VISITORS to Liverpool's libraries were banned from visiting a controversial website spilling the beans on life at the Town Hall earlier this month.
The Liverpool Evil-Cabal website attracted over 80,000 visitors during July and August as a mystery blogger, known as Tony Parrish, teased and attacked, for the most part, the former management team of Liverpool City Council.
The site closed down at the weekend with Mr Parrish, who has become known as the Liverpool Pimpernel, saying "we have now been promised that there will be a proper investigation into the allegations made on the blog".
Last week, Merseyside police, called in by council chief executive Colin Hilton, announced that the website does not break the law.
Mr Hilton, recently installed as chief executive, wrote an email message on the council's intranet, breaking the council's silence on the issue. He said attempts were being made to have the website removed to prevent further upset to council staff.
Council leader Warren Bradley has demanded to know who gave the order for the website to be blocked in the libraries. Like many people, Cllr Bradley is concerned about censorship, although he is no defender of the blog itself.
Council staff using municipally-owned computers are also barred from visiting the site. The contents of the blog indicate there is a source, or sources, within the corridors of power, willing to leak sensitive information to the mystery bloggers.
The big question, though, is does the council have any right to deny, in a country that promotes the concept of free speech, access to a blog site, however uncomfortable the contents may be for those who feature?
Today the Daily Post asks: Was Liverpool council right to block the Evil-Cabal website?
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