Saturday, July 07, 2007

The 2007 Guide to Political Blogging

Readers may recall that last year I published a 32 page pamphlet called IAIN DALE'S GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING IN THE UK. This year the Guide will be a paperback book of around 150pages in length and it will again be sponsored by APCO Online. It will be published by Harriman House.

As well as the format being different, so will the content. At the back of the book there will be a comprehensive directory of as many UK based political blogs as I can get details of. If you click HERE you will find a list of 720 blogs. If you are a blogger, please check I have got yours listed and the details are correct. If you know of any blogs not listed please leave a comment.

Last year I compiled the Top 100 lists on my own because there was no time to do it any other way. This year I am asking a panel of people to compile various lists. As well as compiling the Top 50 Conservatives, Labour and LibDem blog lists we want to have Top 10s and Tope 20s for various categories. Fell free to suggest any.

There will also be around twenty or thirty full length articles by blog personalities and media observers.

Do you know of any bloggers who might have unqiue perspectives on particular blog related issues, or of people who have had interesting blogging experiences over the last twelve months?If you have ideas for features or articles which could be included in the book please do let me know as deadlines are getting quite tight.

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

www.freedom2choose.co.uk

Anonymous said...

I stand ready to assist, writing or compiling.

Hughes Views said...

150pages in length? You'll need to use very very big print if you want it to be interesting...

Anonymous said...

You still have my old blogspot address. The new one is as below.

Anonymous said...

...or above perhaps

The Hitch said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Hitch said...

I would say seeing right wing polemicist Peter Hitchens cycle up my path and then peer through my letter box was my most interesting political blogging experience.
Has anybody else had a famous hack peer through their letter box whilst wearing bicycle clips?

Anonymous said...

Oh - I left a comment on the linked post too - might as well comment here as well. You forgot http://www.dailypropaganda.co.uk

Bob Piper said...

Iain, my blog address has changed to: http://www.bobpiper.co.uk/

BCB Webmaster said...

Could I suggest a section for Catholic blogs?

Anonymous said...

Can you add this please Iain

http://www.andrewbridgen.com/andrews-blog

Luke Akehurst said...

I am outraged. You have referred to my spoofster as genuine and me as "satire". Surely even a Tory idiot could tell which one of us was "satire" and which one was truly representative of New Labour.

Outraged of Beatty Road Stoke Newington.

Anonymous said...

For those like myself who were and are very much against our participation in Bush's wars and need to understand the neocon mentality, two American constitutional conservative websites are antiwar.com and www.whatreallyhappened.com; the former is edited by Justin Raimondo (admirer of young men), the latter by Michael Rivero, disbeliever in all official versions of events, not excluding global warming.

Advertising Sellout said...

One more for you, Iain!

http://thecameroneffect.blogspot.com/

Only just started after months of lurking...

Anonymous said...

Iain can you let people know about Gordon Browns rouse to save tax by transferring his flat into his wives name I think this is scanalous

Nicolas said...

Iain,

Charlotte Leslie, PPC for Bristol North West, launched her new blog this week. www.charlotteleslie.blogspot.com

barry monk said...

You have omitted the blog of the Save Bedford Hospital party,a party registered with the electoral commission and which will be running a candidate in the Bedford constituency at the next election. The bloghas already had a number of exclusives that have subsequently been published in the national press.

The site is www.vote4barry.blogspot.com

Old BE said...

Ed said...

Oi! There can't be two commenters called Ed!

Anonymous said...

Hi Iain

On your home page list, but not on your 702 bloggers http://dblackie.blogs.com

AnyoneButBrown said...

What about me! I'm hurt. And I contributed a chapter to the Big Book of NuLab Sleaze!

Advertising Sellout said...

Ed: I was going to be called Judith, but my parents had a last minute change of heart. Kind of dodged a bullet there...

Anonymous said...

I fear, Iain, that the Inamicus blog at labour-watch.blogspot.com has to be deleted from your list.

The author is currently preventing access, perhaps because he is (allegedly) standing for those nice Limp Dums in Sedgefield. His socialist chums seem unimpressed, and quite an unseemly scrum develped yesterday on the Green at Trimdon...

Archbishop Cranmer said...

Could I suggest a section for Catholic blogs?

Why?

Nicolas said...

Anastasia's blog isn't in the list:

http://anastasiabeaumontbott.blogspot.com/

jailhouselawyer said...

prisonlawinsideout

A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour.

http://prisonersvoice.blogspot.com

wonkotsane said...

You've got my old blog address Iain.

Should be http://www.wonkosworld.co.uk/wordpress

Anonymous said...

prisonlawinsideout

Surely you mean agrandmother'sheadinsideout, JHL

Reactionary Snob said...

If I can help at all, Iain, please do get in contact with me.

reactionary_snob@yahoo.co.uk

You have my address down right, and I will see if you have missed anyone out.

Best wishes,

RS

PS -

Sections that you might not have (and shameless plugging!)

