Monday, October 23, 2006

More Blogging Tory MPs

I want to highlight three Conservative MPs who have just started blogs - Ed Vaizey, Richard Spring and James Duddridge. They're all very different, but all three seem to 'get' what blogging is about. Ed's blog is, as you might expect, probably the most entertaining of the three, as he deploys his characteristic wit to good effect. Richard's is more cerebral, but no worse for it. He is a great ranter when he gets going, so let's hope he puts fingertip to keyboard when he's having nasty thoughts about the East of England Regional Assembly. James needs to update his blog more often and make it more prominent within his website. At the moment it's a little hidden. Stephen Crabb has also started blogging, but he purposely only updates it once a week. No Stephen, if you're going to do it, do it properly.

So that brings to six, the number of Tory MPs who blog. Boris Johnson and David Davies are the other two. Have I missed any? I predict that by the end of the year there will be another dozen.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

What happened to the entry on the visit to White Hart Lane? On second thought perhaps we've had enough about Defoe's bite of Mascherrano!

Too good to go down, its happened before!

The Hitch said...

Now if we could just have a right wing ranter in charge of the conservative party,instead of all this "I feel your pain crap" then they may stand a chance of getting elected.
Declaring war on the French ,bringing back hanging and the birch would also be popular ways forward.

Anonymous said...

http://thedaily.wordpress.com/2006/10/22/johnson-read-my-lips-no-less-selection/

Anonymous said...

Johnson's isn't really a blog, it's a retirement home for articles that have already been publishe elsewhere. Ask Boris if he 'gets' blogging, I think the answer would have to be no!

Anonymous said...

Tim Yeo has one, but he never updates it.

Anonymous said...

Arguably more of a website and not a real blog, but Sir George Youmg has had an excellent website (www.sirgeorgeyoung.org.uk) with daily reports of his activities (and an archive going back many years), reports of his views, party policies and correspondence with constituents. Old technology and not quite a blog, but the content knocks most of the other MP's blogs into a cocked hat.

Anonymous said...

Bless James Duddridge.
"I want a computer generated picture of myself, just like Nick Robinson," he thought.
"One that makes me look a handsome."
But then he couldn't decide what looked best, so he chose to use the original picture too. Side by side in funny harmony.
He should remember the saying:
"One cannot read when blinded by tears of laughter."

Anonymous said...

As perhaps one of the older generation of bloggers i must congratulate Mr Spring on entering this world.
A brave move but one which will im sure pay off - ive been logging on since it started last week.
The mentions of Rodin and Velazquez may go over my head but all bloggers have their place!!

The Blind-Winger Jones said...

Just what the world needs. More MPs sharing their wisdom with us. Lord give me strength :-0

People actually READ these things ? Why not develop a more useful hobby such as collecting Kit Kat Wrappers, or Yodelling ?

If we just ignore the politicians they might all eventually get fed up and go away.

Onlinefocus Team said...

James Durridge is an MP for part of our district, so I've given him a link from our local OnlineFocus. (I wonder if he will give a link back?)

I'd like to send James a welcoming comment, but he doesn't seem to have any comments enabled yet... if he's reading this - Welcome to the Blogosphere..

Anonymous said...

Iain, you had a blog entry last week about the same story appearing twice in that day's edition of "The Daily Telegraph." I've noticed the same story in today's "Telegraph" about a boost in walnut sales being attributed to preventing damage to arteries on both pages 6 and 9. Perhaps you could do a regular feature on "Spot the "Telegraph's" duplication"?

The Daily Pundit said...

I can highly recommend Mr Vaizey's blog. The man has everything: good looks, intellect, wit, and impeccable taste.

Anonymous said...

off thread
With the polls suggesting that Dave's honeymoon may be coming to and end. I've got some hemlock in the garden, its in the post Iain

Anonymous said...

Adam Rickert says on the banner above: "Best view of the political pulse" and I was just wondering what a political pulse looks like? A liberal pea? A radical bean? What?

Anonymous said...

I expect at least a dozen more too following on from your stand at the Party conference. That's a good point about Michael Gove, he must be one of your 12.

Anonymous said...

