Ipswich Spy is a good idea, as our politicians should be transparent (Eye Spy is almost certainly where they got their idea from). However there is a question as to why politicians should be transparent but their watchers should be anonymous with their perspectives and motives un-examined. There may be good reasons for anonymity, there may be a whistle blower (Eye Spy again), a victim of a repressive regime or there may be a point of view that should be put across in a purer way than could be done if people knew who the author was.
However anonymity may also be a cover for an unexplained and unexamined agenda. So if the agenda is unexplained, is it surprising that we look at, say, Alasdair Ross’s post in his “excellent blog” ( (c) Ipswich Spy) who lays out the agenda of Ipswich Spy. That agenda is to shame councillors who turn up late to meetings, particularly if they are Tories. Now there are only three local institutions that Alasdair Ross is well plugged in to – the ultra-expensive Ipswich School, the compensatory Ipswich Town Independent Supporters and the Ipswich Labour Party. I can’t see why Ipswich School would want to set up an anonymous blog reporting on local politicians.
Well we know that the blog is either a group adventure or the author has a seriously split personality and they’ve got good access to the Gordon Brown visit. So it’s either (1) the Labour Party, (2) some of the local political journalists who’ve not thought out what’s going to happen when they’re identified as the authors or (3) some local non-aligned political anoraks who’ve not previously had any significant on-line activity and somehow managed to get into at least two Gordon Brown events. The last would have had to have an impressive late waking organisational ability and the second would have had to have an impressive disregard for their careers by maintaining an anonymous site without written permission from their employer. So Labour? It’s the only one that makes sense.
Plus I’ve got their facebook page (they have invited me), and look who knew first:
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