"Targeted for telling the truth"

A blogger who was targeted in a co-ordinated attack against websites such as Facebook and Twitter has told the BBC he blames Russia for the assault.

The pro-Georgian blogger, known as Cyxymu, said he had been targeted for "telling the truth about the Russian-Georgian war" in his writings.

The attack caused a blackout of Twitter for about two hours on Thursday.
Despite the blogger's claims, security researchers say there is "no suggestion the attack was state-endorsed".

Google, Facebook and blogging platform Live Journal - all sites where Cyxymu had accounts - were also affected.

"I write the truth about the Russian-Georgian war and somebody did not like these truths - these people in Russia," the blogger told BBC News. "I don't know which people," he added.

The blogger, real name Georgy, has posted videos and blogs which criticise Russia over its conduct in the war over the South Ossetia region, which began one year ago.

"It's a big surprise to me that my blog has meant that 250m people have not been able to enter Facebook," he said.

Burma blogger jailed for 20 years

A Burmese blogger has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for posting a cartoon of the military leader Than Shwe.

Nay Phone Latt, 28, was sentenced by a court in Rangoon's Insein prison, said his mother, Aye Than.

Nay Phone Latt's colleague Thin July Kyaw was sentenced to two years imprisonment, Aye Than reported.

Another dissident, Saw Wai, was sentenced to two years in jail for publishing a poem mocking Than Shwe in the weekly Love Journal.

The first words of each line of the Burmese language poem spelled out the message "Senior General Than Shwe is foolish with power".

This specific cartoon idea is by Dr. David Law.

[Pippa Wagstaff is currently on a blogging break]

Court frees Malaysian blogger

A Malaysian court has ordered the release of a prominent government critic free from detention on grounds that his arrest under a colonial-era security law was unlawful, local media and his lawyer have said.

Raja Petra Kamarudin, a high-profile political blogger, was detained in September for allegedly stoking racial tensions by publishing articles that the government said insulted Islam, inflamed racial tensions and tarnished the country's leadership.

But the high court in the state of Selangor ruled on Friday that the Malaysian home minister had acted beyond his powers in having the blogger arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA), Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, Raja Petra's lawyer, said.

He quoted Judge Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad as saying that the grounds given for Raja Petra's detention were insufficient and that his arrest under the ISA was unlawful.

"It's a historic ruling and definitely a wonderful step in terms of civil liberties in Malaysia," the lawyer said.

Some of Malaysia's most popular blogs offer stinging anti-government commentaries and present themselves as a substitute for mainstream media, which are controlled by political parties or closely linked to them.

According to government estimates, there are more than 700 Malaysians who blog on social and political issues.

[Pippa Wagstaff is currently on a blogging break]

Christopher Glamorganshire: The story so far (as seen on the blogs)

At the risk of upsetting the sensitive souls of those in power [in Wales anyway], I wondered what I could do next. Shall I talk further about a well-known catchphrase of all talk and little action or failures that have left Wales firms 'poor cousins'? The economy in crisis seems to be a popular topic for the foreseeable future and has been for some time. Not today.

Standing up for a blogging brother. This will do for now.
Following the original article in the Western Mail by Martin Shipton, 9th July 2008 there clearly has a lot more mileage to go in the story of Christopher Glamorganshire, with the latest from the real journalists being that of the BBC, Political Editor Betsan Powys on 18th September 2008.

Betsan clearly has the insider's view looking at the detail of information provided, but we still haven't heard from the Glamorganshire blogger despite numerous attempts from the media to get a message to him. Both Matt Wardman and I have been contacted over the last few months to see if we can get a message across [mediums in the blogging world], and I can only imagine that other bloggers have also been contacted this way. We both are unsure as to whether we are doing this former blogger the power of good by documenting his case in this way, nevertheless we support you, and the best of luck to you Christopher.

My sources in the Welsh power-hub tell me that the tribunal is set for January 2009 [not confirmed].

