Sunday, November 08, 2009

Sadie's Tavern Calls Time


I was very sad to see the Sadie's Tavern blog is shutting up shop. Sadie has been a breath of fresh air and has a unique way of writing about serious subjects with a very dry sense of humour. She explains her decision...
I get the distinct impression that, after the next election, there will be little room for a tongue-in-cheek writing. I've met the future and it seems to comprise of grimly delivering leaflets with the word "PROGRESSIVE" in them in the pouring rain whilst wearing a hairshirt made out Fabian pamphlets and calling for "national debates" about stuff of interest only to the New Statesman editorial team and the dullest of policy wonks... I can see the blogospheric future and I have no wish to be part of if it. And truth be told, I'm not a good blogger - I don't blog regularly enough on the "correct" issues, and when I do it is with too much levity.

What a sad indictment of blogging, if what she says turns out to be true. I think all bloggers go through periods when they wonder if what they do is worth the candle. I know I do. Some of the abuse has to be see to be believed. But in the end you pick yourself up, dust yourself down and refuse to let the bastards get to you. I'm truly sorry that for Sadie blogging is no longer any fun. I hope I don't reach that point anytime soon.

23 comments:

Sean said...

I have a blog which (perhaps) has 1/1000th the readership of yours and find I get flames on fairly uncontentious subjects.

A lot of angry people out there looking for a target.

Man in a Shed said...

By the time she's forty perhaps she'll be back with a right of centre blog.

John Moorcraft said...

I think we will almost certainly see a blogging revolution should the Conservative Party win power. It will be interesting to see if some of the leading lights of the conservative bloggersphere are willing to slam their own. I personally think the medium is made for opposition politics and we will see the rise in popularity (and indeed readability) of left wing blogs.

Unknown said...

I think it's fair to suggest that the blogosphere is dominated by fringe politics and more to the point fringe people.

The level of spluttered insanity is quite shocking until you consider that if you were to meet your online critics face to face you'd probably not be too worried what they thought.

Now that you've banned anonymopus posters even I've had to sign up to google or something just to say my piece. I hope I remember it for next time but I probably won't.
Trouble is what with a family, a job and a life, I only get about an hour a week if that.

Kateyo said...

I hope you don't reach it ever. I love reading this blog!

Span Ows said...

Intersting comment by John Moorcraft yet I see plenty of Conservative Party slagging from "right wing" blogs. That said, what he says about the leftwing blogs could be true yet in the USA it was the right wing blogoshere that increased long BEFORE Obama was elected. albiet the immensely successful Obama internet 'phenomena' was about raising money and having an instant 'attack dog' defence when bad stories came out.

Jabba the Cat said...

Ah, a member of the wimin's brigade...won't be missed.

I suspect there will be a few more leftie retreats from the bloggosphere over the next couple of years as the ZaNuLab project self implodes and the reality and breadth of it's failure is exposed to the light of day.

Curmudgeon said...

I suspect once Dave is in power the main opposition in the blogosphere will come from the libertarian right.

The idea of freedom is a very powerful one...

Unknown said...

Wasn't she Hamer Shawcross?

Plato said...

Shame about the Tavern - it was very amusing and insightful at times.

What I can't quite believe that lefties are still whining that they aren't as advanced as those on the right/libertarian end of politics.

As we all know, blogging is an entirely free activity and meritocratic where we get to vent our spleen. So why aren't they using it to further their arguments?

The age of the chap with the sandwich board is almost gone - I do hope a few trusty die-hards continue!

Giles Marshall said...

Blogging has to be a personal endeavour, and prove personally rewarding, otherwise it really is energy best expended elsewhere. They add considerably to the variety, diversity and enjoyment of the web, but inevitably only a few will ever be read in anything more than "passing", if they are even noticed. The ebb and flow of the blogs is part of the hectic nature of web conversation, and it is perhaps pointless to weep for the demise of one amongst millions.

As for yours - well, hard work and commitment make it a regular read for many, including me, and I would miss it in the way I might miss a favourite newspaper column; but good though it is, it remains part of the ephemera of infotainment.

Unknown said...

Ah another fascist goes- one day you'd imagine the entire British blogosphere will become denazified and then at last paradise will reign. Hopefully George and Dave will know what to do, the quicker the left get a bullet in the back of the head the better!

The Grim Reaper said...

What is going on in the blogosphere at the moment? There's an awful lot of left-wing bloggers giving up. It's quite a shame as politics from next year onwards is going to be especially interesting for lefties everywhere. With the Labour Party facing potentially a massive defeat, there's going to be a lot of soul-searching to do. The same kind of soul-searching the Tories had to do after being comprehensively thrashed in 1997.

I'm hoping to start blogging myself in the next few weeks, and my influences are coming from left and right. Say what you like about Derek Draper, but he certainly showed us how not to run a website!

I've never really read Sadie's Tavern, but I don't think I agree with her conclusion. There's always room for humour in the blogosphere. That's partly how Guido Fawkes got so popular. That's partly how Old Holborn gets his point across on his very effective blog. We all need to laugh a lot more.

Oldrightie said...

The Grim Reaper's hardly a good handle for an opening gag! As for slagging off The Tory party, they are back to doing a better job than any blgger might achieve. Hung Parliament for sure.

Roger Thornhill said...

@Curmudgen

The opposition will come from Libertarians, yes, but who are by definition neither "left" nor "right". This is why they rail against LibLabCon, NeoCons and BNP alike.

Anonymous said...

At the turn of the year, and based on the erroneous idea that the Web wins elections, the blogosphere will not be worth reading as all commentators (maybe me included) turn into hyperventilating clones of Guido's co-conspitators.

Newmania said...

Oh puleeez she has as much gsoh as a pall bearer and sounds like ever other prematurely middle-aged girly swot . The combination of left wing politics and pontificating womanhood may be an unavoidable torment but one less is a cause for rejoicing ,surely .

BTW anyone so shallow as to be concerned about some nasty comment on a blog is in dire need of a sense of proportion IMHO.

Road_Hog said...

Well, if you can't take the rough with the smooth, as they say.

Life isn't easy and it seems the youth of today (I'm 44) don't like the school of hard knocks and the university of life.

I wish more of our politicians graduated through the above rather than Oxbridge and that they had QBEs (qualified by experience) instead of BAs/BSCs.

The Grim Reaper said...

Oldrightie said "The Grim Reaper's hardly a good handle for an opening gag!"

Touch my scythe. Then we'll see who's laughing after that.

Michele said...

Newmania -

God forbid that the left and a woman should have a point of view that opposed god's ordained righteous rightwing male.

Personally I shall miss Sadie, even though I don't agree with much of her conclusions, but I shall not miss you one iota when you descend into that darkness that awaits us all - as bloggers that is.

Letters From A Tory said...

It is sad that she feels that way, but it is inevitable that with the blogosphere reaching saturation point, many will feel that it just isn't right anymore.

Old Holborn said...

Hold on a moment.

Anyone can blog. Absolutely anyone. 3 clicks and you have a blog. Absolutely free of charge.

Do not fret over why she has gone. Fret over why people are not queueing up to replace her.

Newmania said...

god's ordained righteous rightwing male.


Hmmm , like it.Now get back to the kitchen and start rattling them pots and pans Michelle