Fluffy Justice, My Deal to End the Curse

The authors of this blog along with Millennium Dome Elephant, his Daddy Richard,
Mr. Iagreewithnick and other bloggers at last year's #LDConf bloggers interview.

I'm a Boston Red Sox fan to I believe that curses can be lifted.

So while I and Lionel welcome Fluffy Justice finally being served we are a little worried about the curse of the BOTY affected the muse of everyone's favourite pachyderm over the next 12 months.

So here's the deal, whoever the judges are for next years BOTY's keep up the StephenGlennPosition curse of not shortlisting me for anything, and the rest of you make it easier by not even nominating me for anything in the first place*. I hope that this singular, small, selfless sacrifice on the altar of the great BOTY will suffice to ensure more selubrious, satirical and hitting the nail on the head post from a ten year old soft toy with two daddies.

* Of course if you chose to ignore these missives and Millennium does maintain writing and I do get shortlisted next year that's alright too. Mind you I'm currently having to focus on being Northern Ireland's top blogger, having usurped the blog whose trophy I collected last year, see I'm cursed I tell you. :)

PS My plan B was to write only 15 really stonking blog posts all year and hope to get shortlisted...but then I think I've written over than amount in the past week alone.

Wish I Were There #LDConf

I have a strange feeling in my bones that something is wrong.

It is my birthday weekend coming up and I am surrounded by family!

Don't get me wrong I really love my family but in recent years familial celebrations of my birthday are either premature or delayed. There have been a couple of occasions in recent years that of course I've been fighting a by election, in 2005 for example dinner on my birthday included the Deputy First Minister of Scotland Nicol Stephen at my table at Zaika, Livingston.

But what I really want to be going on a day like today is either packing, travelling or leaving work about now to start the travelling. I'm not doing that, as sadly I have a bad case of candidate induced Post-Election Financial Disorder. It is the primary reason that I am back in Northern Ireland and the disorder wasn't made any easier (£459 worth not easier) by the unforeseen events of #operationevacuate.

That is a hefty chunk of money on top of the expected costs of getting home and therefore eats right away at the contingency fund with with I'd hoped to make it to the first Liberal autumn gathering with government ministers since the 1920s. A little piece of history I am missing out on.

My birthday is also a big day for Liverpool they are heading for the Field of Nightmares (aka Old Trafford) to take on the old enemy. So I shall be missing the BOTYs and many friends old and new. I shall be missing revelling in the new government and in holding them to account. I'll be missing real ale at Liberal Drinks, Delga's AGM, the launch of the Fairer Votes Campaign and oh so many things (some of which I have the invites for).

Watching on TV and following on Twitter just won't be the same. I don't even have the morning dilemma of which tie, shirt and suit combination to go with for the day. I can even get away without shaving as no photo ops will be sprung on this approved candidate in the morning bulletin.

BOTY Time is almost here again

For the next hour if you sit anywhere near a Lib Dem blogger be nice to them.

Why?

Well the lovely Auntie Helen had earlier this morning gone and ruined all our mornings by telling us that the BOTY (that is Lib Dem Voice Blog of The Year) shortlists will be announced at 12:30
I'll give my opinion later on who is in, who is cruelly omitted and where I think the little golden men will be heading home to after Saturday night's award.


In the mean time, too many hooks remained tentered. Too many bottoms remain squeaky and in an hour's time some carefully polished willies may be put away again for another year without being waved.

My Top Ten for 2010

With voting over for the Total Politics top blogs and as I'm busy this weekend I thought I'd tell you just who it is that I did vote for. So in reverse order.

10. Eric Joyce's Blog - As much for the twitting that Eric does as well as the blogging. He has come to this lately and has shown that he has got the idea of being online. Of course as the agent of the Lib Dem candidate against him I had to answer the GE question about his meeting on the Digital Economy Act by saying "if he is re-elected".

9. Liberal Democrat Voice - Still the go to place for a range of Lib Dem and external views. The team has be bolstered this year and the Hon Lady Mark set a high standard as the first guest editor earlier this month.

8. Subrosa - Should have had one of my votes last year (though I did mention her in the Scottish review what I wrote) but she withdrew herself from consideration. Gives a differing view on things in Scotland, being of a more esteemed generation than most of us.

7. Cardiff Blogger - Is one of the Tory leaning Bloggers that I was able to keep reading even through the General Election campaign. If you haven't caught his and Arnie's weekly podcasts, where have you been? Sometimes irreverant, sometimes cutting edge, often very much tongue in cheek. Always cheeky.

6. Slugger O'Toole - The Lib Dem Voice best non-Lib Dem Blog of 2009. I know I had to make the imprumptu acceptance speech before handing it over to Mick Fealty on the Monday after the Total Politics fringe. The centre of Northern Irish political blogging. I expect my return there will see me contributing more to it in upcoming months.

5. The one, the only, the very fluffy Millennium Elephant - I know that both his Daddies must be very proud of how this 10 year old can write satire worthy of That Was the Week that Was. There were times when I thought how can I cover this political story with worthy words and Millennium would find the right slant, the right EMPHASIS, the tune that would make me smile even if I was angry with the actual story he was extrapolating.

4. Green SNP Tactical Voting - Jeff have moved to Nodnol but he is still somewhat focussed on Scottish politics, though recently his has joined his second politic party. Basically because the SNP are not going to be fighting his local MP and fellow blogger Lynne Featherstone.

3. Caron's Musings - I was worried that if Caron got better she would be less able to keep up the standard of blogging she got into when she was ill. I'm glad to say that the standard of both blogging and writer is doing great. Often Caron and me can find ourselves blogging about the same story at the same time. Yet from largely the same segment of the party will come up with a different way to portray it.

