No one cooks an omelette without cracking an egg.<\/p>\n
No one starts a blog on political economy thinking they will keep everyone happy.<\/p>\n
No one writes such a blog for nearly 20 years and expects everyone to agree with all that they say.<\/p>\n
No one makes proposals of the sort I do and thinks they won\u2019t upset somebody, sometimes.<\/p>\n
No one undertakes this task for that long without having, necessarily, to create a reasonably thick skin.<\/p>\n
Take it as read, I know all these things.<\/p>\n
If, however, you feel compelled to write to me saying:<\/p>\n
then please do note that the spam button on this blog, the blocking mechanism here, and the spam button on my email account all exist for a reason.<\/p>\n
I recognise you have an opinion.<\/p>\n
I recognise that you have the right to express your opinion.<\/p>\n
I appreciate that it is unlikely that anything I say will change your mind.<\/p>\n
I recognise that you do not need to do so.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what people who are interested in democratic campaigning do.<\/p>\n
They recognise and accept difference, and try to win support for their view by the persistence and quality of their campaigning.<\/p>\n
That has always been my goal here.<\/p>\n
But if you do not share that approach and prefer abuse and threats, do not expect me to engage. I really do have better things to do than talk to you in that case.<\/p>\n
And also note that you really are just wasting your time because, with 20 years of experience, I really am very good at spotting abuse very quickly, without having to read almost any of it, because those offering it are usually so staggeringly unoriginal, meaning I can hit the appropriate delete button, almost instantaneously.<\/p>\n
I just thought I should let you know, because I am a generous sort of chap.<\/p>\n
Comments\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
When commenting, please take note of this blog\u2019s comment policy,\u00a0which is available here<\/a>. Contravening this policy will result in comments being deleted before or after initial publication at the editor\u2019s sole discretion and without explanation being required or offered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"