Total Politics Top 75 Lib Dem Blogs - top ten

Bloody hell.

Thank you all so much to every single person who voted for my little blog in the Total Politics poll.

Honestly, I was so chuffed last year to be voted in 19th place in the top 75 Lib Dem blogs, but this year you have voted me at 10th place!

With three Scots in the top ten and nine in the top 75, Stephen Glenn leaves a great legacy in the Macblogosphere - and although only over the sea, we miss him loads.

So, here are the nine Scots in order, with the 2009 position in brackets;

Caron's Musings - 3rd place (7th place)
Stephen's Liberal Journal - 7th place (11th place)
Andrew Reeves' running blog - 10th place (19th place)
Councillor Fraser MacPherson - 18th place (31st place)
James Taylor - 42nd place new entry
Liberal Youth Scotland - 54th place (57th place)
Councillor Paul Edie - 69th place new entry
Councillor David May - 72nd place new entry
Councillor Ian Yuill - 73rd place new entry
Sanjay Samani - 75th place new entry

Congratulations to everyone in the 75, we have all done incredibly well.

The list is the result of more than 2,200 people who voted in the Total Politics Annual Blog Poll during the second half of July.

All of the lists, together with articles from leading blog commentators, will be published in the TOTAL POLITICS GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING, in association with APCO Worldwide. It will be published in October at £14.99. You can pre-order your copy HERE.

Total Politics Top 50 Scottish Blogs - the only way is up

So, Total Politics are starting to drip feed the results of this year's Total Politics Best Blog lists and today was the turn of the Top 50 Scottish Blogs.

There are 23 new entries, just 8 blogs went up from last years position (including mine), 2 stayed where they were from last year including Tom Harris MP who retains the top spot and 17 slipped down the pile.

So, thank you to everyone who voted for my little blog.

Congratulations to Tom Harris for holding the top spot, Caron Lindsay for moving up to 4th position, Stephen Glenn for finally ridding himself of the dreaded 11th position, he now finds himself in 7th position, Councillor Fraser MacPherson for moving up to 18th position and Liberal Youth Scotland for coming in as a new entry at 34th position.

So, Caron, Stephen, Fraser and I all have blogs that went up this year, so of half the blogs that went up the Lib Dems account for 50%.

I am also really pleased to see Subrosa appear in the list, a new entry in at number 9 - one blog that I am somewhat surprised has been missing before.

With 23 new entries I have some new reading to catch up on.

This list is the result of more than 2,200 people who voted in the Total Politics Annual Blog Poll during the second half of July.


All these lists, together with articles from leading blog commentators, will be published in the TOTAL POLITICS GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING, in association with APCO Worldwide. It will be published in October at £14.99. You can preorder your copy HERE.

Total Politics Best Blog Poll 2010: vote now!

It's that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. This is the fifth year of the poll. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2010-11, which will be published in September. For the second year running, the poll is being promoted/sponsored by LabourList, LibDemVoice and Iain Dale's Diary.

The rules are simple.

1. You must vote for your ten favourite blogs and ranks them from 1 (your favourite) to 10 (your tenth favourite).

2. Your votes must be ranked from 1 to 10. Any votes which do not have rankings will not be counted.

3. You MUST include at least FIVE blogs in your list, but please list ten if you can. If you include fewer than five, your vote will not count.

4. Email your vote to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

5. Only vote once.

6. Only blogs based in the UK, run by UK residents or based on UK politics are eligible. No blog will be excluded from voting.

7. Anonymous votes left in the comments will not count. You must give a name

8. All votes must be received by midnight on 31 July 2010. Any votes received after that date will not count.

Now, I would be honoured if you chose to nominate my little blog as you did last year.

Nick Griffin claims BNP are more gay friendly but finds gays "creepy"

Over on Pink News, they are covering Iain Dale's interview with Nick Griffin for Total Politics (no it isn't an Iain Dale and Pink News love fest).

