Dealing with criticism

So, it seems the PLP's blog will link to me, after all, as long as I'm saying something they want to hear.

Three weeks ago, I contacted PLP chairman David Burt to ask if he would include this blog in the list of links on the PLP's blog. I figured that since I link to both the PLP blog and Progressive Minds he would have no problem providing a reciprocal link. He didn't reply.

So instead, I decided to make use of the PLP blog's comment facilities. When replying to a post on the PLP's blog, I left a comment with an excerpt from my post and a link to the full thing. In blog parlance, that's called a trackback, and many blogs allow them (including this one). My comment was never published, however.

So which lucky blogs have made it onto the PLP blogroll? Three active pro-PLP blogs, one neutral one, and three other blogs that were last updated over 6 months ago. Neither Politics.bm, nor 21 Square, both of which link to the PLP websites, get a mention.

But everything about the way the PLP run their blog is dishonest. When a post on the PLP blog references favourable media coverage, it provides a link. When it references unfavourable coverage, or deliberately misrepresents it, no link is offered. When a commenter leaves an unfavourable comment it will often never appear on the site.

Well, why should a political party's website link to or publish comments from its critics, you may ask? Isn't that expecting a bit much?

Not if that party has any self-confidence, it shouldn't be. A link isn't an endorsement, it's an acknowledgment of the existence of another point of view. It's what blogging is all about: a debate between people with different opinions. You link to your intellectual opponents because you respect your readers' right to make up their own minds, while remaining confident that your own arguments are the stronger ones. The Barbados Labour Party links to the Barbados Free Press, one of its fiercest critics. Why won't Bermuda's Labour Party do the same?

The reason, I think, is because the PLP is generally extremely bad at debating with its critics. Whether this is because they are incapable, or lack self-restraint, or are just too lazy to bother formulating coherent rebuttals, I'm not sure. Invariably, however, the PLP's response to criticism is to attack the critic - demonising them, questioning their motives, or calling them a liar. Rarely is any attempt made to deconstruct the criticisms, or to agree to disagree.

It's this habit that's responsible for the angry, vitriolic comments we've had to endure from the PLP during this campaign. It's also likely the reason why the Premier refused to agree to a presidential-style debate with Michael Dunkley (particularly ironic given the Premier's fondness for behaving presidentially the rest of the time).

I don't want a link from the PLP's website because I want the traffic. I want a link, and my comments to be posted, because I want to see the party acknowledging and dealing with criticism in a mature manner.

But I won't be holding my breath.