The following is a list of blog posts to date that cover discussion [those I can find] on the "neutral" blogger that was sacked by the Welsh Assembly Government:

1. One law for the rich, 9th July 2008 Socialist Party Wales
2. All the best Chris 9th July 2008, Miserable Old Fart
3. Chris Glamorgan goes to Court 9th July 2008 Valleys Mam
4. Welsh blogger's legal action 9th July 2008, Ordovicius
5. Freedom of Speech: Standing up for the right to blog 9th July 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
6. Christopher Glamorganshire: What a price to pay for freedom of speech 10th July 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
7. LITERATURE - Christopher Glamorgan's Blogging 10th July 2008 Damon Lord Linguanaut
8. Dooced Welsh Civil Service Blogger goes to Industrial Tribunal Today 11th July 2008 Wardman Wire
9. In Wales they sack bloggers, don't they? 11th July 2008, The Daily Telegraph Blogs
10. Welsh Civil Service Blogger goes to Industrial Tribunal Today 11th July 2008, Matt Wardman for Our Kingdom
11. Inside the Assembly jail 11th July 2008, Cambria Politico
12. On Exams, Christopher Glamorganshire and blogging 11th July 2008 On a Hill
13. Tidbits electronig 12th July 2008 Dancing the Polka with Miss El Cajon
14. What a price to pay 12th July 2008 Facebook Causes
15. Risk worth taking? 12 July 2008, David Jones MP
16. Welsh Assemby sacks blogger 12th July 2008 Paul Canning
17. Christopher Glamorganshire sacking story cut and paste Promotional Tour 13th July 2008 Wardman Wire
18. Civil servant who blogged about government dumped 13th July 2008, So Said the Organization
19. Seen Elsewhere (7) 13th July 2008, Question That
20. Blogpower Roundup - Ian_QT 13th July 2008, Blogpower
21. Should you be fired for blogging? 13th July 2008, Dube
22. Setback for public sector bloggers 13th July 2008 Dave Press
23. Christopher Glamorganshire: Questions to be Answered, 15th July 2008, Wardman Wire
24. Christopher Glamorganshire: Questions to be Answered 16th July 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
25. Previous Welsh bloggers who lost their jobs: This is a new ballgame 16th July 2008 Wardman Wire
26. Welsh Blogger Fired from Assembly, Sues 16 July 2008 Committee to Protect Bloggers
27. Previous Welsh bloggers who lost their jobs: This is a new ballgame 17th July 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
28. Matt Wardman on Radio Wales Good Evening Wales 4th August 2008, Wardman Wire
29. Blogging civil servants 4th August 2008, Peter Black AM
30. Matt Wardman on Radio Wales Good Evening Wales about Civil Service Bloggers 4th August 2008, Wardman Wire
31. POLITICS - Did I kill Pippa Wagstaff [includes section on CG]? 11th August 2008, Damon Lord
32. WAG and the Assembly Commission catching up with the times...eventually 12th September 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
33. Free speech, huge bills? 18th September 2008, Betsan Powys (BBC)
34. A Betsan by any other name would smell as sweet 18th September 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
35. Betsan has the inside on this one, 18th September 2008, Valleys Mam
36. Still Supporting Chris! 19th September 2008, Miserable Old Fart
37. The 'Welsh' Civil Service Code v Christopher Glamorganshire's Blog, 19th September 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
38. Christopher Glamorganshire Back in the News: Welsh Civil Service Code, 19th Sept 2008, Wardman Wire
39. This was Christopher Glamorgans profile - good sense of fun, 19th September 2008, Valleys Mam

Matt Wardman's entire series can be read HERE, and my own can be viewed HERE.

If you have seen any articles that are not on the list, please let us know in the comments section.

Brothers and Sisters in Arms

The Welsh blogosphere is reasonably small when you compare and consider the size and number of blogs in England and Scotland. We seem to dwindle in numbers from time to time. Some disappear for a while, and some for good. Other blogs seem to take their place, and with mixed success.

You could say that we are a 'family', even to the point of looking out for one another, as it seems from the content of some emails that I've been receiving in recent weeks. It looks as though other family members have also received similar communication having written the following:

...we have already been informed that this blog is being monitored hourly by a large Cardiff legal firm on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.

It seems I have also been missed by my brother and sister while offline sorting out problems with this blog. Your concern has not gone unnoticed my siblings, and it appears there are several of us undergoing personal attacks for being anonymous at this time - Hen Ferchetan and Matt Wardman have written excellent posts on the subject.

This blog is going nowhere for the time being, and besides, it took me ages to sort out the new template and alterations. Do you honestly expect me to leave the room once I've redecorated it?

Anonymous complaints received will be passed on. At least I won't be phoning x8298 again [private joke]

Keep on blogging, and happy blogging!

[Look out for comments that I take myself too seriously again - laugh]

Update: Revealing update from Matt Wardman of the Wardman Wire.

Welsh Politics needs an Open Culture in the Welsh Assembly Government

Interesting new post from Matt Wardman which I think may be of interest to readers of this blog. Read for yourselves:

I had an exchange with Tom Watson MP, who launched the debate that lead to eventual creation of the Principles for Participation Online for Civil Servants, before my interview with Radio Wales.