So, the new gay friendly BNP want to ban civil partnerships, only allow gay couples to adopt if the childrens homes are full and wants to ban the promotion of homosexuality in schools.

So, the BNP want to follow the Conservative lead and introduce it's own Section 28?

Nick Griffin said this of homosexuality itself;

"It's unfamiliar, it’s odd and I’m afraid it is creepy. Grown men kissing in public is creepy to most people. You don’t often see it but if you do see it, it’s not a matter of homophobia, it’s odd and you have to explain it to little kids and so on – that’s strange."

Everyone else manages to explain these things okay, you can just say they love each other, isn't that enough?

he said: "Marriage is only between a man and a women and ideally with kids."

He then went onto explain;

it was "better if two gay men are in a stable relationship rather than cottaging all over the place"

Oh Mr Griffin, if only.  Honestly, what a pathetic statement to make.

On gay adoption, he said that he would be "inclined to agree" with gay couples adopting, but only "if we reach the stage where there are so many children in children’s homes that you run out of would-be adopted ideal families".

So, that is Mr Griffin, leader of the right wing BNP party explaining how his party is gay friendly.

What a load of round shaped spheres, with brass tacks on.  Your party is as homophobic now as it ever has been.

Should we scrap Prime Minister's Questions?

There was a great debating article in the conference edition of Total Politics, Should Prime Minister's Questions be scrapped? In my opinion, no.

Firstly I think it should go back to being twice a week, but not two fifteen minute slots but replaced with a twenty minute session which is dedicated to the Leaders of the Opposition parties and a forty five minute session dedicated to back bench MPs of all parties, decided by the current ballot system.

Then if the Leaders insist on a punch and judy style session, well that is up to them although Nick Clegg has certainly ruled that kind of politics out. It would leave a main good length session for MPs of all parties, using the current ballot system, to then seriously and sensibly question the Prime Minister of the day on issues they wish to raise.

I would certainly be in favour of losing the ridiculous "staged questions" that many Labour MPs participate in where they ask a question that Gordon Brown just then lists various Labour achievements - hardly a good use of a question.

So, Mr Bercow if you are up for transforming Parliament then please consider this new innovative thought on the traditional Prime Minister's Questions and bring it up to date.

Scottish Lib Dem blogging goes from strength to strength

Well the Total Politics top 300 political blogs have now been announced, I was again astounded as my little blog has come in at 193 with a new entry - certainly my reading figures are definitely up and the best three days have been in the last 10 days.

My little blog is in the top 50 Scottish political, top 75 Lib Dem and now in the top 200 political blogs, I am so honoured and humbled - thank you everyone for voting for me.

Anyway, it goes to show that Lib Dem blogging in Scotland is going from strength to strength with Willie Rennie MP coming in with a new entry at 299, Bernard Salmon's sound of gunfire comes in at 292 also with a new entry, then there is me at 193 as said before with a new entry, then there is Stephen Glenn's Linlithgow Journal who climbs 46 places to 101 then Caron's musings (please note the use of the apostrophe) go and do it again and shock the blogging world with a new entry at number 67.

Then if that isn't enough excitement for the day then Lib Dem Voice publishes the nominations for the Blog of the Year Awards.

Both Willie Rennie MP and Councillor Fraser Macpherson have been nominated for "Best blog from a Liberal Democrat holding public office (The Tim Garden Award)".

Jo Swinson MP has been nominated for "Best use of blogging/social networking/e-campaigning by a Liberal Democrat".

Will Patterson of J. Arthur MacNumpty fame has been nominated for "Best non-Liberal Democrat politics blog" - it also appears that both Caron and I voted for Will. I did for many reasons, I don't agree with his political views (no great shock) but he does write a bloody good "page scrolling" posting.

Finally our very own Caron has been nominated for the "Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year".

The results will be announced at a sequin covered cushion event in Bournemouth on Sunday, now Caron cannot make it but I am sure Stephen and I will be there cheering Caron on.

