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.
With just 1.3% in it David only needed a 0.65% swing so from the smallest electorate making up 33.33% of the electorate that was the MPs and MEPs. Each of their votes counted as 0.1253% overall for the entire election. Five of them comes to just 0.6265% whereas six comes to the magic 0.7518% or but another way 50.1018% of the vote enough to have edged out his younger brother.
