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Earlier this year in June I decided it was about time I entered the modern world and joined the online conversation via social media. I began by signing up to twitter. I also, for the first time, left a comment on some one else’s blog. The blog in question belonged to Craig Murray ( http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/ ) the former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan (which I highly recommend) who wrote an entry called, ‘Deadly Fiasco’, about the present problems in Iraq. I had been mulling over the same subject and had written a short piece that I think highlighted the complexity of the situation. I was delighted when my comment received a few complimentary comments of its own. Thinking I was now on a roll I created a jpg with my explanatory piece and tweeted it. I then sat back and waited for the world to marvel. The world of course failed to marvel in any way what so ever – having less than twenty twitter friends probably didn’t help. I have since then become a sporadic twitterer, a member of Facebook and up until today a blogger in waiting.
I was some what surprised a few months later when I received a tweet that contained a picture of a letter sent to the Daily Mail in September by Aubrey Bailey, Fleet, Hants, which apart from the first and last lines is a direct copy of my work. To make matters worse it had been retweeted nearly four times more than mine the original. The child in me was now slightly annoyed. Later I received a copy of it from a friend on Facebook. I decided to investigate further, a quick google search and there it was all over the place. OK not all over, but more places than my twenty friends, which I might add is now past thirty. Below is a sample.
Letter to Daily Mail gives excellent explanation of war with Isis
http://hrexach.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/clear-as-mud-by-aubrey-bailey/
“Are you confused about what’s going on in the Middle East? Let me explain.
By Aubrey Bailey, Fleets, Hants
http://babasiga.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/we-live-in-muddled-world.html
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/09/25/everyday-mission/.
It had even gone global:
http://www.heinrichplatz.tv/?p=15665
Some one had even translated it. My inner child was by now well and truly throwing his rattle out of the pram. ‘It’s me, me, I wrote that’, but there was no one to hear.
So thank you Aubrey Bailey you have finally given me the motivation to start my blog, if only to put it on record, it was me, I wrote that. What probably hurts most though was the fact it was published in the Daily Mail. Oh well, good luck to you Aubrey, no hard feelings.
Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Here … we found out who Aubrey Bailey, Fleet, Hants is!! … Thank you Richard A. Jones ….. dotorg!! Thank you!
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I’m very glad that you wrote this post. This is a very exact way of describing the situation in the ME. I believe you need to get credit ….. shared in my blog and on my FB page.
Peace .. wish you well!!
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Thank you.
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Hi Richard, I saw the article as a friend of mine facebooked shared it, and I too went looking for Aubrey.
A couple of months ago I made a new FB friend who is a prolific sharer, and it prompted me to try and find the source of a couple of articles before I share them.
I want to be sure I can prove the source, but more than that, the motivation behind the original post.
Some of the posts I receive have words that sound true, but I have a need to believe that the person that wrote them knew what they were talking about.
Or else it could just be an unqualified vent at the world.
Delighted to find your blog.
With my intention to qualify what I read, perhaps you could give me a quick summay about how you came to your view?
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Hello, no problem, I study Politics and international Relations at the University of Lincoln, UK. I try and keep up with what is going on in the world and was trying to organise my thoughts about the current situation in Iraq. The more I thought about it the crazier it seemed. The piece is not to be taken seriously, I’m sure plenty of people could disagree with some of the relationships it describes. Equally though, if you search the media you will find copy that agrees with the way I have described it. The real point was to highlight the complexity of the situation. The media and politicians like to reduce the world into a binary argument, good vs bad, you’re with us or against us. The real world doesn’t work like that. You can see that type of reductionist thinking unravelling now in Iraq.
All the best, Richard.
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Thank you for writing this. I’m in Australia. I’m also guilty of helping to spread this message. I will add a link to your blog to clarify the true author of the superb, cathartic rant. PS Have you found out who Aubrey Bailey is? Has she/he apologised to you for plagiarising your work? I hope so. It’s unforgivable to not acknowledge ones sources. Best wishes.
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That would be the Ad Hominem fallacy, but in reverse. The person’s credentials shouldn’t give ANY credence to the facts presented, the facts should remain on their own merit. Just as the facts disputed with personal attacks. The principle of the fallacy is that the person and the facts should be independent of each other.
Now, if you want to get conspiratorial you could argue that inciting people with facts that are accurate could be a reason to know the origin. Special Interest Groups work on group emotions all the time with facts, just reduced facts that are cherry picked, but you could argue those facts aren’t holding up at that point. But you aren’t going to get evidence of absence of a hidden agenda here. Did you find Richard to be real? Because a comment or blog that has two posts exists? Did you track down the human being in the UK?
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The frustration of the plagiarised writer….
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I’m SO glad you posted this – my first thought when I read this on FB was “who is this?!” It’s a great piece, and now I know it’s you (well, as long as “Aubrey” doesn’t suddenly surface 😉 ) I hope you keep writing!!
