Hodges And His Lame Mind Game

[Update at end of post]

What about the blogs? This was one of the more popular questions after the cross-party agreement on press regulation. What indeed. Most blogs are not commercial enterprises, and that includes Zelo Street. Yes, it’s solely written for my enjoyment, and no, I don’t need the dosh, thanks. So it looks very much as if all will be as before, but I will, as ever, be considering my position.

Won't be turning up here any time soon

However matters turn out, no big deal will be made of any changes, and no difference will be discernible in the content. There’s nothing to worry about. But this has not stopped one magnificently sour individual from going on a mean spirited mind game trip, which has got him precisely nowhere. Step forward nominal Labour loyalist Dan Hodges of Telegraph blogs notoriety.

“If this new regulatory system is free from interference from politicians, who decides whether blogs are covered by the new body” he mused this morning, characteristically missing his punctuation. What a difference half a day makes: Dan knew the answer to this yesterday evening, when he tried to frighten me into believing that the big bad regulator was coming to get me.

This pointless and frankly bizarre exercise began when he declared, in response to being mentioned in a post, “you’re another one who’d better start getting his insurance sorted”. Well, there’s always room for a little more humour, even if it is mingled with bemusement and pity. But Hodges was not for taking the hint, despite it being made with little subtlety.

Indeed, he dug himself in further, with “But you will be taking lectures from the Board ... That’s exactly the sort of thing you won’t be able to write when the Board comes into force ... that’s another £1,000”. They clearly sup some strong stuff in Telegraph blogland. But maybe there is something in what he’s saying? Well, no there isn’t, and it did not take much looking to demonstrate this.

There’s this, for instance: “Downing Street sought to reassure small-scale web-based news providers and blogs that they would not be required to co-operate with the new regulatory system”. And this: [culture secretary Maria Miller] “said the ‘one-man band or a single blogger’ would not be affected by the legislation”. An independent view of the legislation can be seen HERE.

Ah, someone who knows what he's talking about

Of course, there is always the possibility that Zelo Street will sign up, provided the terms are not onerous and it’s in my interest. If that means differentiating the blog from the ranting refuseniks with their lame trust ratings (no names, no packdrill), it could be worthwhile. But whatever course of action is taken, the decision will be mine, and the likes of Dan Hodges will, as ever, wield zero influence.

So it was hardly worth his while turning up, apart from giving me a good laugh.

[UPDATE 1855 hours: amid the scaremongering, I'm grateful to Sunny Hundal for his statement of the obvious - that there is no need to panic, especially given that the regulatory body is some way from being set up. "Looking at the draft Royal Charter alone for guidance alone is futile" he observes.

From a legal perspective, Andrew Sharpe has contributed a post titled "Publish and be damned? Not bloggers". He concludes that "as a blogger, I will not lose any sleep over the Royal Charter or the Amendments as they stand today". Me neither.

So Dan Hodges can be seen to have wasted his time, which he is free to do, and will continue to be free to do. It really wasn't worth his while trying the mind game in the first place]