2. Mark Reckons - Very sadly earlier this week one of the most well researched blogs has taken his final bow. I know I'm not alone amogst Lib Dem bloggers in linking to him because he has often asnwered the question of the day in such a way that there is perceivable comeback. I know from personal experience how hard it is to keep up his quality and quantity of output, which sadly is the reason he is hanging up his keyboard.

1. Stephens Liberal Jounral - This is the first time I have ever voted for myself in a Blog of the Year poll. However, I do think I've had my best year, even if politics got in the way of blogging for part of it. I've throw punches in all sorts of directions and judging by the backlinks, comments and retweets many of them landed. I'm not going to match Mark for research or Millennium for satire but I have a niche between the two. Knowledgeable in certain areas but often with a barbed wit to make a point. Of just finding the right combination of words to make a point.

So there you have it my top 10 for last year. Normal service will be resumed shortly.

I Didn't Reckon On This

Earlier this year somebody said to me that there were two very strong contenders for the Lib Dem BOTY this year. I asked who and that individual said me and Mark Thompson. Obviously I was chuffed to be held up in such company.

It was at a time that the two of us in our own inimitable style where ripping into the Conservatives and Labour, pulling apart their policies or lack of with whim, vigour, reasoned argument and not a little humour in the run up to the election. Of course for me the actual election got in the way (being a candidate, agent and helping when I could in a target seat) so I took a little bit of a dip, but have recently got back into full flow, but today I've been knocked sideways by this news.

I have come to a decision that due to other commitments I am going to stop blogging.

This will be my last blogpost....

Cheers

Mark (Reckons) Thompson

Now as I've always told anyone who's asked "How do I start blogging?" one of my two key points is blog when you want to and are able, don't feel the pressure to be as prolific as some of the others (myself included). So therefore it would of course be hypocritical of me to tell Mark to keep at it, I know he will have his reasons, some of which he explains on his final blogpost.

The will be a gaping hole left by Mark's departure. He is currently the top individual Lib Dem blogger in the Wikio rankings at number 13 only nine places behind Lib Dem Voice. If I recall correctly he did manage to hold the Stephen Glenn Position just outside the top 10.

While I know that he is giving up his Mark Reckon's blog I know that the door will always be open when something really powerful needs to be typed from his keyboard as a guest piece on Lib Dem Voice or elsewhere. At least I hope so.

But as one of the older hands in the Lib Dem blogosphere it is always a shame so see another bright light extinguish itself and Mark was certainly one of the brightest, most thoroughly researched, accessible and perceptive blogs we had in our corner. I had the privilege of meeting him at Bournemouth last September and I look forward to having a drink with you again in Liverpool mate.

So long and thanks for all the fisks.

Time for the BOTY Nominations

Last years little shindig in Old Harry's Bar, Marriott, Eastbourne was so jam packed that I was fortunate to turn up early with Lionel to claim a good spot near all the action. Sadly Mike Fealty the big man behind Slugger O'Toole was mistakenly told that the upstairs bar was Old Harry's so I had to step up to claim the BOTY for best non-Lib Dem Blog as a contributor. Titter ye not, tis true.

Yes there may be just under a week left to vote for the Total Politics Blog of the Year but the main event of the summer has just been announced. Yes that is right the Lib Dem Voice BOTYs are entering their fifth year. Men, women and elephants of the Lib Dem blogosphere will be getting sweaty palms, or around the collar or itchy trunks. But don't also forget there is more than just the best blog that gets awarded in the veritable smorgasbord of awards.

This year’s awards are as follows:

Best new Liberal Democrat blog (started since 1st September 2009)

Best blog from a Liberal Democrat holding public office (The Tim Garden Award)

Best use of blogging / social networking / e-campaigning by a Liberal Democrat

Best posting on a Liberal Democrat blog (since 1st September 2009)

Best non-Liberal Democrat politics blog

Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year

Full details of the classifications can be found on Lib Dem Voice. As are details of the esteemed judging panel. It would appear that Costigan Quist has done a Reggie Perin the the pile of clothes and shoes seen beside Eastbourne pier at the end of conference last September were merely a decoy, as the esteemed mystery man or woman or cuddly toy whose Himmelgarten Cafe was winner in 2009 maintains the tradition of last years BOTY winner sitting on the panel.

He will be joined by:

Prateek Buch, who blogs at consider, evaluate, act

Jonathan Calder, who blogs at Liberal England

Lee Chalmers, co-founder of the Downing Street Project, leadership consultant and blogger at Lee’s random blog: Leadership, politics and women’s stuff

Ryan Cullen from Lib Dem Voice, who also runs Lib Dem Blogs and his own blog at The Artesea

Helen Duffett (that’s me) from Lib Dem Voice and also my own blog

Mary Reid, former Kingston Upon Thames councillor, who continues to blog at Mary Reid

Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire

Ros Taylor, Deputy Editor of the Guardian’s Comment is Free

Andy Williamson, Director of Digital Democracy at the Hansard Society

Please feel free to nominate this blog indeed as Iain Roberts said on Liberal Democrat Voice early in the period for consideration.

"Stephen Glenn celebrates his well-deserved success. Recognise his genius, damn you!"

And who are we to argue?

Indeed the Hon. Lady Mark kindly when posting my Slugger acceptance speech said 'At some point, it would be nice if Stephen won an award himself.'

So make it happen. All recognition of my genius will be happily accepted by emailing Helen Duffet at helen@libdemvoice.org