How kind of Dick Erixon to label me a part of the leftist establishment. I’ve always wanted to be part of an establishment. And the left – that’s really something. He writes, about the Observer report:
”I rapporten framkommer också kritik mot bloggarna, talande nog mest från dem som tillhör etablissemangen på vänsterkanten.”
Well, Erixon misunderstands me entirely and I think we can agree on many things in the report. The report that I’m quoted in says:
För politikerna kan bloggarna bli märkbara. De kommer att granskas i större utsträckning än tidigare. ”Partiledarna kommer att nagelfaras som aldrig förr av sina meningsmotståndare. Meningsmotståndare som inte bryr sig om journalistiska dygder som saklighet, källkritik och opartiskhet”, sager Hans Kullin…
This is not criticism against blogs per se. It was a comment about what politicians probably will have to face in the next election campaign, namely a variety of bloggers ranging from the serious, professional opinion leaders with well-documented texts, references and so on, to the fanatic lunatic fringe on both ends of the political spectrum who stop at nothing to get their opinion out. There are pros and cons with blogs, but the positive effects outnumber the negative many many times.
But I am not as positive as Erixon that I dare say that only the serious ones will have an audience. If Ny Demokrati managed to get into the Swedish Parliament, I’m sure enough moonbats will be online to stir up a debate also on the not-so-nice blogs.
Erixon lists a number of positive effects blogs will have on the election campaign and I agree on all of them.