On Sunday night the LibDems are having a fringe meeting on blogging, where they will be awarding a prize for the LibDem Blog of the Year. There are actually some quite good LibDem blogs, so I thought it might be rather fun to take a Tv camera down to interview some of the bloggers or record some stuff for my Channel 4 News Podcast. So I asked if it would be Ok to turn up. Er, no, came the reply. Er, why, I asked? Well the room's a bit small, they said. Hmmm. I persisted and said that I'd like to go anyway, sans camera or recording device, just to meet some fellow bloggers. Nein. Niet. Non, came the response. Control freakery rules OK!I can't really be bothered to make a big deal out of it, but it's a shame that the powers that be who decide these things don't seem to get that there is a community of bloggers who might actually gain from talking to each other. I think I do more than my fair share on this blog to link to and promote LibDem blogs - probably to the irritation of my fellow Tories. Indeed, not only that but I suggsted to my colleagues at MessageSpace that they should include LibDem Blogs to make it truly cross-party, even though their traffic doesn't really warrant it.
I was going to take down a load of my Guide to UK Political Blogging to distribute at the meeting, but I'm certainly not about to drive down to Brighton just to drop them off and drive home again!
Anyway, if any LibDem bloggers would like to have a chat on Tuesday, I'll be at the conference all day (with a cameraman!), so just send me an email. I'll also be discussing blogging with Lynne Featherstone on the Daily Politics on Tuesday at midday.
19 comments:
It's a shame you can't be there. I would have like to have met up with you Iain.
How could a commentator endorsed by Adam Ricketts possibly be treated in such a cavalier fashion ? The world is upside down
?
Is sucking up to Liberals compulsory now then ?
They clearly haven't cottoned on yet to blogging's premier place in political observation and comment. Perhaps it's just too immediate for them, poor dears...
I know. If you ran a bookstore, you would get invited...:)
(I can't go anyway)
Deep Stoat,
I have seen Iain referred to as the Blogging Godfather over at Croydonian's place.
Any chance of a discussion on Cameron's comments in Scotland, that the English are ignorant and anti-Scottish?
Will anyone in the Conservative Party actually stand up for England? Had he said the same about the Scots, he would have been forced to apologise.
This will come back to haunt the Conservatives if it is not sorted out now.
"Yet more control freakery, eh?"
So are all Conservative conference fringe meetings open to the public and press then?
Wizzlewick, yes they are open to anyone attending the conference whether press or not. I have a press pass for the LibDems.
"yes they are open to anyone attending the conference whether press or not. "
Ah yes, that would include fringe meetings 012,025,146 and 181 at this year's conference which state "by invitation only" would it?
It's nothing personal Iain, the same applies to all press - a reception for Lib Dem bloggers is just that, and just as there are events at Labour and Tory conferences which aren't for the press so it's the same at the Lib Dems.
If the blog of the year competition and award is a success and we repeat it, I can see possible merit in separating out any reception and awards in the future.
The offer to set up an interview with the winner (or runners-up) still stands of course.
There is a code of practice which allows other parties to send observers to official sessions and fringes at other party conferences - but the Tories got into trouble at the LD conf a couple of years ago for sending "unofficial" spies into private training sessions against the spirit of the agreement. They were thrown out....
Or maybe The Blogfather?
I'm not surprised Iain. Most (but not all) of the Lib Dems I have met are utter scumbags posing as human beings. Two Lib Dems I know of in particular have more in common with Iosef Koba Stalin than Paddy Ashdown.
Not exactly 'liberal' is it?
Lynne Featherstone is a real cow - behind all the smiles she's a very unpleasant woman who loathes Conservatives. I wouldn't trust her as far as i could throw her
It's a bit rich of Mark Pack to deny control freakery at the Lib Dem conference. Dr. Pack runs Featherstone's blog and, although she she now accepts comments, anything remotely critical of her or the Fib Dems is not published! She makes Saddam look like a democrat!
Hi, Iain,
If you're there on the Tuesday, why not come to the Unofficial Blogmeet - it's in a pub, not at the conference so there won't be any restrictions.
I did invite you before when we were corresponding, did you see?
I plan to wander around conference with a dictaphone making the occasional podcast, so maybe we can even interview each other?
Lynne Featherstone is a real cow - behind all the smiles she's a very unpleasant woman who loathes Conservatives. I wouldn't trust her as far as i could throw her
Compared to the utterly vile Helen Watters, Featherstone is a saint.
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