The Wardman Wire

You are browsing the archives of 2008 July.

A quick roundup.

• I have added an “Introduction” article, designed to give visitors a quick understanding of what is going on. It is here.
• The number of sites linked with published articles has increased to 35 as of this morning.
• The Facebook group is up 184 members.

Dave Walker is a cartoonist who runs a popular website, which includes the blogs We Blog Cartoons, Cartoon Church and The Cartoon Blog.

On the morning of July 22nd 2008 he received a cease and desist letter threatening legal action unless he removed 75 posts from his Cartoon Church blog by lunchtime - i.e., half a day’s notice.

These 75 posts had reported the developing situation over a 2 year period in a UK book chain called SPCK, which had been taken over by a company run by Mark Brewer. Dave Walker’s was the main published source reporting the situation, asking questions about the management of the chain, and highlighting the treatment of the employees.

Dozens of bloggers do not think that reasonable comment should be closed down like that, and we are working to support him.

This article is an Introduction to the Campaign to what we are doing and how you can help.

The SNP has pulled off a sensational by-election victory.

Someone is going to be absolutely insufferable.

Oh ‘Eck.

I’m going to wrap my head in a wet towel as a preemptive defence against headache I’m going to get listening to the waves of smugness emanating from the Radio tomorrow morning.

This post list of resources that you can use, places where you can make your points, and some suggestions for further things to do. Everything on this page is under a Creative Commons License, and can be used on your own sites and to make further work.

Briefly, Dave Walker, the official Lambeth Conference Cartoonist in Residence, has taken 75 posts down on his blog after being threatened with Libel Action by the new owner of SPCK - the oldest chain of Anglican Bookshops. He has been reporting the story of alleged mismanagement for two years. Already there are a lot Industrial Tribunals from ex-employees, among other things.

For details of the case, please see my other articles.

It’s that time of year again. From Iain Dale’s blog:

We’re asking for your votes to decide the Top 100 UK Political Blogs. Simply email your Top Ten (ranked from 1 to 10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com. If you have a blog, please encourage your readers to do the same. I’ll then compile the Top 100 from those that you send in. Just order them from 1 to 10. Your top blog gets 10 points and your tenth gets 1 point.

I haven’t decided who I am voting for, but they will be blogs that I have enjoyed and want to help get into the top 200-300 rather than the top 10 - especially writers I like who have been blogging for a couple of hundred posts and may be getting weary, or blogs that are relatively new. However, here are some blogs I will not be voting for.

Yesterday I promised another Hofmeister beer commercial.

This is - apparently - about why bears are extinct in Bavaria.

I have also updated the list of people posting on the Dave Walker Cease and Desist notice. There are now 27 linked.

Remember - follow the bear.