It was Friday evening when I first noticed something wasn't quite right. Surfing through my blogroll -- which I regularly do -- I noticed one of my daily reads was missing from the Blogging Tories roll. A quick check of his place confirmed he still had the blogroll up and no posts indicating he had left for any reason. So I fired off a note to ask what was up.
It wasn't long before I got a response which confirmed my growing suspicions. He had been turfed from the blogroll and the aggregator in a unilateral decision by it's administrator, Stephen Taylor, in response to something he posted which Stephen had taken exception to. I had suspected this very thing, only because I had been witness to a similar incident a little over a year ago, with Richard.
Without getting into the ugly details of the various breakups I will say that by all accounts and appearances, I am left with the impression that Stephen aims to excise the more incendiary figures from his blogroll in order to shape a more unified, politically palatable, genericized face for the Canadian Conservative blogosphere. A prudent measure, if your goal is to present the Blogging Tories as a virtual extension of the Conservative party -- a sort of echo chamber information mill, if you will. Unfortunately, that is not what I signed up for because that is not what I was lead to believe the Blogging Tories was meant for.
Don't get me wrong; I fully support Stephen's right to do whatever he chooses with the organization. It has always been his baby and it has steadily grown into something for which he should be very proud. I would never dream of implying that any decision he makes, regarding the direction he wants the group to take, should be subordinated to anyone else, for any reason. The exception I take, is not with the decision itself, but with the impression that it all seems rather arbitrary.
Conservatism as I know it has always taken the form of classic liberalism, which holds among its most sacred tenets, that of the freedom to speak your mind and the expectation that each person be held accountable for their words by those who dissent, through reasoned debate and fair denunciation. Many of us adhere to this principle quite rigorously, defending the expression of even the most abhorrent of statements based on the belief that censorship is an act of far greater offense.
Censorship and the silencing of unsavory opinion is a road littered with the scat of Liberals and Dippers. Those who profess to be Conservatives take this road at their peril, with the assurance that they are likely to get their shoes very dirty.
Stephen is concerned about enabling statements that may be used as embarrassing fodder against the Conservative Party, in the event of an election. Such concern is not unwarranted. It is however, in contradiction with what I was lead to believe our purpose was, as a group.
As a Blogging Tory, I have on many occasions reiterated and defended our autonomy from accusations of collusion with the government and hypocrisy regarding dissent. One post in particular was a personal defense of Stephen and the group, and carried this heartfelt endorsement...
I am a member of the Blogging Tories role, and I believe I can speak for most of us, when I say that I have never been expected to tow the "party line" on any subject. I have never been coerced to post information for the Conservative Party. I have not corroborated with anyone else on the Blogging Tories' roll, to act on behalf of the Conservative Party, in an official (or even unofficial) capacity, in any way. This blog is mine. I post what I want. Sometimes I talk about American politics, lately I've been preoccupied with international events. I have used this page to tout birthday wishes, discuss the book I'm reading, lambaste the rude punk at the Tim Horton's drive-thru, and I have even discussed my propensity for wearing men's underwear. When I discuss Canadian politics, the views I state are mine. My personal opinion. My free right to shout it out, in my little corner of cyberspace. It's all about me, baby. Sometimes I give kudos to the Tories, and often I criticize. And if Stephen or Craig EVER told me that I had no right to do that, and remain on the Blogging Tories role, I would kiss them goodbye and never look back.
I am afraid now that time has come. I did not have a dog in this most recent fight, but I have been witness to this disturbing act of random censure not once or twice, but 4 times. The most recent victim was offered his place back on the roll and he chose to take it -- a decision which was totally his to make. I however, have seen enough to prove to me that this group is not what it purports to be and that my understanding of its purpose was based on a falsely stated premise of shared conservative values and respect for individual opinions. That is what I signed up for. That is what I have ruthlessly defended, time and time again. And that is clearly not a goal shared by those who administer the Blogging Tories.
I like Stephen. I have always enjoyed the few conversations we have had, and I consider him to be an exemplary blogger in his own right. I hold that opinion of many of the bloggers on the Blogging Tories roll and I wish the group nothing but good things, in future campaigns. However, I do believe the time has come for me to leave the fold, with the understanding that there are some principles which we, as bloggers and conservatives, should never breach in the name of political expediency, lest we develop into nothing more than a crutch for a political machine seeking to hold on to power. That is the direction I see this going in. That is why I have removed the blogroll from my sidebar.
Good luck to all the Blogging Tories and thanks for all the fish.
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