It has to be said that quite a significant number of, especially, newer political blogs are notable only for being desperately anodyne - there are exceptions but in many cases the blogs I visit regularly (on all sides) are the one’s that have been around for quite some time (Bob Piper, Bloggerheads, Chicken Yoghurt, Tim Worstall, Devil’s Kitchen, Mr Eugenides and the like).

What makes them interesting is not that I agree with their opinions but that they all offer an ‘authentic voice’. The blogs I read are the one’s that leave me feeling that there’s a real person writing away on the other side of the screen and, especially, one that thinks for themselves.

To my mind, the best bloggers around are both open and genuine in their political views to the extent that if they see their own side doing something dumb, they’ll happily say so - many are no less partisan for that, but they are at least intelligent enough not to try and defend the indefensible.

To get that from elected representatives is a big ask unless they very deliberate stay out of the usual Councillor/MP blog of using their blog as an adjunct to their political office, largely because the further up the political food chain they get, the more likely it is that an off-the-cuff comment will get jumped on by the MSM as proof of a split or internal dissention in the party.

If we want politicians to blog honestly and openly then we have to start pushing for changes in the wider political culture and, especially, in the way the media reports on politics and politicians; changes that allow room for open discussion and disagreement without it being turned into a faux political ‘crisis’ just because MP A has said expressed a personal opinion that doesn’t exactly follow the official party line.

In that respect, outright political tribalism is the enemy in all this because it suppresses legitimate political debate, and the MSM is main agents because of the manner in which they buy wholesale into that crude tribalism in order to advance their own interests and boost circulation figures.

The very best thing that could happen in terms of wider political culture would be for the likes of Express or the Daily Mail to kick off one of their usual spittle-flecked rants only for all the main parties to come together and tell them to piss off and stop being so childish.

I doubt that’ll happen any time soon, which I guess is where us bloggers come in, but to keep that spirit alive we need to ensure that our collective space doesn’t get overtaken by the same crude tribalism that invests (and infests) the MSM.

To look at in terms of role models, the question we have to ask is who should be our influences, Hunter Thomson & PJ O’Rourke or Richard Littlejohn & Mad Mel.

Personally I’ll take HST and PJ anyday…

no.

you are cruel, guido.
humour is a neutral…it can be used to achieve whatever. as you jolly well know.

as an aside, I would say that Guido is slowing down. some may even say that he is in terminal decline. he is not cutting edge anymore.

http://tygerland.net/2006/05/05/blue-thursday/

As I said, you are a libertarian, maybe not a Tory. However, I maintain you are of the Right - Tory or Not. I don’t think tygerland is short of humour either - although recently it has become a little staid, I agree.

My little ditty about you and Ros Taylor is a worthy mention…

http://tygerland.net/2006/10/04/much-ado-about-blogging/

Don’t get me wrong, some of my best friends are Conservatives… but you know, I wouldn’t want to…

I think the problem for the left is that you are boring, too earnest and highbrow. Humour is cruel, not PC.

I intend to keep going for at least two more years until after the election. The blog will no doubt continue - Wonkette still cojntinues without her - it is crap now, but hey…