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Proper credit shall be given. Thanks for the post.
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I loved the letter, which was posted to the “nodrones” list in US. So I set about searching for the author. Glad to find you, Richard Alan Jones. Clever.
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Do you also want credit for the letter to the Financial Times by K. N. Al Sabah?
timpanogos.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/middle-east-politics-explained-for-the-novice-or-anyone-else-in-six-short-paragraphs/
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Hello, no, not at all. I like that. It also shows the complexity of the situation in the region. I don’t want credit for things I didn’t write.
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Reading through all this, I still can’t figure out if you do or don’t have a blog, wonderful Richard? If you do, where is it? I want to follow your reasoning, and in the process maybe save my endangered sanity,
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Richard,
What a brilliant, sardonic summary.
I searched for Aubrey Bailey in order to offer my congratulations on clear thinking, now I’ve found it was really you, “congratulations!”.
Waiting to read your first book . . .
Hedley Lester
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Hi,
I think I gave my e-mail address incorrectly in my comment. The one here is correct.
Clearly don’t post this when you come to moderate it!
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I too searched for Aubrey Bailey…….just curious to find any other pithy comments he may have written…..glad to know the true penner of this article. Spot on! Richard, your understanding of what is going on in the Mid. East reminds me of pre pubescent girls trying to figure out friendship groups on the school playground!
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Hello, another person who was about to share your words and googled to make sure Aubrey Bailey was the correct author. Portrays the craziness beautifully. I read it first in the comments on a later Craig Murray blog entry!
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Thank you Richard, I will make sure I credit you for this post I shared, not Aubrey Bailey.
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Me too. But what has this clip been up to for the past year? I saw it (as what appeared to be a picture of the original Mail letter) on facebook today.
I am not related to Lizzi (above) – as far as I know!
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A brilliant summery!
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Hello Richard, I thought that my brother-in-law and I were having a heated online argument about Aubrey Bailey’s thoughts; but it turns out it was about yours. I don’t think I’ve been able to persuade Peter of the obvious – that you, me and Aubrey are right.
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I saw this article on FB and
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One more translation:
Мay be a collection of such will either motivate you and/or amuse your guests/readers.
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Hello Brand new Blogger
I admire your straight up but slightly humorous take on the continuing saga in the Middle East. Pleased you have set the record ‘straight-ish’ and that you give some kudos to Aubrey for getting the word out. This was my response on the Book of Faces…
Hahahaha! Well said…When we look at it from the other side of the fence “WE are the TERRORISTS” propaganda is used in every war to get a nation to ‘believe’ what is being touted by the higher ups weilding the weapons.
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Indeed, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
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Just desore to say your article is as astounding. The clearness for
your post is simply nice and that i could assume youu
are a professional in this subject. Well witgh your permission allow
me to snatch your feed to keep updated with approaching post.Thanks 1,000,000 and pleawse carry on the enjoyable work.
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To be fair, given the extent of Aubrey Bailey fame, he would make an excellent pseudonym for further social comment. You should take advantage of this. Since it was your post, the name should also be yours.
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I’m Spartacus…!!!!!
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I am Audeberry Bailey!
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Funny, you look like Aubrey Bailey.
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I’m delighted to discover the original writer. Most excellent. Thank you
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and the image is going around again – http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/letter-to-daily-mail-gives-excellent-explanation-of-war-with-isis–lkdXgHvQrg still using the Aubrey Bailey line
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Thank you for having the ability of critical thought and reasoned insight to write the clear as mud piece, which is a spot on analysis of the clusterfuck situation that is the HUBRIS of nation states the World over.
What is important though, is that your message reaches far and wide, if only to wake people up to the reality of mainstream media deceit, which is a tightly controlled, narrowly owned apparatus of self-serving vile BS
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Your words are spot-on, even five years down the line. The only difference is that we an a US election coming up, and that would add more of a twist to the already complex situation!:)
I too wanted to find the identity Aubrey Bailey, and it turns out whatever he is, he has not shame in plagiarising! The good thing is that your piece has been read several million times and is reason for you to be energised to write more.
Looking back, I can see the innumerable attempts at people using my ideas without giving me credit or a return. That is the real world. The most important thing is to keep at it, without letting these distractions get in the way of your purpose.
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Great piece. I just read the post on a group whatsapp platform in Ghana and decided to look for who Aubrey Bailey is.
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Ah, I know the feeling. 🙂 Six years ago, I typed up a little humor meme and posted it to my Facebook page. At this point if you type the title of it followed by the word “meme” into Google, you’ll see millions of copies, some original, some altered, mostly crediting “unknown” but some taking credit, too. 🙂
So, when I share your observation, I’ll be sure to link here. Thanks for writing it. 🙂
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