A Tangled Web

Setting the Record Straight



Just why Mick Fealty over on Slugger O Toole decided to insert this thread about our attempts to gain extra recognition is a mystery. Both David and I have made comments about Slugger's perceived bias and the selectively censorious attitude of the moderators there. Contrarily, Fealty's thread is, I believe, an exercise in gloating: he posts an, ostensibly, anodyne thread and then sits back contentedly whilst the 'contributors' (some of whom even delude themselves into thinking they're intelligent) take the chance to direct vituperative bile at A Tangled Web as well as making unsubstantiated attacks on David and I. If Fealty chooses to challenge us on issues relating to Northern Ireland, then all well and good. If, however, he chooses the path of denigration by proxy, I feel a fitting response should be forthcoming.



A Tangled Web offers discourse on a range of topics. We cover Ulster's political situation, the rise of Islam, a critique of global terrorism, analysis of American presidential politics, perspectives on social morality, studies on British Conservatism, constitutional law, the defence of Israel and, on some occasions, light-hearted commentary designed more to engender laughter than bitterness. By contrast, Slugger's political monotypicality is self-evident. Most of our threads take a considerable amount of compilation (unlike those on Slugger which barely exceed 50 words per blog on average) and a considerable amount of time - despite the fact that we both hold full-time employment. Also, unlike Fealty's Internet domain, A Tangled Web is operated by only two people. If the denizens of Slugger wish to make comparisons based on quality and sheer effort, instead of resorting to inane sarcasm triggered by blind personal prejudices, then I think they should consider what I have said here.



David and I live 260 miles apart (he in Co Down and I in West Yorkshire). We have no advance knowledge of the content of each other's posts and we may not always agree on some issues. Nonetheless, we are both guided by a desire to make A Tangled Web a widely recognised forum for those who are frankly fed-up with the Left-wing polemicism of our journalistic and televisual media in general, and the ever-present nationalist slant on Ulster politics in particular.



Irish republicanism has invaded political Internet sites like a cancer. Whether it be the Talkback message board on BBC Northern Ireland or Slugger O Toole, web domain after web domain has been infiltrated by the IRA's cheerleaders in an attempt to browbeat everybody else into their warped way of thinking. Rest assured that won't be allowed to happen here. A Tangled Web is unapologetically pro-Union and is more than prepared to metaphorically 'hammer home' the point. The fact that we seem to have had a good deal of success may account for the basis of Fealty's aforementioned thread and its consequent responses.



This brings me to the type and variety of messages we receive. They can be broadly placed in three categories:



1) General Commentators. This category consists of people such as Emily, Joc, John, Luke and others whose names escape me for a moment (they know who they are). These commentators may or may not be pro-Union in sentiment, but they are always courteous, often funny and a delight to read. Long may they continue to visit the site.



2) Respectable Nationalists. Colm is the principal contender for this category. He and I have had some heated debates in the past and we could never agree on the future of Northern Ireland; but he is, in the main, a welcome and polite contributor - a person I have a large amount of respect for.



3) Neanderthal Republicans. The rise of this group worries me. Here we see people like Moses hiding behind a unconvincing veneer of self-proclaimed sagacity, or IRA-obsessed cretins like Liam O'Raiste (please ensure sufficient saliva capacity before pronunciation). The former hangs around here like a Catholic priest in a boarding school dormitory - always long on quips but short on style; whilst the latter's very existence calls into question the validity of discourse on human evolution. These two munchkins, coupled with 'Dec' (four letters out and with a missing 'k') on Slugger would do themselves a favour if they concentrated on pursuits of a fitting intellectual level - Sesame Street for example.