As I mentioned recently, I have begin a blog on Forbes.

The first blog – with the above title (which is also that of the blog itself) is here.

The themes will mainly be accounting related – because that’s fallen a little by the wayside here and still needs a lot of attention.

And it’s open to comments, of course. Which will, no doubt, please some.

There are those of us who run serious blogs on the web, where we’re happy to engage in conversation with people on serious issues. And these blogs, it’s pleasing to note, seem to appeal to a lot of people.

This place is, I think, one such blog.

Like most of those who blog in this way  I do so from within the (well within) the mainstream of UK politics. I have some qualification to put forward the opinion I do, although I don’t think that need disqualify others: life’s a great university. And like many who write from this perspective I attract the attention of what might best be called trolls.

These trolls are a web phenomenon.

They’re also heavily associated with extreme libertarianism who follow (as a consequence of their extreme libertarianism) extreme right wing agendas, although they, of course, don’t see it that way.

They are, to put it nicely….no there’s no way to put it nicely. So I won’t.

But I loved this reaction to them in the comments policy of The Big Picture blog:

Trolls and Asshats:

This may be a free country, but The Big Picture is my personal fiefdom. I rule over all as benevolent dictator. I will ban anyone whom I choose from posting comments — usually, for a damned good reason, but on rare occasions, for the exact same reason God created the platypus: because I feel like it.

Now the trolls won’t understand that. Because they’re all ultra-rational enlightenment people; logical positivists to the core, so a statement such as this has no meaning to them.

But it sure as heck has to a human being.

And sometimes it’s just how I feel.

And if you tried to comment and I didn’t like it, well, bad luck (that’s the nice version). I used my judgement. Sometimes I may get things wrong. But you know, that’s the way it is. Live with it.

Or start your own blog.

That’s what liberty really is – not the right to whinge. But you’d never know if you observed the trolls, who as far as I can tell are positivists to the core, and yet have never once had a positive thought to share between them.

Hat tip: Nick Shaxson

I didn’t write this:

A number of people have complained that the troll or trolls (they may be the same person, and in any case are presumably paid operatives) are degrading the tone of the comments. I agree — I suspect that they’re responding to the growing readership of this blog despite their best efforts to drag it down by getting ever uglier. To be fair, some of the supportive comments have also gotten too ugly for the Times. So while there won’t be any banning of commenters, I’m going to try to delete comments whose tone goes over the line.

Paul Krugman did.

But I agree with it, entirely.

So far today I’ve had several comments needing deletion.

Some openly despised the poor.

Others suggested I needed medical help for thinking that the Tories might agree with Policy Exchange on the issue of benefits .

You bet I delete them.

It’s necessary in support of the freedom of others to comment without fear.

Isn’t it odd how so called libertarians from the right are so keen on using fear?

The blog is back and live this morning.

You will note there is a problem with the font set for some strange reason. That’s still being worked on – and no doubt will be solved in due course. In the meantimes offers as to reasons are gratefully received.

But that apart I think all is functioning again on the latest version of WordPress.

And the link between here and my Twitter feed is now live – and an important part of the whole blog for the future.

Thanks again to Clark Gascoigne for his sterling efforts.