Top Political Blogs - 14 comments
Iain Dale has selected his top Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, "non-aligned" (see also), journalist-written, and foreign blogs.
It wouldn't be professional for me to produce my own selection of Labour blogs, but the presence of Recess Monkey (no offence to him) as Iain's #2, suggests that Iain is looking for a very different kind of thing to me. Blogs that offer "scoops" are only interesting to me for making conversation at work, and the investigative/journalistic style of blog is something I feel may be socially useful (or would be if it wasn't so ideologically skewed), but, again, doesn't make me feel I need to be reading.
No, I like and respect the blogs that shattered my anti-Americanism and opposition to the Iraq intervention (back in 2005), that undermined the practical case for ID cards, that got me thinking about Citizen's Income and flat taxes, and that offer insights on interesting, complicated, and under-represented issues. Only one of these blogs is listed.
Only a very small percentage of the anti-Labour blogs I read are actually pro-Conservative, but only one of those Conservative blogs I read only occasionally read is in Iain's top 20. Likewise, only one or two from the Lib Dem's top 10. You can find most of these blogs in the sidebar (quite a way down).
So, we've heard a lot about how the Conservatives/the political right (delete as applicable) have embraced the blogosphere: do any readers fancy putting forward their favourites, or Top Fives? You can also pick Lib Dems, left-of-Labour, and unaffiliated, if you like.
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14 comments so far...
shattered my anti-Americanism and opposition to the Iraq intervention
Ah, old boy, the two were linked were they?
Aren't they so often?
I was more monster than man!
Delighted to be number 3 on the Labour bloggers list - but did you notice that clicking on my name sends you to Bloggers4Labour (10th Place) and clicking Antonia Bance (4th Place) sends you to my blog?
It's bizarre, but a good way to make sure people read the other blogs! :-)
Basically, Iain's screwed up the links. Clicking B4L at #10 takes you to an invalid URL, for what it's worth. I'd drop him a mail but am a bit busy at the mo...
Listing the current multi-authored incarnation of Recess Monkey down as a 'pro Labour blog' suggests that Iain's political judgement is as flawed as ever!
I share your taste in political blogs and the reasons for it, but sadly I think Iain Dale's choices pretty much reflect where UK political blogging is now and where it's going. 3 years ago, perhaps, it was about new ideas, debate between the different sides and the meeting of minds - remember? - now, as you say, it's about various forms of tabloidism - gossip, scandal, attention-getting rants. The popular blogs are the ones that open themselves up to that - Guido, Recess Monkey, Chickyog, CiF, DK, BackingBlair, and so tediously on.
As for specific Conservative blogs, again, I think the moment has passed. I think it passed at a quite specific moment - when the bulk of Tory bloggers came out for Davis in the leadership election. That, and their general failure to come to terms with Cameron, basically mean that the Conservative future isn't being blogged, at least not in the way it was before Cameron won.
A top 5, before all of the above, might have been:
1. Conservative Commentary - this used to be one of the great UK political blogs, before Peter C went on to bigger and larger things
2. Blimpish - I think he may have shared my views on the Tabloid Bloggers and got out while the going was good. Missed.
3. Peter Briffa - for obvious reasons
4. Laban Tall - your place for all things bleak and disillusioned; the kind of person on the right many people on the left don't "get"
5. I know it's an American site, but I always enjoyed the straightforwardness of "Right Wing News", to say nothing of the response you get from rubbernecking colleagues whilst you're visiting the site.
HV,
I don't think we should blame Iain for selecting Recess Monkey - they're on our list too. After all, I don't think it's a revelation to say that the protagonist works for a Labour MP!
James,
One of my problems with the journalist-style blogs is that you don't seem to get posts that stand back a little and try to judge an issue on its merits. Some of them are so shrill as to be impossible for non-regulars/neutrals (DK, CY...)
