Blog Awards

The Iain Dale and Total Politics blog awards are trickling through. Although I am not a fan of these awards, congratulations to the winners, so far declared.

So far the ones that have been published are the top 30 Councillors list, the top 20 Northen Ireland list the top 20 Libertarian list and the top 40 media list.

There are no Welsh entries in the top 20 NI list (for obvious reasons) but my favourites has been mentioned in dispatches: A Pint of Unionist Lite, a blog that really truly believes in the UK and gives genuine arguments to defend its existence. Something that is missing in the union cause on the mainland where too many wear Unionism like underwear - something they believe is essential but think should be hidden and never mentioned in decent company, an attitude that stifles debate on an important issue. Llongyfarchiadau O Neil!

I can't find any Welsh entries on the Libertarian list either – are there no Libertarians in Wales? Iolo Morganwg and Dr Price would be sore disappointed!

There are three Welsh entries on the Councillors list Blog Dogfael, Rene Kinzett and Gwilym Euros Roberts. It appears that some councillor's blogs have not been included in the councillors list – composite councillor's blogs such as Plaid Wrecsam and Plaid Sir Gar and councillors who have "higher" profiles such as Peter Black and John Dixon. However the three mentioned are worthy recipients.

Dogfael doesn't really write a political blog. Most of his posts relate to the cultural, religious and pedestrian life of Aberystwyth the sorts of thing a parish councillor should be interested in! When he raises his baton as a councillor he shows how important the role of the parish councillor is in being the most easily accusable local rep and a conduit to the great and the good in "other" places.

Gwilym and Rene probably wouldn't agree on the size of an inch, they are polls apart politically, but they are both examples of what makes political blogging vibrant. Read either blog and you either want to kiss the screen and say halleluiah somebody understands or you want to stick a brick through the screen in disagreement with them. Two councillors who know what political discussion is about, that it is about debating the issues and not providing middle ground platitudes that please everybody and nobody at the same time. Both are worthy recipients of their accolade as the two best councillors blogs in Wales.

The Media blogs include four from Wales in the top 40 Vaughan, Betsan, David Cornock and Tomos Livingstone. All of them worthy recipients. The most notable thing about the media blogs is that Cambria Politico has fallen off the list. I suspect that this is because one of the main contributors to the blog, the Archdruid of Welsh journalism Clive Betts has been off sick for most of the year. Clive has started to contribute a few articles again to CP of recent months; if his health permits I'm sure that the site will rise again to the heights that it deserves by next year.