Once upon a Wikio

Several years ago when I set this up this blog, I signed up for a blog amalgamation service. The service known as Wikio also provided popularity positioning data displayed on a nice little click through button which you could place on your blog.

This link took you to their site. The site had a range of similar and divergent blog posts from around the world.

Not only that, it gave your blog a popularity rating defined by how many readers you got on Wikio. This was shown on the button. Nice feature eh?

Back then it was really was worthwhile. I added it to this blog expecting it to be useful to
anyone reading this who wanted to read similar or opposing views. I used it myself for quite some time.

Then for me, (as you do), it fell into disuse

I personally had not clicked on the button for some time - until tonight.

Now this button takes you through to a "shopping site". Not good.

What a con and what a shame.

Don't bother looking for the button now. I've removed it.

Another Year for Sgt Blackman

Actually, I am quite surprised to be writing this.

Before continuing I should point out I'm neither a serving or retired Royal Marine. Or for that matter any other form of service personnel. In fact if I was asked to tackle the Marines rookie assault course I'd probably drop dead a quarter way through (on a good day).

But even so, as a bog standard “member of the public” I can like most folk, still smell the stench of a political stitch-up.

Last year (HERE) I wrote about the cavalier injustice that was handed out to one of our bravest and best. Namely one Sgt Blackman of the Royal Marines.. But my words are an insignificance.

In a stunning year, a brilliant campaign run by utter and complete political novices managed to get one petition signed by well in excess of 100,000 people. There were also (ordered and polite) demonstrations and other petitions and displays of objection to this travesty of justice.

The government spin doctors were grudgingly forced to mouth their platitudes again and again to the outraged and disbelieving public. The governments fatuous statements sounding more hollow each time.

As a bystander, I was expecting Cameron to smell the coffee and at least arrange something (anything) to get Sgt Blackman out of jail before Christmas.

I was wrong.

I don't know if this inaction is due to crass incompetence, cowardice, or that Cameron just doesn't give a toss. Most probably it is a mix of all three.

Of course the metropolitan elitist snobs who sneer at the likes of Sgt Blackman, his mates and supporters are probably chortling away.

They'll be laughing at how Cameron is so ready to betray a brave and damaged man to the god of political correctness. They'll snigger at Cameron's gutlessness and how he is so ready to sell out one of the few defenders of democracy this country has.

We must remember that above all else, that is what Sgt Blackman and his colleagues are. They are the defenders of our democracy. They are the last line of defence of our freedoms. They do as the elected government directs them. Which is eternally to their honour.

A quote attributed to George Orwell (and sometimes mis-attributed to Churchill) reads:

We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.

We stand free to blog/write/argue/love and live free because of Sgt Blackman and his colleagues.

If these defenders of our freedom walked away, maybe in disgust at the way Sgt Blackman has been treated  .... We would really be in trouble.

Decency and common justice demands Sgt Blackman should be released . Not only that, he should be generously compensated for his false imprisonment.

This issue will NOT go away. People will not give up. For the metropolitan elite, this will only get worse the longer it goes on. It will get more embarrassing and more politically damaging.

The only way forward is for the government and judiciary to acknowledge a gross injustice has been done. Even though this may be politically embarrassing - it has to be done.

We await (with growing anger) the immediate release of Sgt. Blackman RM

------------

To follow the campaign to getting Sgt Blackman the freedom and justice he rightly deserves:

https://www.facebook.com/justiceformarineA/

http://www.justiceformarinea.com/

Follow the campaign on Twitter with handle @justiceforBigAl 

hashtags #justiceformarineA #freemarineA #marineA

------------