In my first post, I said:

I wonder if I can get a statement from Tom Watson by 5:00pm that the Principles for Online Participation apply in Wales as well as England?

This article is to look at Tom’s reply and to ask a couple of questions about the Welsh Assembly Government.

Reply from Tom Watson
I asked:
Tom - can you confirm that Civil Service Principles for Participation Online apply in Wales? CS Code does. I’m on Radio later about CS blogs 03:36 PM August 04, 2008

Tom Replied:
Hi Matt, for civil servants employed by the UK government, yes. People employed by the Assembly have a separate code. That’s devolution. 04:28 PM August 04, 2008

Reading the Runes

Thanks, Tom, for a quick reply (another use for Twitter). So the facts are as follows:

1. The Welsh Assembly Government has adopted the UK Civil Service Code practically verbatim (Welsh Civil Service Code, UK Civil Service Code - both as at July 2008, both small PDF files). The “separate” code is roughly different in replacing “Westminster” with “Cardiff”.
2. The Principles for Participation Online are short and sweet.
   

I went into these differences in detail here.

The question then becomes:
The Principles for Participation Online have now been out for some time (since around June 19th), so why can’t they just be adopted straight into the system in Wales - as is already the precedent with the substantive Civil Service Code?

Taking Action
If I was an employee of the W.A.G. I’d be asking management for confirmation that the Principles for Participation Online apply. Who knows, they might say “Yes“.

If I was a blogging AM, I’d be thinking about asking a few questions to clarify the situation, and hopefully precipitate some action.

If I was an employee of part of the UK-wide Civil Service in Wales (DVLA, maybe?), I’d be informing my management that they applied - perhaps via a Union (or my blog!) if I was worried of being accused of being a tall poppy.

The Most Important Point
The Principles for Online Participation could represent a good step forward - as they allow a lot of leeway for local decision making. But I still think this is mainly about a change to a culture of encouraging political debate rather than stifling it.

The most important point is the last one I mentioned in the Radio discussion - at a time when the rhetoric is calling for more political participation, why are bloggers (who are doing just that) still getting chopped off at the knee? View it from a slightly different angle, and political (or professional) blogs by Civil Servants could be a triumph of open government. It would certainly beat winning a jar of bath salts in a prize draw for voting.

Another good start would be to unblock ALL blogs in ALL Civil Service establishments. Regulate reading during working hours - fine, but at lunchtime? Come on, boys and girls … let’s have some changes.

Not supported by the Assembly Government

Too many things in Wales have 'Supported by the Assembly Government' written on them. It may come as a great surprise to you that this blog isn't one of them.

Miss Wagstaff Presents... 'Not supported by the Assembly Government'.

Thanks to Dotcommentator for the idea and Matt Wardman for the logo.

Christopher Glamorganshire: Questions to be Answered

Assisting Matt Wardman in his quest (posted 15 July 2008):

This post is a repost of the questions that I am interested in finding anwers to in the case of Welsh blogger Christopher Glamorganshire, who was sacked from his job because of his blogging activity in autumn 2007.

I have reposted them for reference separate from the previous post where I did a full analysis.

The most intriguing and important point is how the “Welsh Civil Service Code” has lead to Christopher Glamorganshire being “dismissed for activities related to the Glamorganshire Blog that contravened the Civil Service Code”, while the English Civil Service Code is now complemented by the set of principles mentioned above, which were developed after an English Civil Servant blogger (Civil Serf) caused a debate online among bloggers lead by a Government Minister.

The two Civil Service codes are identical except for changes to reflect that Wales has a devolved assembly. These are my questions about the harsh managerial approach that appears to have been used by the Welsh Assembly Government:

1 - The approach is slightly out of kilter in a country where only this week Hazel Blears was talking about giving more leeway for Council Officers to participate in the political process.

2 - It won’t work in the long run anyway, other than to provide maximum embarrassment when “control not collaboration” fails.

3 - The devolved Labour-led administration in Wales is pursuing a policy at variance with that of the UK Labour Government in a matter where they are using a version of the “Civil Service Code” that can only be distinguished from the UK Government one with a magnifying glass and a lot of patience.

4 - One of the great problems of the age is political engagement. Why strangle relatively neutral political comment in your own backyard?

5 - There’s a great divide in culture symbolised by Offa’s Dyke here, and a difference in practice. Yet Human Rights legislation does not acknowledge that difference under Freedom of Expression.

