BEHIND THE MASK
It’s customary when writing to a newspaper, to supply an address. Many editors will refuse to publish your letter if you don’t. It’s about establishing your credentials as a real person, rather like the purpose of the electoral register. So it was highly significant that in his recent letter to the YEP, Darrell Goodliffe signed off as “Local Resident” rather than supplying an address (Readers’ Letters 7.5.09). Clearly for Mr Goodliffe, establishing in readers’ minds that here was a local resident who actually supports the barbeque proposal, was far more important than minor details like where he actually lives.
What’s not customary when writing to a newspaper is to state your political allegiance, unless of course you’re an active party member writing about an issue your party is deeply involved with. Under those circumstances, to deny your readers the benefit of that knowledge, might seem to some like a deception. I can understand though why someone would be tempted to do it. By stating your political allegiance, you run the risk that people might say “Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he”. Which is precisely what people have been saying since learning that Darrel Goodliffe is a Lib Dem activist.
(photo courtesy of Thomas Hawk)
6 thoughts on “BEHIND THE MASK”
Apologies if I am becoming a blogging nerd (my second of the day!).
It is indeed customary to provide addresses when writing to the YEP. Im sure that Darrell did, but for avoidance of doubt, Darrell lives in the Hartleys which is in Woodhouse unless I am mistaken.
Martin
If you take a look at Darrell’s . . . blog, and scroll down to the entry for the 3rd May, you’ll see his draft letter, minus address, just as it later appeared in the YEP.
I wasn’t doubting Darrell’s residency. I was just making the point that it was so important for Darrell to be seen as a local resident, that he put “local resident” where one would normally put an address.
Well if it was so important for Darrell to be seen as a local resident then putting his address (which he says on his facebook note he did when he sent it into the YEP) in the letter is surely the same think. I am a local resident = I live on Brudenell Road or whatever. I really dont see the difference.
In your second paragraph you say:
“What’s not customary when writing to a newspaper is to state your political allegiance, unless of course you’re an active party member writing about an issue your party is deeply involved with”
So presumably you would agree that another regular correspondent who I know happens to be a Lib Dem but who opposes BBQs should also declare their political affiliation too?
Bill,
I fail to see the issue here and think this post is a little bit of ‘so what’. You have obviously visited my blog so you can hardly be unaware that my affiliation is not a state secret which I somehow attempt to conceal; if I was, running a public blog is a bit of a bad way to go about it. It is also very obvious from my Facebook that I am a Liberal Democrat soooo what is the issue?
As you yourself say it is not customary for letter writers to state a party affiliation unless they are a councillor and as such are a representative of their party in that regard. So, why should I have too? Nobody else in the YEP’s letters page does when writing a letter so again the question becomes why should I have too? I have not made an issue of any opponents political affiliation and dont think them having one disbars them for the debate so again the question becomes why should mine?
Since I am a local resident, again something you freely ackowledge, why should I be disbarred from signing my letter that way? Other people in todays letters page have put their road on their letters which is there choice; I really think this is a non-issue and to be honest do resent the implication that this is somehow some grand conspiracy on my part.
Just as an addendum; I have corrected my blog to recognise the fact that you can comment on here.
Kind Regards,
Darrell
Martin
The difference is that in all the years I’ve been reading the letters pages I’ve never seen someone sign off as “local resident” I’ve seen addresses, part addresses, “address withheld” and sometimes “email” but never “local resident”. But having said that, I was unaware that Darrell had also given the YEP his address.
And no, I wouldn’t agree that someone who happens to be a Lib Dem activist but who opposes the proposal should state their political allegiance, since clearly, by opposing the party line, they’d be demonstrating independence of thought. There’d therefore be nothing for such a person to “come clean” about. What I should have said in my original post was that people should state their allegiance if they happen to be activists writing a letter in favour of the party line.
Darrell
I didn’t say that your political allegiance was a secret you were trying to keep. I was just saying that I thought you should have made everyone aware of it given that you’re saying the same thing your party says. I accept what you say about the information about you being available on your blog. But how many readers of the YEP will have read your blog.
On the subject of whether you’re a local resident. This matters a lot to local residents. And it clearly matters to you since you signed off “local resident”. You may live in Woodhouse, but are you really a local resident ? Technically yes. But being a local resident is about much more than just pitching your tent in an area for a few months, or even a few years. That’s why we speak of “residents” and “students”. It’s all about domicile. The reason domicile is important in the barbeque issue is because the people who are in favour of barbeques on the Moor are almost all domiciled elsewhere. By signing your letter “local resident” you suggest to readers that you’re domiciled here. Given the length of time you’ve been here, do you feel that it’s right to do that ?
I wasn’t suggesting that you’re part of a conspiracy, and so did not intend to cause offence.
Kind regards.
Bill