Like all the best Billy Bragged, badged-up, fundamentalists, indymedia see no middle ground on issues or an ability to prioritise. It is either black (preferably) or white. America and Britain wrong. Cuba and Chavez right. Islam good. Jews and Christians bad. Al-Jazeera honest. CNN dishonest. Imams true representatives of the local community. Parish priests oppressors. The Socialist Workers’ Party and Sinn Fein brilliant, infallible paragons or humanity and social justice. George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, Michael McDowell (Irish Minister for Justice) and Tony O’Reilly (proprietor of Independent Newspapers) Hitler incarnate. A typical indymedia analysis and stance operates on the principle of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend”. Contrary to claims, there is no critique of ideas and opinions on Indymedia Ireland. It is a one-sided, Grade A Wankfest, courtesy of the usual “right on” sisters and brothers.

Whether it’s carpet-bombing in Afghanistan, a public eulogy of the works of Pearl Jam, revelations that the Madrid bombings were actually part of a coup d'état by the state, evidence of racist oppression in Ireland, the rights of geese bred for foie gras, or whatever, the same level of seriousness is attached.

However, some topics are conspicuous by their absence: punishment beatings in Northern Ireland, Republican drug dealing, closer examinations of the financial affairs of non-profit organizations, condemnation of terrorism, the murder of children in Russia, Saddam Hussein’s human rights record, oppression in Zimbabwe, capital punishment in Cuba, FARC in Colombia, Islamic genocide in Algeria and Sudan, domestic violence, the rights of the disabled, Fathers for Justice, testicular cancer and so on.

As usual with extremists adhering rigidly to a principle, indymedia has a real problem extending the principle it to others.

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