Well done to all the Scottish Lib Dem bloggers and let's hope 2010 we go from strength to strength.

Total Politics Top 75 Lib Dem blogs - in at number 19

Okay, I had a little gloat there, and why not, you voted for me and for that I will be eternally grateful - thank you so much.

Again the Lib Dems in Scotland have done well with 10 of us making the top 75, that's a good 13% of the top 75. For the full list of 75, visit the list on Lib Dem Voice here.

A fantastic well done to Caron Lindsay who's musings came in at 7th this year up 37 places from last years 44th. Stephen Glenn's Linlithgow Journal moves up to 11th place from 15th, just hovering outside that top ten spot.

Third top Scottish blog goes to me, yes my little blog has done it again coming in at 19th place as a new entry.

In at 25 comes Bernard Salmon with the sound of gunfire who moves up from last year's 42nd place, right behind Bernard in 26th place with a new entry is Willie Rennie MP with what Oor Willie did next.

Now, the next placings are all one number better than they show on the list at this current time as there is a rogue blog in there which is not a Lib Dem blog.

So Scotland's only Lib Dem blogging Councillor, Fraser Macpherson comes in with Dundee West End in at 30th place a little slip of 2 places on last year.

Iain Dale, no, not that one, the Lib Dem one comes in at 40th place again a little slip of 8 places on last year but Iain has had a quiet year so it is great he is still in the top 40, with anything Caron can do.

Next comes our second blogging MP, John Barrett in at number 53 with a new entry with his Barrett's blog, followed closely at 54 by top Lib Dem candidate Katy Gordon with another new entry and bringing up the rear for Scotland is yet another brand new entry (5 for this year), in at 56 is Liberal Youth Scotland's blog and with such a great team writing for them, this is one to watch.

So, all the Lib Dems in Scotland in fact came in the top 60 - well done to one and all.

Total Politics - September edition

I've resisted the urge up to now to purchase a copy of Total Politics, but today not only did I give in but have been pleasantly surprised.

Not only did I learn that Hugh O'Donnell MSP has a love for Tai Chi, but that he also is a purple belt in karate.

There's a great article by Andrew Hawkins - illuminating a dark art - a piece on polls.

A good piece by Jon Craig whom I've now met at various by-elections, well worth reading.

Then the interview by Iain Dale of Ann Widdecombe, a well written piece but the sad line in it for me was this one - "I came into this place as a Member of Parliament, I leave it as an employee of the House of Commons."

If Ann really feels like that, then that's a massive shame if that's where we've ended up after all that's happened with the expenses scandal.

This is followed by an article on bullying and I'm appalled at this, I recall reading Emma Nicholson's book when she defected to the Liberal Democrats and thinking I hate this and want to help.

Not Emma, per se but that was the moment that I finally joined the Liberal Democrats rather than just helping.

But here we are 12 years on, and the bullying goes on - shame on those bullies.

Then, because I don't want to spoil all the fun a small summary of what else is covered; eateries of politicians, Menzies Campbell and the commemorative banner, election law, a blogger profile and the best of the blogs and much, much more.

I can't not comment on the article about the General Election in Scotland - a four way fight. Katy Gordon our Lib Dem candidate is described as a "face to watch", "Fred Mackintosh has a much better chance of taking Edinburgh South from Labour than the Tories do", "and they ; are not much further behind on the other side of the City at North and Leith" and "Last time the Lib Dems also finished just over 1000 votes behind Anne Begg in Aberdeen South."

Just one point they got wrong in the article, the Liberal Democrats have 12 MPs in Scotland, how could you forget Willie Rennie and the stunning by-election victory in Dunfermline and West Fife.

Overall a good read and worth picking up every month!

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Total Politics Top 50 Scottish Blogs

I recall last year when I arrived in Scotland (31st May) I decided to kick start my blog again.

Some months later Caron texted me to say well done for getting in the Top 40 of Scottish blogs. To say I was gobsmacked was an understatement but very chuffed.

