Saturday, March 22, 2008

Bar Alastair Darling

Alastair Darling has annoyed one pub landlord enough with his increase in tax on alcohol he has started a campaign which has spread virally around the blogosphere. The original details are available here. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Darling did find himself barred from every pub in the UK, it woudl be real evidence of the power of the people and the public sphere. Do pass the link on to your landlord, especially if you do know that (a) Mr Darling goes to the pub and (b) you know which one!
UPDATE: didn't realise how viral this one was on Saturday morning as I rushed a post. Yesterday The Telegraph ran a feature on it, love the Simpsons mock-up. As a colleague of mine notes by email "Surely it is a stunt, a psuedo-event, which is then sent around the Internet. In a sense it is no different from when a political party launches a poster during an election and all the media troop over to see it being unvelied and then twenty minutes later two blokes come along and paste over the next paying ad. Or when a trade union get a van with pigs and a trough to stop outside Parliament to campaign about bosses getting their snouts in the trough. They are all really non-events, they only happen if the media turn up, and the rest of us see it through the lens of a camera. Similarly i think that is exactly what the Alistair Darling thing is, but this time the media is the Internet. If we don't open that email, read that blog or or visit that website has anything really happened?" Is this the emergent power of the blogosphere as a public sphere?

5 comments:

Matt Hurst said...

I'm sure Alistair Darling gives a hoot.

Nice to notice even the most grown up in society can revert to petty snipes.

Anonymous said...

Hey Matt, lighten up man it's good to express yourself. There is also a Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9337068150&ref=mf sign up

Anonymous said...

The masses have spoken and Alastair Darling is studk to drinking at home or going teatotal - LOL!!!!

http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?articleid=58999

Anonymous said...

Why just Alistair Darling? If every pub barring Darling had posters barring local Labour politucians as well it would certainly put the pressure on Darling from them as they get criticised locally for supporting this.

Believe me. There's one thing that will make politicians put pressure on their bosses. It's local criticism of themselves and the threat of losing their seats.

Anonymous said...

Alastair darling has brought new meaning to the term incompetent. Resign