honest and decent. This is a local Blog and I shall bear this in mind when moderating the comments. We will not ignore events outside Tameside. Central Government decisions which affect Tameside will still be grist for the mill but the relevance of the comment will be of great importance.

Links to other web pages will be discouraged. The possibility that the target site may be changed to something unsuitable cannot be dismissed out of hand. Also private feuds will not be allowed anymore! They spoil our credibility.

Finally, we will encourage "The Whistleblower". If you have a story, tell us.

The first TC did a sterling job. If I appear great it is because I am standing on the shoulder of a giant. Thank you TC. And now....forward to the future.

9 comments:

Tamesider said...

This is a very interesting development. Thankyou to the old TC and welcome to the new. If you do half as good a job as the original TC you will be on to a good thing. Tameside needs sites such as this to keep ordinary citizens in the know.

Anonymous said...

Could I request that all the posts going back to 2007 remain in place and are never deleted? It would represent a great archive for any future local historian and the content makes for fascinating reading.

Bill said...

Good luck to the new TC. As you mentioned, there were far too many comments that were irrelevant to the subject matter posted. Plus it would be nice to finally end the abusive comments made by a small anonymous minority.

Let's hope the new TC is as good as the old one.

Curmudgeon said...

Welcome to the world of cynics. Now I can’t be sure whether I was born cynical, or had cynicism thrust upon me by learning of the antics of Tameside council? Either way, i quickly discovered that these people generally don't like to hear the hard truth about themselves, especially in public.

And with your help and commitment, long may it continue.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a big turn off

tonydj said...

Welcome aboard TC II! Good luck and I look forward to many good posts.

Anonymous said...

In the light of this new TC format a promised update on the Recent Roy West arrest was forthcoming.
Many people say, that Roy West is being persecuted because of his opposition to blood sports.
Many say, that his expenses leaflets made him powerful enemies.
If Roy West, and his family are to be destroyed and taken to the edge of tragedy.
Then these issues need to be talked about and discussed.

Recent: Roy West arrest was he charged? Why did they take his laptop?
You see, many people feel that the police are pushing to cause a tragedy and working on the behalf of the blood sports lobby and the Labour party.
It's all becoming very sinister.
Don't let Roy West and his family be destroyed without getting answers.


Anonymous said...

And don't be blind to the truth.

The R Word said...

Whatever happens this blog must never be afraid to tackle head on issues deemed 'untouchable' by the two headed demon that is the modern politico/media establishment. That goes both locally and nationally.
Freedom of speech is sacrosanct, if some people are offended by, or say they are offended by, certain opinions, views and words, then they should EXPLAIN WHY.