This year I voted for many of my fellow Scots including Stephen and Caron when the Total Politics poll came up.

So earlier this evening when Iain Dale put the list up on Total Politics I scrolled straight to the bottom to see how I had done and was amazed by two things, that I had shot up to number 17 but that Stephen had stayed at 11.

Given I read Stephen's blog daily (as do hundreds of others) I was amazed he had not gone up but Stephen being Stephen didn't tout for votes and his daily readership is enormous, which is a way better result for him.

Congratulations to Tom Harris MP and SNP Tactical Voting for the number 1 and 2 spots respectively.

Now to the Scottish Liberal Democrats - Well done to all my fellow Scots, friends and colleagues starting with Caron (7), Stephen (11) me (17) sandwiched between BBCs Brian Taylor and David Maddox of the Scotsman, Bernard Salmon (24), Willie Rennie MP (25), Cllr Fraser Macpherson (28), Iain Dale (33) and Katy Gordon (45).

Thank you to everyone who voted for me, I really am quite humbled.

Total Politics and Iain Dale - the top 30 blogging MPs

So, another day, another list from Total Politics, in association with Iain Dale.

Although I am hooked, and ready to order my copy of the Total Politics Guide to Political Blogging.

So, here is the list of the top 30 MPs blogs as voted for by more than 1,500 people who took part and voted in the Total Politics Annual blog poll.

Well done to Lynne Featherstone MP (8), Willie Rennie MP (11), John Hemming MP (15), Steve Webb MP (17), Nick Clegg MP (18), John Barrett MP (22) and Adrian Sanders MP (25) for all getting onto the list this year.

A big congratulations to Tom Harris MP for getting the number one slot.

Congratulations to Cllr Fraser MacPherson

In Scotland there aren't enough Lib Dem bloggers as of this point in time, however what we lack in quantity we well make up for in quality.

So, a well deserved congratulations goes to Councillor Fraser MacPherson of Dundee City Council who is the leading Liberal Democrat on the Total Politics/Iain Dale's list of the top 30 blogging Councillors in the UK.

Fraser held his own and maintained the honourable 16th place he first secured last year.

Fraser is about to start themed weeks on his blog, and it is well worth going and having a look.

Vote: Your top ten best political blogs

Email your ten favourite blogs (ranked from 1-10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

It's that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2009-10, which will be published in September. This year the poll is being promoted/sponsored by LabourList and LibDemVoice as well as Iain Dale.

The rules are simple.

1. You must vote for your ten favourite blogs and ranks them from 1 (your favourite) to 10 (your tenth favourite).
2. Your votes must be ranked from 1 to 10. Any votes which do not have rankings will not be counted.
3. You MUST include ten blogs. If you include fewer than ten your vote will not count.
2. Email your vote to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com
3. Only vote once.
4. Only blogs based in the UK, run by UK residents are eligible or based on UK politics are eligible.
5. Anonymous votes left in the comments will not count. You must give a name
6. All votes must be received by midnight on 31 July 2009. Any votes received after that date will not count.

If you have your own blog, please do encourage your readers to take part. Last year, more than 80 blogs did so. We hope this year it will be far more than that. BUT, DO NOT list ten blogs you think your readers should vote for. Any duplicate voting of this nature will be disallowed.

If you do not wish for your blog to be voted for please email katy.scholes@totalpolitics.com.

There are many ways of measuring a blog's popularity. Wikio and Technorati have complicated logarithms which measure the importance of incoming links and traffic. Google Analytics does it by measuring how many people visit. But the TP poll gives blog readers the opportunity to vote for the ones they like and visit most often. It's not scientific. It's impossible to achieve 100% balance and no one pretends it's perfect.

The results of the poll will be published in the forthcoming book the TOTAL POLITICS GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING IN THE UK which will be published in mid September in association with APCO Worldwide.

So, go to it. Email your Top Ten Favourite Blogs to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

And feel free to nominate my blog, I really don't mind :-)