I have no problem with people disagreeing with my views and expressing an opinion which opposes mine or that of my local or national Party. I accept the sniping form the side-lines as an everyday apart of political life. I expect barracking form political opponents, and indeed as a Welsh Liberal Democrat even occasionally from fellow members as we are a party of diverse views.
One thing that really, really annoys me though is those people who do so anonymously.
I am a great believer in free speech and the right of everyone to have a view and express it. But please have the decency to put your name to it.
One such letter appeared in this week’s Pontypridd Observer. It was in response to a letter from a member of ours which appeared last week. The respondent made a cursory mention of my colleague, only really to say he should be ashamed of admitting he is a Lib Dem. The rest of the letter was a predictable rant about how we are supporting the Tories and everything is our fault.
It ended “name and address withheld.”
Why do the press print such letters? I can see the point of withholding a name if there is a serious fear of recrimination over the contents. But the publishing of such letters attacking other people when the author is too afraid to put his / her own name to it should not, in my view, be allowed.
Likewise the appearance of blog comments by anonymous contributors. If you want to be taken seriously then you need to come clean.
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