Not that any industry magazine is proposing an award for UK Blawgs…. but I thought, given that it is a bit quiet on a Friday afternoon, that I would crack open a bottle of Rioja and see if anyone may be interested in joining a protest movement to stop industry magazines having an award competition and ceremony for UK BLAWGING.
My thoughts on this were prompted when I saw a post on Twitter about a magazine giving awards to blawgs in another sector. The thought of industry magazines giving awards to UK Blawgs is preposterous…and given the nature of some, a positively dangerous thing to do - mercifully.
But… we must be on our guard lest mammon be tempted, lest the lure of lucre in the form of hits distorts our minds, fuels our lust for glory, our greed, our venality. Let us make do with Google ads, as Geeklawyer does,… let us march now… to dissuade with persuasion and then, if that should fail… let us take to the barricades of intellectual freedom, purity and dignity etc etc.
I say only this to my fellow bloggers (With quite a lot of help from Shakespeare and Churchill) as we are about to gather in a London pub to have our conference later this summer:
Once more unto the breach, dear blawgers, once more. Or close the wall up with our blogging dead. In peace there’s nothing so becomes a blogger as modest stillness and humility…. BUT when the blast of industry mammon blows in our ears… Then imitate the action of the tiger.
I have, myself, full confidence that if all blawgers do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made for a meeting in a London pub in August, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island blawging, to ride out the storm of corporate vanity, and to outlive the menace of legal mammon, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood. I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips… straining upon the start: The game’s afoot. Follow your spirit, and upon this charge…. CRY God for Blawging, Purity and Insanity.”
We stand at the barricades… united… burning bras… [L0-fi reminded me about this bit of protest etiquette: See Comment section].
Exeunt. Alarum and off to crack a bottle open.
Any takers?… or should we just write to The Lawyer and Legal Week and see if they would like to set up a UK Blawgs Awards Competition and we can all get pissed in dinner jackets and / or fancy frocks at their expense on awards night?
Filed under: Charon
Fine stuff Charon, but you left out the bras. The bras would have emphasised just how serious you are about this issue. Don’t attempt anything without the bras!
Lo-Fi… you are absolutely right… I shall deal with this immediately.
Burning Bras… coming up.
Fine stuff Charon, but you left out the bras. The bras would have emphasised just how strongly you feel about this.
Lo-fi….
I know I am knocking on - but I haven’t got senile dementia yet. Do you think I need two emails!!
Mind you… I am mildly over refreshed…. and I blame you and Twitter.
Once more with feeling - bras. Now I bid you farewell
Excellent…. I will ensure that we burn bras… should the need arise.
Bon weekend.
I am now concerned about the feeling of bras!.
I can supply a stockpile for burning if needed, for those not fully equipped…
Of course you should have bars.
Yeah! Who wants fame and fortune and money and…
…sorry, for a minute then I lost myself.
Man the barricades!
John
I did explain to Infobunny on Twitter that your awards are excluded from this protest!
Jennie Law - Excellent. I blame Lo-fi. She was on a train and got me going - if you see what I mean. I was not on the train with her, of course. Have added you to my blogroll. I am, as it happens, a Scot.
Jailhouse: Indeed….
Jennie - You bring the bras, I’ll bring the lighter fluid.
We are at the dawn of a revolution. We stand at the gates to protest at the encroachment of corporate publishing’s attempt to seduce. We have seen how our brothers and sisters in other lands - the great nation of the US of A being but one - have bowed their heads to take the rotting silver of awards….. this shall not be our fate…this shall not be our destiny… we shall be a beacon of literary freedom, a flare of independence, a sparkle of writing in the world of blawging - free from influence, able to speak without fear and we shall remain impovershed, perhaps in terms of lucre and writing fees, but enriched in our freedom.
I am proud that we now walk where once Danny La Rue… or was it Rouge?… walked…
Be firm… our darkest hour will not last much longer…. we shall overcome….
[...] Cry freedom!… for UK Blawging…. SAY NO to awards… [...]
quite right, too!!! a disgrace.
err was there any money on offer by the way?
with you on the bras
I’d much rather have an award that host google ads myself, but I quite agree that since nobody’s actually proposing showering us with praise, money and booze, we may as well protest. What if I don’t have a bra?
I will set up the blawg conference next week - Monday. Keep an eye on my blog. There will be a bra burning session.
GL - Excellent. We await with anticipaaaaaation….
Will you be supplying the bras?
maybe they could give us bras as an award?
or was that the problem?
bit lost now…
SW - You are lost? I’m completely lost….
Golden Bra or Golden Bar?
Might I suggest we build one big bra out of wicker and offer up a sacrifice?
Lo-fi…. I tried to redeem myself this weekend by doing two sensible podcasts - but, I have been on Twitter again, and I am, unfortunately, retturning to type….
Yes… let us build a huge wicker bar, have a few drinks, then re-use the wicker to build a huge wicker burn and engage in acts of controlled arson.
Perhaps Legal week or The Lawyer would be interested in sponsorship activities… or should we just go large and phone Hello magazine?
I think Counsel might be more appropriate.
Podcasts were excellent btw. I like a bit of debate, but not as much as a good ol’ bra burning.
Lo-fi… we can’t burn counsel…. quite inappropriate!
Did you have anyone in mind?