6 - I think that this case highlights the point made by Dave Cole before, during and after the Principles for Online Participation were published - protecting the Employee’s Right to Blog is as important as protecting the Employer’s right to have employees blog responsibly.

Christopher Glamorganshire: What a price to pay for freedom of speech

I'm running late with this story. You mustn't blame me as I'm busy packing for the big move this weekend and have taken a back seat from blogging for a short while - still managing the odd post as I review the papers.

It seems that 'Christopher Glamorganshire' was sacked from the Welsh Assembly Government civil service for blogging. I'm not familiar with the blog but have seen a link to 'Glamorganshire' on the blogs of many others. Sadly, it no longer allows you access.

A few months ago there was a rumour about a Welsh Civil Servant having been sacked, and comments of that nature were even made on this blog. I've noticed that there seems to be a healthy community spirit in the blogging community and a number of compliments have been made today, with the following among them:

• "funny", "well written", "not at all offensive"
• "Of course there are issues of confidentiality and lines that must not be crossed, but I can't remember a post by Christopher that was either revealing or controversial, certainly nothing that would appear to justify his dismissal from public service"
• “Clearly, if his contract of employment said he was not allowed to blog, he doesn’t have much of a case. But if it is simply a question of supposedly contravening the code, I think sacking him is very harsh and heavy handed.”

It seems that either these known and respected Welsh bloggers are wrong in their assessment of 'Glamorganshire' or the Welsh Assembly Government has grossly overreacted, leaving the individual to resort to an Employment Tribunal in order to obtain justice.

This all seems unfair to me, but best of luck to you 'Christopher'. Like any large organisation, the Assembly Government will - without a shadow of doubt - put their whole legal team behind the case, and solicitors are costly, so I fear that you'll need more than fair play, luck, and common sense on your side.

Here is the full article from today's Western Mail:

AN Assembly Government civil servant who was sacked for running a political blog is taking his case to an Employment Tribunal.

Last night a former AM who himself is a regular blogger said he found the decision to dismiss the civil servant “heavy handed”.

The former Assembly Government employee, whose real name has not been disclosed but who ran a blog called Christopher Glamorganshire, provided what readers saw as a neutral running commentary on last year’s coalition negotiations involving Labour and Plaid Cymru.

An Assembly Government spokesman said:

This issue regards a former Welsh Assembly Government employee who was dismissed for activities related to the Glamorganshire Blog that contravened the Civil Service Code. The case went to the Civil Service Appeals Board, which we won, and it is listed for Employment Tribunal in Cardiff later this year.

It is understood the elements of the Civil Service Code regarded by the Assembly Government as relevant to the case come under sections headed “integrity” and “rights and responsibilities”.

Under integrity, the relevant clauses read: “You must always act in a way that is professional and that deserves and retains the confidence of all those with whom you have dealings,” and: “You must not misuse your official position, for example by using information acquired in the course of your official duties to further your private interests or those of others.”

Under rights and responsibilities, the clause considered to have been broken states: “This Code is part of the contractual relationship between you and your employer. It sets out the high standards of behaviour expected of you which follow from your position in public and national life as a civil servant. You can take pride in living up to these values.”

Last night former Conservative AM Glyn Davies, a regular blogger, said:

The Christopher Glamorganshire blog was on my list of ‘my favourites’. It seemed to me to be written in a sensible and rational manner. Clearly, if his contract of employment said he was not allowed to blog, he doesn’t have much of a case.

But if it is simply a question of supposedly contravening the code, I think sacking him is very harsh and heavy handed.

This all smacks of the heavy hand of the state.

Freedom of Speech: Standing up for the right to blog

Glyn Davies stands up for the right to blog [within reason].

Last night former Conservative AM Glyn Davies, a regular blogger, said:

The Christopher Glamorganshire blog was on my list of ‘my favourites’. It seemed to me to be written in a sensible and rational manner.

Clearly, if his contract of employment said he was not allowed to blog, he doesn’t have much of a case. But if it is simply a question of supposedly contravening the code, I think sacking him is very harsh and heavy handed.

This all smacks of the heavy hand of the state.

We have another Champion!

More on this later.

A turning point in the blogosphere...

I have to agree with Ordovicius in that it's good to see Deputy Minister Leighton Andrews AM having something to blog about for a change...

I see Leighton Andrews is continuing his one-blog protest against the Assembly Commission. Well, at least it has given him something to blog about for a change.

Keep it up Leighton, but please feel free to compulsory blog about Cardiff City FC on Sunday morning - there's only so much others can do on your behalf ;)