Top 10 McBlogs

The other week Jeff from SNP Tactical Voting placed me in his top 10 blogs in the Scottish blogosphere. What with an action backed week in Stormont and Westminster and I didn't even get around to Zimbabwe I never got around to returning the favour and posting mine. Well this evening I'm going to do just that having just updated my links.

Like Jeff I'm not doing it in any particular order and I'm going to stick with blogs that are reasonably regularly updated. I could easily do another list of my not Scottish reading material and may well do that soon.

1) Ian Rubie Dale: Anything Caron Can Do

I think I can claim some sort of grandparental rights to this blog as the eponymous Caron after whom the blog is named is a mutual friend who followed me and with my help started her own blog. It's always interesting to red the blog of someone you know reasonably well through your political acquaintance and even sometimes surprising to see what and how they may post thing.

2) Jeff: SNP Tactical Voting

I have to admit this is one of the first blogs I tend to turn to in the day, mainly because typing snp into the explorer window is easy, but also as there is usually something there to be read. In recent weeks me and Jeff have also been fairly regularly exchanging comments in each others blogs.

3) Ideas of Civilisation

Always erudite IoC often look deeply into the issues and is a worthy addition to the Scottish debates. He is not, as far as I have seen aligned to any political party and therefore offers a somewhat objective narrative amongst us who have party political motivation.

4) Bernard Salmon: The Sound of Gunfire

I often wonder at Lib Dem gatherings the diversity of opinion, which strengthens our debate and helps us seen issues from a range of perspectives before taking action and shaping policy. This leads nicely to Bernard, although we share the same allegiance there often are times I don't agree wholeheartedly with what he writes, doesn't mean I don't read it fervently.

5) Kezia Dugdale: Kezia Dugdale's Soapbox

Taking a leaf out of John Major's book Kezia carries her soap box with her everywhere she goes. I thought she was, until recently, the sole voice of Scottish Labour in the blogosphere, I'm sure she is relieved she isn't quite. However, she certainly is the most visible and handles the slings and arrows that are hurled at her from all directions with an iron fast steadfastness that a certain other Lady in the political sphere would be proud off.

6)Will Patterson: J. Arthur McNumpty

I can assure you that Will's blog is not the equivalent of the rhyming slang euphemism his blog's title is based upon. Far from it, with the recent exception of being misplaced at the time of the most shocking political event of the week, he seems to have his finger on the pulse. Definitely no numpty is Mr Patterson.

7) Mr Eugenides

Unless I'm mistaken the only political blog with a readers collective on Facebook and yes I am one of said collective. I think I've just been blogging longer than Mr Eugenides though I did take a rather long hiatus whereas he has not. Another erudite and thought provoking blogger of note.

8) Duncan Stephen: Doctor Vee

Apart from being the Godfather of the the Scottish Roundup and having his F1 blog he contributes himself to the political debate here north of the border, although not as much as once he did.

9) Scottish Tory Boy

The voice piece in the Scottish Blogopshere for the Conservative party. I think of most of the Scottish blogger he has yet to pass comment on David Davis which is a shame as I think we'd all like to hear his take on things. Like Kezia he must at times feel like a voice crying in the wilderness but also he is not quite alone.

10) Hard spot as I've realised there are many worthies yet to feature.

I could have gone for Dundee Lib Dem Councillor Fraser Macpherson but felt placing a third Lib Dem on my list would reek of nepotism. Equally I could have gone with Malc in the Burgh who we all wish a speedy recovery from whatever ails him so he can return to the cut and thrust. It could have been Adam Smith was a Socialist but again sadly missing in action since the end of last month.

Who I will plump for is Richard Thompson's Scots and Independent. Like myself and aspiring candidate, though I obviously don't wish him luck in the Westminster seat he was recently selected for. But he's prepared also to pop his head above the parapet and blog about his views on issues. Never an easy thing to do when seeking office as sometimes you worry that something may come back and bite you.

So there you have it a ten, may not be the same this time next month but that's the world we live in. And I know there are others out there. Some of you I do read but 10 is such an arbitrary number but you are all read as and when and I'm discovering new blogs almost every day as I'm looking for other takes on certain stories.