Wotcher!
Could someone please set up a Shiraz Socialist Watch Site? Harry’s Place has got one. David Aaronovitch has got one, and he’s only one bloke, and not even that prolific a writer. Christopher Hitchens has got one, which I find convenient as it links to his articles. I used to go to the Drink Soaked whatevers for that service, but they are no longer with us. Having a Watch site means you have made it, i.e. you’ve got up a collective nose somewhere.
Watch sites that watch one person or one other site in order to abuse them are strange. There are sites like Searchlight that watch and report back on the malevolent BNP and the far right in general which do really useful work, and respect to them for reading racist filth and idiocy that turn my stomach. A fan site of someone you admire, say a musician or a band, is of course absolutely fine, where you share your pleasure with the like-minded and pay the tribute that is due to talent. But an anti-fanzine site is the equivalent of keeping on going to hear a band that you really dislike so that you can then get together with your cronies and say how terrible they are. What’s the point? Why waste the time?
These sites always come across as barmy and obsessive, set up and maintained by stalkers in rain coats, jotting in scruffy notebooks and then meeting in someone’s room to cackle together over the horribleness of their targets. Or they are like a coven of extremely bitchy schoolgirls rolling their eyes at each other and saying, “Did you see what she was wearing today? I couldn’t believe it. Not even from her!”
Update:- There is a Shiraz Socialist watch site here.
Further update:- Some of the comments below hint that this post is politically biased. It was not meant to be. It is merely that the watch sites for Harry’s Place, Christopher Hitchens and David Aaronovitch are the watch sites I am most familiar with. If there are watch sites for Socialist Unity or Lenin’s Tomb, or even watch sites for HPWatch (HPWatchWatch?) Hitchenswatch or Aaronovitchwatch I should be pleased to add them to my list of sites set up by the crazily obsessive and grossly parochial. In the meantime, I deeply regret the offence I have caused and apologise to the victims and their families for any distress they may have felt.
John Meredith said,
August 26, 2009 at 10:12 am
The Aaronovitch one is particularly weird. I mean, Aaronovitch of all people. There is a powerfully sexual sense of obsession about it. I imagine the writers stealing his underwear from the clothesline. It also seems to have morphed into a sort of unofficial Cohen watch site as well since I last looked (a long time ago). I can’t think what it is about the Cohens and Aaronovitches of this world that gets them so hot and bothered.
skidmarx said,
August 26, 2009 at 12:59 pm
John Meredith – there is a powerfully sexual sense of obsession about you. I imagine you stealing underwear from clotheslines and then projecting this activity on others.
The ex-lefts comprising the Decent Left seem to be the target of Aarowatch and it’s like, providing a stream of corrections to their supposedly intellectual musings.I’m not surprised by your lack of understanding of why they do it, given the cravenly pro-imperialist outlook displayed here.
Noone’s going to Watch you if you’ve got nothing much to say, and scare of any visitors you do have (such as by posing as johng’s psychiatrist).
BuckR said,
August 26, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Skid,
I agree this sites pathetic apologising for imperialism makes me sick.
I take offence that they use the word socialist in their title.
They should be called Harry’s Place lite
charliethechulo said,
August 26, 2009 at 11:09 pm
BuckR: “Shiraz” id “Harry’s Place Lite”? Compare the post about Ted Kennedy (above) with this:
http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/08/26/rip-ted-kennedy/
..then come back with your “Harry’s Place Lite” nonsense.
Gene said,
August 27, 2009 at 2:32 am
BuckR: “Shiraz” id “Harry’s Place Lite”? Compare the post about Ted Kennedy (above) with this:
http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/08/26/rip-ted-kennedy/
..then come back with your “Harry’s Place Lite” nonsense.
Yeah, but then compare the comments to my HP post.
maxdunbar said,
August 27, 2009 at 9:03 am
I always thought Resistor might set up a Shiraz watch site, his comments are all of that obsessive focused style.
Waterloo Sunset said,
August 27, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Has to be said, that HPWatch is pretty well written and actually rather funny. I think I might have a virtual crush on whoever’s responsible. Mostly for her comments on the relative shaggability of Oliver Kamm and Lenin.
Laban Tall said,
August 27, 2009 at 11:35 pm
I’m doing what I can !
sackcloth and ashes said,
August 28, 2009 at 1:26 pm
‘Mostly for her comments on the relative shaggability of Oliver Kamm and Lenin.’
Seeing as the latter is currently embalmed and in a public place I find that quite worrying
johng said,
August 28, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Its a satire of right wing US blogs. geddit? (yawn).
Waterloo Sunset said,
August 29, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Seeing as the latter is currently embalmed and in a public place I find that quite worrying
Would it be lowering the tone of this serious discussion to make a joke about rigor mortis and “remaining stiff”?
Max Dunbar said,
August 29, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I’m not sure there are any notches left at the bottom of the scale!
d.z. bodenberg said,
August 31, 2009 at 4:07 am
There was a Southpawpunchwatch, wasn’t there? Or did he run that himself, along with the other son-of SPP sites?