I used to comment @ Conservative Commentary, but it seemed to be dominated by hard-line Republicans rather than UK Tories. Hardly look in now. Blimpish and Bishop Hill I would look at as/when they're updated, and I look at Laban regularly - bleak certainly is the word, though I don't see him as a committed Conservative, which is reinforced up by his background. The official Conservative blogosphere is a bit of a blank to me. Anyway, my list:
1) Laban Tall
2) Bishop Hill
3) Tim Roll-Pickering
4) Iain Dale
5) Blimpish (dormant)
Iain Dale is very dismissive of left blogs (on purpose in my opinion). I reckon he deliberately messed up the links to B4L and misrepresented the number and quality of Labour blogs listed here. HE IS A TORY, I wouldn't trust his sincerity.
He says conservative blogs are leading the way (something the Tory press) has gleefully repeated. But I don't see evidence of it really?
Look at the Left bloggers impact with the Euston Manifesto (where is the Right bloggers equivalent)? Even though I disagree with a fundamental element of the EM (You CAN reject Galloway etc without having to limit your criticism of the US and Israeli governments), you can't deny it's widespread impact.
Signing the EM with its vague outline of laudable aims is like signing a blank cheque until it tells us EXACTLY what methods are intended to achieve these aims. What if the movement takes a direction you don't support anymore? I don't see an option to unsign available on the website!
Anyway back to the point, Harry's Place, Normblog, and Leninology seem to get plenty of hits and they are left leaning. There are loads of well read left-leaning blogs out there. Ian Dale is talking crap.
I agree with a lot of that.
I won't say Conservative-affiliated/rival bloggers are any more or less good as individuals, but when you look at the big collective projects/campaigns in the UK, they're the work of the left. So, for example:
* Harry's Place
* Euston Manifesto Group
* B4L, perhaps
* Backing Blair (well, the notional left, and the less said about Lenin, the better!)
* Sharpener - centrist, but possibly edging to the left?
* Comment Is Free?
Organisation is also, surely, better. We shouldn't be insular, on the other hand we know where to find Labour/left bloggers in huge numbers if need be, and many of us have met in real life. I don't think the right can say the same in the UK (I'm not counting message boards here).
"Influence" is another matter entirely, and something Iain would definitely flag up, but others not at all. I've no doubt we have less influence, but then, hey, we're supposed to be ordinary people, not professional journos, or fixers. The counter to that is that we do also have more blogging councillors/MPs, but maybe it's a mistake to believe they have the same kind and degree of influence as a well-known journo, author, or self-styled opinion-former.
Still, to write the left out of the blogosphere is inaccurate, wrong, and does the right no favours.
To be perfectly honest, in the light of Neil Harding's comment above, you could hardly blame Iain Dale for fighting shy of leftwing blogs, could you?
It's a reflection on the nature of political support: I disagree with Conservative voters on the role of the state, but I agree that there's a debate to be had there. I disagree with the idea that "Tories are evil" (to use a summary phrase) on a wholly more fundamental level. Moreover, its just that kind of headbanging that's so good at keeping us permanently out of power - whilst keeping the headbanger's hands clean. And I'm sure that keeping one's hands clean is devoutly to be wished.
Samizdata - a right wing, libertarian collective blog gets 10,000-15,000 readers plus a day. So not all successful group blogs are left-wing.
Incidentally I see my blog listed in many places as a Conservative blog. I'm more of an anarcho-capitalist. When Cameron is PM I'll be attacking his government.
To those above who complain that I'm too tabloid - you don't have to read the blog - the truth is people come back because they want gossip - it is Westminster's dirty secret.
Samizdata, yep, but it's not specifically group blogs, it's social networks, and there - I believe - we have a big advantage.
I wouldn't have lumped you under Conservaive either. What's interesting is how few of the influential blogs are actively pro-Conservative (in general). I insist that the continued presence of a large pro-Labour constituency in blogland is more significant than the Iain Dales are prepared to admit. Of course it flies in the face of broadsheet wisdom...
I actually agree with a lot of what has been said - but Recess Monkey does have a place - even if that place isn't far from the gutter.
Don't have any illusions about Dale & Fawkes, who are becoming increasingly close. They see themselves as the vanguard of the Tory attack machine and are aimed only at securing a tory majority at the next election.
For this reason I was enormously disappointed at those self-confessed left wingers who contributed to the Dale/Fawkes book on New Labour Sleaze. Contributors might as well have joined the Tory Party.
Alex
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