In Defence of Lisa Harding

As always, I'm strangely late to this party. I've sat and I have watched when really I should have done more or said more and for that I have regrets. I've always stood by my friends and here, rightly or wrongly I'm doing it again.

Lisa or "spidey" has been a friend on line for over two years now, not just to me but to quite a few of us. She served the Libdem party and wrote for her award winning blog spiderplantland, which at the moment won't load and I'm hoping this is just a technological glitch rather than that it has been deleted. She had strong opinions - the best kind- never sat on the fence and was always happy to debate.

She's had some tough times in her life, a past that many of us can say that we're thankful not to have and last year she lost her beloved dog Mickey.

She'd been disheartened with the Coalition and indeed the party for quite some time and after another failed attempt during the May local elections and having lost her job due to Coalition policy she defected back to Labour. The split was far from amicable for some people. Lisa had written a long blog post detailing what people had said about her on Twitter with screen grabs.

Now I know that there is a strength of belief that Lisa has told lies, misrepresented herself and others but that is opinion. When it comes to the Internet and Twitter you have to take people at face value and what they say. May be I'm too trusting but I have been given no reason to doubt Lisa nor have I ever judged her.

I was taught as a young man that Courtesy costs nothing and If you can't say something nice about someone don't say anything.

Yes Twitter gives us all the ability to debate and argue on line about policies and I admit there are times where unkindnesses are said by both parties however from the screen grabs there have been times where people have been clearly attacking another (without naming names) to each other. I get that there are times when people don't like people. I don't like some people, but might I suggest that if you do want to engage in this then please do it as a Direct Message where it is hidden from view rather than an open message that everyone can see. Its just heartless.

The internet is a great big faceless mask and it is easy for people to misrepresent themselves after all who can prove any of it. I can see no need to dig around in anyone's "story" unless of course money or feelings are involved. I've always believed Lisa and have no reason to doubt her, but if others want to that's their prerogative however please voice your opinions in a DM. Not everyone's past is rosie and full of dancing bunnys. Think of the pain you can cause by digging it up again and waving it in their face in your pursuit of the "truth."

I don't want to fall out with anyone, I'm not going to name names or slag people off - Its not my style. At the end of the day I have no personal quarrel with any of you. All I will say is that Lisa is a friend of mine and I stand by here, for better or worse, and I feel that the comments are unwarranted. You are all welcome to your opinions and I welcome debate about policies and politics but I will not and cannot condone personal attacks especially over extended periods of time.

This is all I'm going to say on the issue.