You can use Facebook, but apparently Google (other search engines are available) is completely out of the question. Have we as a society really got that dumb that for some Facebook is the Internet and there is no other world outside of it? No wonder people behave like they do, they’re ever more insular and reading all of the disgusting bullshit trolls like to feed them.
Sadly we have even seen examples of where people have asked questions meant for Councillors, in groups such as the Tamworth Examiner run by Major Conspiracy Ron Brown (he’s back to slagging off the council planning department again by the way, it didn’t last long). These questions people are asking are actually addressed directly to ‘Councillors’, without any regard whatsoever as to whether there are any Councillors present in the group. Are people actually that stupid? Sadly it seems, very much yes.
Of course, this being Facebook, the response to this post was predictably:
This from a Simpleton who has probably never had to contact a Councillor in his life before, and never tried. We can’t speak for all of them, but we know when we have had cause to contact one, they’ve responded, and we hear that they do all the time. You do have to meet them half way though rather than shouting into the void of Facebook and expecting an intelligent response.
Thankfully some people come blinking into the light of the wider world and are able to use Google and do see that other sources of information and news exist, which these days you need to take in all of to form a reasonable opinion for yourself. We actually miss the Tamworth Herald being prolific and read by nearly everyone in the town where at least hard facts were presented. Now only around 3,000 people read it per week and the void is filled with Facebook. Lamentable.
We know thankfully many people have found our site, and we admit our bias if we have one and we provide an alternative view. Our audience is getting wider, especially when Councillors throw down the gauntlet to trolls (yesterday was crazy in The Mailbag we had to give the email urchin the day off today). We are just one source of information, we don’t try to mislead, some obvious entertaining creative license is used which you can see through if you’ve got the nouse, but the underlying facts remain in what we publish.
Ultimately we know that most of our audience are intelligent and can think for themselves. We are never ever trying to immitate the troll or certain Councillors by actively telling you what you should do. And that’s the big difference folks. As for the poster asking how to get in touch with a Councillor? Well thankfully to her credit, Councillor Tina Clements pointed them in the right direction eventually. Subscribe to the Tamworth Herald folks, let’s bring it back from life support?
