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:

  1. www.freedom2choose.co.uk

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  2. I stand ready to assist, writing or compiling.

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  3. 150pages in length? You'll need to use very very big print if you want it to be interesting...

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

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  5. ...or above perhaps

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. 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?

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

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

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  10. Could I suggest a section for Catholic blogs?

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  11. Can you add this please Iain

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

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  12. 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.

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  13. 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.

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  14. One more for you, Iain!

    http://thecameroneffect.blogspot.com/

    Only just started after months of lurking...

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  15. 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

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  16. Iain,

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

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  17. 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

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  18. Ed said...

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

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  19. Hi Iain

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

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

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

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  22. 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...

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  23. Could I suggest a section for Catholic blogs?

    Why?

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  24. Anastasia's blog isn't in the list:

    http://anastasiabeaumontbott.blogspot.com/

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  25. prisonlawinsideout

    A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour.

    http://prisonersvoice.blogspot.com

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  26. You've got my old blog address Iain.

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

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  27. prisonlawinsideout

    Surely you mean agrandmother'sheadinsideout, JHL

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  28. 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

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  29. 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?

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  30. 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.

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  31. 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.

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  32. 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 ?

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

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  34. Newmania - Where's the link?

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  35. 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

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  36. I have many interesting blogging stories.

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  37. 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 .

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  38. 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.

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  39. 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.

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

    Anyone know anyone there ?

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  41. Iain you need to updat my blog's address to

    http://curly15.wordpress.com

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

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

    ;)

    -Sanddef Rhyferys

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  44. lookingforavoice.blogspot.com

    Cheers Guthrum

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  45. 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

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

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

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  48. 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!

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  49. 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...

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

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

    Ta

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

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  53. The UK Today is missing too.

    http://www.theuktoday.co.uk

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

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  55. '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

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