Save the UK blogosphere’s reputation


by Sunny Hundal    
January 11, 2009 at 9:49 pm

Admittedly, the Weblog Awards are already sullied by the fact Neil Clark won last year’s Best UK Blogger award. If that wasn’t bad enough, Melanie Phillips is this year’s front-runner. I have no time for awards usually but honestly, that takes the biscuit. The close runner-up is Created in Birmingham, so do the British interwebs a favour and vote for them, daily. Obsessively if necessary.

· About the author: Sunny Hundal is editor of Liberal Conspiracy. He works full time as a journalist, commentator, blogger, activist and general layabout. He was voted Guardian blogger of the year in 2006. Also at: Pickled Politics, Comment is free, / sunnyh*at*liberalconspiracy*dot*org
· Other posts by Sunny Hundal

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· Filed under: Blog , Realpolitik


27 Comments in response   ||  



at 9:53 pm on January 11, 2009
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1.  comment by
     Sunny Hundal

Ok, well CIB seems to have jumped in the last 48 hours, which is good news. Vote for them anyway! Every day!

(I have nothing to do with these folks and hadn’t even heard of them before the poll. I’m just glad there’s close competition).

at 10:04 pm on January 11, 2009
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2.  comment by
     Lee Griffin

T’is interesting. I’ll be voting for sure, though I actually do like Nosemonkey and Olly’s onions…ah well!

at 10:13 pm on January 11, 2009
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3.  comment by
     Woobegone

Jesus, things are bad for Created in Birmingham. On a slate with Mad Mel and only just winning… poor blighters.

at 10:58 pm on January 11, 2009
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4.  comment by
     Nick

Fortunately Created in Birmingham has been doing a brilliant job of connecting and promoting smallish creative stuff in Birmingham. I think it is up there in the vote because it has a lot of local support.

It’s run, mostly in spare time, by some ordinary folk independent of councils etc. So if you do vote for CiB you are also voting for and independent blog which is part of a stoing local community.

at 11:08 pm on January 11, 2009
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5.  comment by
     Spiritof1976

Oh well, on the bright side at least Neil Clark doesn’t seem likely to win again.

at 11:20 pm on January 11, 2009
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6.  comment by
     Rob Knight

Christ, who is voting for Mel Phillips?

at 12:22 am on January 12, 2009
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7.  comment by
     Bob Piper

Rob, I gather the Phillips votes leap overnight, so there is a suspicion of a US lobby for Mad Mel, which is hardly surprising, but perverse in a Best UK Blog Award.

at 9:08 am on January 12, 2009
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8.  comment by
     MatGB

Lee, I first heard about this years award when Nosemonkey tweeted to say to vote for CiB. I misread it, went and voted for him, then saw the results so far.

I really dislike these awards, so easy to abuse. Then, most internet polling facilities are, even the livejournal system is open to a bit of abuse, even if it’s far better than most others.
Still, at least bloody Clark’s way behind this time.

at 9:26 am on January 12, 2009
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9.  pingback by
     Podnosh Blog » Archive » Hurrah to everyone on this list. (have I missed you?)

[...] Liberal Conspiracy (this is one is mostly anti Mel) Other Excuses [...]

at 9:55 am on January 12, 2009
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10.  comment by
     Letters From A Tory

Hardly a cracking selection.

And it’s spelt “Iain”, not “Ian”.

at 10:08 am on January 12, 2009
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11.  comment by
     Lee Griffin

Complain to the author of the poll, LFaT :P

at 10:59 am on January 12, 2009
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12.  comment by
     QuestionThat

What a farcical vote. The three that are actually great UK blogs are on less than 4%, and we have to vote for some little local blog just to stop a madwoman winning.

at 10:59 am on January 12, 2009
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13.  comment by
     Jennie Rigg

Call me old-fashioned, but I’d like to vote for someone I actually want to win, rather than someone I have never heard of versus lots of people I definitely don’t want to win…

at 12:00 pm on January 12, 2009
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14.  comment by
     David Keen

Woohoo! Democracy in action! I’d love to see what you have to say about tactical voting come the election.

at 1:34 pm on January 12, 2009
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15.  comment by
     Goran

“Christ, who is voting for Mel Phillips?”