"No Stephen, if you're going to do it, do it properly"

Iain, do you actually own blogging? Maybe it's ok to do things differently than you.

Anonymous said...

Might be more fun if Stephen Crabb did it improperly, don't you think?

Anonymous said...

Yes, and I want to highlight a Conservative MP who is currently helping the police with their enquiries - none other than Mr Michael Howard! Step forward Mikey!

I suspect Iain will get round eventually to saying something about it. :-)

stelios the big easy guy said...

One of the country's most senior policemen has claimed postal voting is wide open to corruption.

There is a real possibility that results can be rigged, according to Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman.

His comments follow an investigation into claims that hundreds of postal votes were stolen from blocks of flats in Tower Hamlets, East London, during last May's council elections, which saw Labour's overall majority in the borough cut to one seat.

The Yard's Special Prosecutions Unit is now considering bringing criminal charges against several suspects after consulting the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mr Hayman writes in a report for the Metropolitan Police Authority: "It is the view of the SPU that widespread use of postal votes has opened up a whole new area to be exploited by the fraudster and the opportunity has been taken.

"It is difficult to assess if abuse of postal voting has altered the outcome of local elections but it is possible. It is the view of the SPU that the postal voting system must be properly managed and scrutinised otherwise the integrity of the electoral system will be compromised."

Mr Hayman said Asian areas were being targeted by the vote-fixers.

"Communities where English is a second language are vulnerable to being disenfranchised or otherwise subjected to 'sharp practice' where postal votes are concerned."

He said that voters are effectively being duped into applying for postal votes and then handing them over to party activists.

He added: "There is evidence that such activity has occurred within the Bengali community in Tower Hamlets.

"Anecdotally some community contacts have remarked on how some practices that are seen as acceptable outside the UK have been adopted in respect of UK elections. For example, the head of an extended family instructing family members to vote for a particular party or candidate."

Mr Hayman also said that those applying for postal votes had not been asked to provide enough information on the application form to allow for "effective scrutiny".

Detectives have been told thousands more postal votes than usual were issued in Tower Hamlets last spring. The figure was 18,716 - 7,000 more than at the General Election in 2005.

Labour's overall majority was cut to just one seat while George Galloway's anti-Iraq war Respect party now holds 12 seats on the council.

Police have been told of "fraudulent multiple redirection of postal vote papers being received by those who have not applied for them".

Other voters applied for and never received postal votes.

Among the offences reported are falsification of nomination papers, impersonation of candidates and making false statements about candidates.

Labour has encouraged postal voting as a way of increasing voter turn- out, though critics have always maintained it provides an 'open door' for fraud.

In 2004, postal voting fraud was so prevalent in Birmingham that Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey, QC, said the situation "would have disgraced a banana republic".

Five Labour councillors were found guilty of vote-rigging and stripped of office. Labour are a bunch of crooks from top to bottom.

Anonymous said...

VERITY=-
"Adam Rickert says on the banner above: "Best view of the political pulse"
Yes I mentioned this . Mixed this metaphor earlier in the show folks. Now thats A list style
B JOHNSON
I like Boris Johnson’s Blog but it is a forum really. It does get some excellent contributors and allows space to discuss the arts , music and a wide range of subjects in a Conservative context .It has a better mix of genders and all in all is better at showing what Conservatives do like . This blog ( less than most) , focuses on what we don’t like which is also badly needed.

IAIN – I don’t like to bang on…( lie obviously), but I notices the other day cynic in trouble for the use of bad language . Yesterday I noticed shotgun blasting the BBC is fine pithy style . This style employed ad hominem genitalia references and some pretty crude homophobic remarks. It was very noble of you to let that sort of thing through, I wouldn’t. As I am always being censored for one reason or another and would like not to be I wonder if you would perhaps explain what guidelines you , in general follow. As a card carrying member (of course) of “Les Billettes Jaunes” I would like to know how to avoid this dreadful fisking thing . I `m not sure what it is but it is obviously a bad thing. Suppose I break a rule by accident? I can’t bear the tension any more…!

Ralph Lucas said...

I have one.

lordlucas.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I have one, too:

http://davidjonesclwydwest.blogspot.com/