Best of the Politics Blogs
What's been happening in the political blogosphere
How much for an erotic tale?
- 0 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 04 July 2008
Paul Evans suggests buying a friend some lager would be a better use of your wonga than coughing up for an Ali Campbell porn story. An average week in politics...
Bevan Above
Walking past Westminster Abbey on Wednesday, I noted large numbers of Police officers and road cordons. It transpired that the church was hosting a service to mark the 60th Anniversary of the founding of NHS. It seems odd to be celebrate socialised medicine by praying – and much more sensible to mark it by blogging. Likable geek Alan Williamson had words of praise for the NHS, having [...]
Henley. More Panama hats per capita...
- 4 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 27 June 2008
Strange revelations about an Oxfordshire town. Plus David Icke's political ambitions and Morgan Tsvangirai's wisdom
Harvest of Thorns
The eyes of the world’s bloggers this week turned with swelling revulsion on the brutality, hunger and violence engulfing Zimbabwe. Widely promoted was the Friends of Zimbabwe blog, which has provided daily coverage of the ongoing crisis.
Bloggers from across Africa scrutinised the continent’s approach to Mugabe, and many found it wanting. South African Michael “Traps” Trapido posited that: “perhaps Africans might want to assess [...]
Defamatory DD comment?
- 2 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 20 June 2008
Liberty XXX
It was the great foreign secretary Austen Chamberlain who claimed that our diplomats in China had often heard the curse “may you live in an interesting age”. And what a cursed age it is for our nation’s political classes – as Liberty chief Shami Chakrabarti (and as blogger Sadie has it, “winsome khol-eyed heroine”) threatened to sue a Labour Minister for flippantly suggesting that she had used [...]
Magna Carta: did she die in vain?
- 1 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 13 June 2008
Days like these
42 days in clink without a charge. What rotters would pursue such a vile infringement of our ancient liberties? The answer is: Ann Widdecombe, the DUP, our old friend Bob Spink and most of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Bloggers now regularly make waves, but rarely do they get quoted by the Prime Minster. During firey exchanges at this week’s PMQs, ahead of the crucial 42 [...]
Man overboard
- 1 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 06 June 2008
Pole Dancing
Many bloggers felt that Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski had gone bonkers this week, after launching into a rant at John Humphries live on the Today programme, in which he blamed the BBC for violence against Polish people in the UK. Virtual Stoa helpfully provides a transcript.
His tirade was described variously as “crackpot,” “bizarre,” and a “joke”. The latter comment came from James [...]
Who to back in the European championships?
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- Posted by Paul Evans
- 30 May 2008
Driving me crazy?Small hauliers took direct action this week to protest at the rising fiscal burden, which some say will soon force them out of business. Perhaps predictably, John Redwood railed against fuel taxes and Vehicle Exercise Duty. He reckoned that this week’s protests would be a wake-up call, writing:
“…it is likely the government will come to understand finally that it has driven the motorist into sullen [...]
Madness and class war
- 2 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 23 May 2008
Schoolboy errors when it comes to mocking the posh plus what does the future hold for one Alan Milburn. Our round up of the political blogosphere
Duncampaigning?
The last time the Tories won a by-election, Madness’ House of Fun was top of the charts. Happily for Brown, parliamentary recess will spare him the trial of facing braying victors in the House, though it seems likely that the Conservatives will still have some fun at his expense.
And Iain Dale used the aftermath of Edward Timpson’s victory to have a dig at the NS’ [...]
Toffs and Foreigners
- 5 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 16 May 2008
By-election tactics are backfiring and Marxists are having their names cleared, this week on the blogs
By-Curious
The by-election in Crewe and Nantwich was causing a stir this week, whilst candidates were being slotted into place for the contest in the Henley-on-Thames seat vacated by Boris Johnson. Labour desperately need to hold Gwyneth Dunwoody's former constituency, but some activists vented their anger at the tone and content of the party's literature. Writing on Labour Home, For the Union was enraged by both the class [...]
Boris the banner
- 3 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 09 May 2008
A ban: not a whimper
The Borisphere, that is to say the vocal libertarian bloggers who fizzed with hope for Boris Johnson, appeared a little sheepish this week - as the new Mayor of London kicked off his administration by banning alcohol on public transport. Leader of the pack Guido Fawkes initially bit his tongue, before soberly warning Boris that: "… if you go to Beijing to hob-nob [...]
Covering the coverage
- 4 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 02 May 2008
Our Best of the Politics blog blogger Paul Evans looks at the way the web affected coverage of the local and London mayoral elections
Labour pains
Cliches about the Beatles and miniskirts were being wheeled out, as Labour suffered its worst hammering at the polls since the 1960s - slipping to third place nationally, on just 24% of the vote. The Tories surged to 44%, while the Lib Dems experienced neither great gains or losses. Some blogs, including Guido Fawkes decided to host Live Chats, while the BBC co-opted citizen journalists [...]
What was Spink really after?
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- Posted by Paul Evans
- 27 April 2008
Creating a Spink
Perhaps encouraged by last week’s tittle-tattle about UKIP members getting laid, former Tory MP Bob Spink this week joined the anti-EU party, despite apparently having previously rubbished the suggestion. He now sits as their only MP in the Commons.
Rhetorically Speaking provided a little background on the charming Bob, painting a picture which he claims is:
“…possibly not the image of moral values that [...]
UKIP's sexual partners
- 3 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 20 April 2008
Idol promises
It’s been another rough week for our esteemed premier. After taking a battering over China last week, his visit to America seems to have been overshadowed by the simulataneous touring of a Pontiff. And higher matters were exercising “religio-political” blogger Archbishop Cranmer. Noting Brown’s sign-off “thank you and God bless you all,” delivered at his appearance on American Idol, he wondered whether the Prime Minister’s ease with [...]
Loud and proud in China?
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- Posted by Paul Evans
- 11 April 2008
Brown China
The week began with mounting outrage at the behavior of the Chinese government’s “flame attendants,” who had been tasked with ensuring the smooth passage of the Olympic torch through London on Sunday. The sight of these “security thugs” barking orders at Konnie Huq made a few blogger stomachs churn.
The decision of Aussie premier Kevin Rudd to speak out strongly against China’s actions in Tibet prompted comparisons [...]
Stormin’ Harman
- 1 comments
- Posted by Paul Evans
- 04 April 2008
The prospect of Harriet Harman facing the combined wits of William Hague and Vince Cable at PMQs this week had much of the blogosphere drooling into their branflakes. Recess Monkey, for one, reported Labour fears that she was going to be toasted.
But it was not the case, and after a strong and spirited clash with Hague, many Tories conceded that she had performed well, even managing to [...]
Enamoured of Carla Bruni?
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- Posted by Paul Evans
- 28 March 2008
Sark-astic Britain
As Mrs Miggins said of the fleeing French aristos in Blackadder the Third: “ooh la la and an éclair for both of us!” The visit of diminutive French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his glamorous other half has caused a stir in Westminster this week, but bloggers saw cracks in the gloss. Iain Dale has not yet been won over by “France’s Thatcher”. Sensing demagoguery in his eyes, [...]