People who don’t agree with your sick left-wing opinions, such people actually exist.

at 2:01 pm on January 12, 2009
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16.  comment by
     Conor Foley

Jennie you are old fashioned.

I voted for olly’s onions yesterday, but that is obviously a wasted vote.

‘We are all Brummies now” as they say (yuck)

at 2:04 pm on January 12, 2009
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17.  comment by
     Lee Griffin

“Woohoo! Democracy in action! I’d love to see what you have to say about tactical voting come the election.”

And it will be entirely hypocritical, unless of course the general election isn’t conducted by a “vote a day, change your IP and clear your cookies and vote more” system.

at 4:20 pm on January 12, 2009
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18.  comment by
     Alisdair Cameron

I’d agree it’s a pretty dismal list, nearly as dismal as LabourList. F***king hell, it’s really dreadful isn’t it, Draper’s effort? Couldn’t let the control go for a minute, let alone concede that sites like this (and others) do open dialogue better, because they don’t insist on slavishly following the decreed line…

at 5:01 pm on January 12, 2009
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19.  comment by
     tim f

As a Labour voter I heartily approve of this strategy of voting for the least worst option in a two-horse race to stop the Tories winning, regardless of whether you support the other one or not ;p

at 9:34 pm on January 12, 2009
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20.  comment by
     Frank Enburt

http://ollysonions.blogspot.com/2009/01/israels-bitterest-foe-yet.html

generally, though I agree It’s a terrible list. terrible

at 11:09 pm on January 12, 2009
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21.  comment by
     James Graham

Not that I’m trying to reopen old wounds, but isn’t it a bit contradictory to urge people to vote in this poll while calling for a boycott of the Iain Dale list?

I consider both to be pretty unrepresentative, but at least the Dale one gives lesser known blogs a chance to shine.

I am complying of course - Melanie Phillips winning would be too awful to contemplate. But I have to admit to not having heard of Created in Birmingham. Voting in this way does seem an exceptionally silly way to run a contest such as this.

at 12:50 am on January 13, 2009
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22.  comment by
     Sunny Hundal

I’m only plugging it because Mad Mel might win. The funny thing is, the Spectator site is plugging her relentlessly and they’re still losing. And now, apprently it’s a leftie conspiracy! I kid you not. It’s worth making her lose just for that.

at 12:01 pm on January 14, 2009
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23.  comment by
     QuestionThat

Looks like Created In Birmingham was first past the post.

at 9:58 pm on January 15, 2009
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24.  pingback by
     Created in Birmingham » Created in Birmingham: Best UK Blog 2008

[...] Strunks Anthony Herron Daniel Davies Hanuman Indymedia Ireland Indymedia UK The Birmingham Post Liberal Conspiracy Ógra Shinn Féin Ordo Paginarum Paul Henderson (great pic) Never Trust A Hippy Hippodrome [...]

at 11:52 am on January 19, 2009
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25.  pingback by
     Created in Birmingham: Best UK Blog 2008 « Test

[...] Strunks Anthony Herron Daniel Davies Hanuman Indymedia Ireland Indymedia UK The Birmingham Post Liberal Conspiracy Ógra Shinn Féin Ordo Paginarum Paul Henderson (great pic) Never Trust A Hippy Hippodrome [...]

at 6:02 pm on January 19, 2009
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26.  pingback by
     Hurrah to everyone on this list. (have I missed you?) « Test

[...] Liberal Conspiracy (this is one is mostly anti Mel) [...]

[...] the more text voting looks like a fun diversion and lobbying Parliament a waste of time. Even some prominent bloggers have taken to trying to stitch up public votes. Or was it [...]

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