Banned from Blogging

Blogged by James Preece on 15th June 2012

Not me! That was just a cheeky headline to make you click through.

Nine year old Martha has been blogging photos of her school dinners and Argyll and Bute Council (who have absolutely nothing to hide you understand) have now banned her after newspaper headlines that made them look bad.

Since my blog became well read we have had a special visitor at school who wears a white coat and hair net. She looks at my food when I am walking away from the queue. I think she stays there and looks at everyone's and then she looks at what goes in the bin when serving has finished. Not much went in the bin today!

[link]

This morning in maths I got taken out of class by my head teacher and taken to her office. I was told that I could not take any more photos of my school dinners because of a headline in a newspaper today.

I only write my blog not newspapers and I am sad I am no longer allowed to take photos. I will miss sharing and rating my school dinners and I’ll miss seeing the dinners you send me too. I don’t think I will be able to finish raising enough money for a kitchen for Mary’s Meals either.

Goodbye,

[link]

I don't know what's worse - the sleazy council that won't let a little girl share photos of the food they give her, or the fact that this is behaviour I first encountered in the Catholic Church. My wife, by the way, is still not allowed to blog.

Here's an idea oh mighty bureaucracieswith nothing to hide - how about instead of silencing blogs, you make things less rubbish instead. Yeah? That could work...

Anyways, the council are getting exactly the publicity they deserve.

Meanwhile, Martha was raising money for Mary's Meals which is an excellent charity so please get on over there and give them some money.

h/t @blondpidge

Rate this blogentry: + -

This Item Tagged With:

Reader Comments

Salisbury John said...

What was that about"mighty bureacracies with nothing to hide?" [like stopping people like Michael Voris perhaps??]
The Vatican does not plan to allow individual bloggers or private Catholics to use ".catholic,"
The Vatican is in line to control the new Internet address extension ".catholic" and decide who is allowed to use it, reports the Catholic News Service.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a nonprofit corporation that coordinates the assignment of Internet domain names and addresses around the world, announced the Vatican's formal application yesterday in London.

The corporation is overseeing a huge expansion in the number of Internet extensions beyond the standard .com, .org., .edu and .gov. The extensions formally are known as generic top-level domains. The assignment of country-code top-level domains, like the Vatican's own .va, will not be affected by the change.

Msgr Paul Tighe (pictured), secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said that the Vatican's application to control the top-level domain .catholic "is a recognition of how important the digital space is for the church."

Controlling the top-level domain "will be a way to authenticate the Catholic presence online," Msgr Tighe said. The Vatican plans to allow "institutions and communities that have canonical recognition" to use the extension, "so people online - Catholics and non-Catholics - will know a site is authentically Catholic."

The Vatican does not plan to allow individual bloggers or private Catholics to use ".catholic," Msgr. Tighe said. Use of the domain would be limited to those with a formal canonical recognition.

Mark Dobson said...

Eh?

You seem to be suggesting that something is wrong with that, which I fail to see, at first glance. It certainly doesn't seem to have much to do with hiding anything.

James said...

I just wish they would do the same thing with schools... :)

Mark Dobson said...

And what if they did? You wouldn’t be able to set up a website on the scholastic domain – boo chuffing hoo.

Still seems like a bit of fuss about nothing from my perspective.

James said...

I was more meaning the Church should be more discerning about which schools get to be called "Catholic".

Mark Dobson said...

Oh, right! Well, if you will insist on being so laconic… :)

Theoretically it’s down to the local orindary isn’t it? I remember it coming up when there was all that mess about “Catholic” adoption charities toeing the government line.

New Friend said...

Having read and watched Michael Voris I can quite understand why your Church would seek to stop him using their name. This just seems common sense to me. Its a bit like making sure no-one steals your identity or posts things online pretending to be you. Yours is a top down organisation so it is hardly surprising that the top seeks to maintain control.

Catherine said...

I predict that it will be the beginnings of a benign dictatorship over individual Catholic bloggers. i.e. if you're not canonically Catholic - you're not "Catholic".... Ok so as James says re schools let's see how consistent they are when it comes to websites advocating things like the infamous Soho "gay masses"....

Mark Dobson said...

Imprimaturs and nihil obstats could be employed just as easily to achieve the same nefarious ends…

Fr. John Abberton said...

This is just so annoying!! It makes me so angry to see an enterprising child treated in this unfair, "mealy"-mouthed,....I just do not have the words. It makes me want (but I can't) to go over to that Council's offices and throw a custard pie in someone's face to to get them to lighten up. Who ARE these people? Are they normal? Do they have kids themselves? What on earth is WRONG with them?

zosia said...

UPDATE: ban overturned.
She is able to blog again (little Martha, not Ella - sorry Ella)

Catherine said...

and who has "banned" Mrs Preece from blogging and why one might well ask? Who is it that imagines they hold such power over the baptismal rights of others?