Best Fiskers
Best Political Ranters
Best Swearbloggers

Yellow said...

Have do you define a political blog....

I often write about politics but I think my blog would probably be classified as a 'religious' blog.

Personally if I was going to classify it myself I'd call it 'random shite'.

I was just wondering what makes a political blog definately political. Is there a minimum limit on the amount of non-politics it can include?

BCB Webmaster said...

Could I suggest a section for Catholic blogs?

Why?


Because I think it would be a good idea and I do not know enough general Christian blogs to suggest such a section.

Jim Jepps said...

Iain, last year I suggested that Green political blogs would be a good category and, as you know, I ended up compiling it - so have a lot of sympathy with how much work has to go into this.

At the time some other greens offered to help me out this year to do it again. I do think that a broader scope is required than the three main parliamentary parties (I also suggested that feminist blogs, for instance, might be an interesting category).

If you think this goes beyond your remit I'd be happy to write a piece for you on the broader political blogosphere, to partially fill that gap.

If you want to contact me you've emailed me before so should have my details but if you've lost my email feel free to comment on my blog to get in touch.

Newmania said...

I have managed to get extensively quoted in the Evening Standard , Times and the Sun for remarks on this blog and also bon mots on Croydonian . So has Verity.

Is that interesting ?

Anonymous said...

Given his interest in this project, maybe jhl has aspirations to be a hack. Oh,wait a minute! He already did that!

Anonymous said...

Newmania - Where's the link?

Gracchi said...

What about analytical and semi-academic blogs that use academic research to write about politics- again I'd be happy to help if you need it there but there are quite a few around

Praguetory said...

I have many interesting blogging stories.

Newmania said...

Sorry Verity ..I`m not much of an expert on cunning linky but you were in the Telegraph on the subject of global warming...from memory
" I am going to drive my four by four around aimlessly just for the hell of it ... "...and I saw another one of yours in the Times which escapes me .

Anonymous said...

Myself and my wife finally have our Blog's up and running at:-

www.HarrowgateHillFuture.co.uk

We were both elected in May to represent Harrowgate Hill Ward in Darlington.

Anonymous said...

Iain, you may want to get in touch with occasional commenter Philipa. The Hitch is not entirely alone...

And if Peter Hitchens asks who told you, please do give him my contact information. I would be delighted to discuss the issue with him. Before or after he pulls his head out of his ass.

Newmania said...

I have just bought a house in Lewes where I would like to continue Conservative Party activism

Anyone know anyone there ?

Anonymous said...

Iain you need to updat my blog's address to

http://curly15.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

Try www.ofcomwatch.co.uk - focusing on the politics and regulation of the information society...

Michael Shilliday said...

www.youngunionists.org.uk

Anonymous said...

If you mention my real name, remember that it is Sanddef and not Sandeff

;)

-Sanddef Rhyferys

Guthrum said...

lookingforavoice.blogspot.com

Cheers Guthrum

Quentin Langley said...

Last year you had me down under Conservative blogs. Umm, maybe, but I am more of a libertarian. Will that be a separate category this year or lumped in with 'other'? How about a category for global politics - ie British based blogs commenting on global affairs. Mine should be top, obviously.

Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net

susan press said...

please add mention of my blog which is, roughly speaking, written from a left Labour Party perspective. Thanks....
http://grimmerupnorth.blogspot.com

Sir-C4' said...

Mr. Dale, my blog address has changed to: http://conservativemindblog.blogspot.com

Philipa said...

Hitch - I made him run away screaming clutching a raincoat; you're obviously more attractive ;-)

Iain if you do not include the inimitable Newmania then boo hiss. And a mention for the antidote to all blogging sludge - Raincoasters site, which can effortlessly mix political comment with fun and fresh tentacles, though I greatly enjoy her comments on Boris Johnsons blog - an excellent blog if I may say so, with particularly fragrant, feminine and warm moderators.

And yes, gotta go now - not so much ending with a bang as petering out; litigation is but a heartbeat away!

lilith said...

Philipa, do you need funds for your litigation? Perhaps you could create a facility on a blog and we could donate, supporting freedom of speech, the disabled, the blogosphere and bullied single mothers against Enormous Egos that can only take criticism from men..... women they sue...

Olly Onions said...

for your consideration:
http://ollysonions.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Mine is Esprit de l'escalier, http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/danielwilsoncraw

Ta

Anonymous said...

You haven't got the Southwark Council Liberal Democrat Group site - politicallyrestricted.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

The UK Today is missing too.

http://www.theuktoday.co.uk

Anonymous said...

Istanbul Tory is amongst us again....
http://istanbultory.blogspot.com/

Paul said...

'Know Your Place' - writer and environmentalist Paul Kingsnorth's blog. Winner of last year's 'Peoples Choice' Green Bloggers Award, as compiled by Jim Jay.

www.paulkingsnorth.net/blog.html