Blog of the Year Awards 2008: The Shortlists
Written by Will Howells on 8th September 2008 – 12:21 pmThank you to everyone who emailed in nominations for this year’s Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year awards. The judges (Kate Bevan, Rob Blackie, Ryan Cullen, Lynne Featherstone, James Graham, me, Sunny Hundal, Mark Pack and Stephen Tall) have pored over around 80 nominated blogs to whittle them down to the shortlists below.
The shortlists do, of course, represent the subjective opinions of the judges, so congratulations if you’ve been shortlisted but don’t worry if you haven’t - as always, the standards were high and there were tough decisions to make. The awards are a bit of fun that we hope will highlight some of the best examples of Liberal Democrat blogging and introduce you to some blogs you might not have read before.
I know you’re on tenterhooks, but assuming you haven’t skipped this bit already I have three announcements before we proceed.
The first is a reminder that the winner of the Best non-Liberal Democrat politics blog category will be decided by a public vote here on Liberal Democrat Voice, so please have a read of the nominated blogs and then head on over to the sidebar or to the bottom of this post to cast your vote.
Secondly, a plug for the awards ceremony itself. If you’re coming to party conference in Bournemouth, do head along to Old Harry’s Bar in the Marriott Highcliff Hotel from 9.45pm on Saturday. They’ll be refreshments on arrival (thanks to soon-to-be-announced sponsors), so come early!
Finally, I’m very pleased to announce that, with the kind agreement of Tim’s widow, Baroness Garden, the award for the best blog by a Liberal Democrat holding public office will from now on be known as The Tim Garden Award, in honour of Lord Garden, a blogger for many years, who died last year.
Without further ado, here are the shortlists.
Best new Liberal Democrat blog (started since 1st August 2007)
Always win when you’re singing
Because Baronesses are people too
Councillor Neil Harrison’s Cotham Blog
Diana Smith
Owen Temple
The People’s Republic of Mortimer
Best use of blogging or social networking by a Liberal Democrat
Duncan Hames on Twitter
Baroness Ros Scott’s campaign for party president
Steve Webb on Facebook
Millennium Elephant’s bloggers’ interviews with prominent Liberal Democrats
The Tim Garden Award (for the best blog by a Liberal Democrat holding public office)
Because Baronesses are people too
Brian Robson - Lee Green Councillor
Eaten by missionaries
Mary Reid’s blog
Peter Black AM
Richard Baum
Best non-Liberal Democrat politics blog
Bad Science
Comment is Free
Dizzy Thinks
London: Mayor and More
Political Betting
Best posting on a Liberal Democrat blog (since 1st September 2007)
BNP debate at the Oxford Union: an eyewitness account (Hug a Hoodie)
Day 2744: Sarky v Mandy (The Very Fluffy Diary of Millennium Dome, Elephant)
Is a lack of evidence enough reason to ban GM crops? (Liberal Polemic)
My inner disugsted colonel (The People’s Republic of Mortimer)
Nasty ‘Nice’ Tories’ Latest: Back to the Workhouse (Love and Liberty)
Positive Discrimination (The Yorksher Gob)
Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year
Dib Lemming
Jock’s Place
Liberal England
Love and Liberty
Neil Stockley
The People’s Republic of Mortimer
Those are the shortlists - find out the winners on Saturday. In the mean time, vote now for the Best non-Liberal Democrat politic blog:
Posted in News
8th September 2008 at 12:39 pm
Thanks for the nom! Whee!
In other news: I am glad I don’t have to pick between some of those! You guys have some tough decisions ahead of you.
If it WAS up to me (and hoping not to jinx any of them) it’d be: AlIx, Elephant, Ros, Bad Science, AlEx. I’d refuse to countenance the final category since Millennium has been unfairly excluded by anthropocentric judges for the third year running, and he clearly deserves to win…
8th September 2008 at 12:55 pm
Whaaaa? I thought I might be in with a nomination for best new blog, but one for actual best blog is WELL out of left-field. Thanks! Given that I agree with everything Jennie just said though, is there any chance I can donate my place to Millennium?
8th September 2008 at 1:01 pm
We should start a campaign…
8th September 2008 at 1:10 pm
I agree with pretty much everything Jennie and Steph said
Caught between being chuffed I’ve been nominated in the category I wanted to be, and upset I’m nominated in the category I really shouldn’t be but that Millennium isn’t. Steph, keep your place - mine should go, first!
For posting prolifically, always interestingly, and with diversity, for being impeccably Liberal, pro-science, able to explain things, able to send things up, for a glorious mix of short, funny posts and long, detailed, intellectual ones, for organising and writing up all those bloggers’ interviews, and for having the best Doctor Who reviews in town… It just seems absurd that Millennium isn’t nominated for Blog of the Year.
8th September 2008 at 1:12 pm
“For posting prolifically, always interestingly, and with diversity, for being impeccably Liberal, pro-science, able to explain things, able to send things up, for a glorious mix of short, funny posts and long, detailed, intellectual ones, for organising and writing up all those bloggers’ interviews, and for having the best Doctor Who reviews in town… It just seems absurd that Millennium isn’t nominated for Blog of the Year.”
Hear, hear!
8th September 2008 at 2:03 pm
Where can I get a html version of these badges from please?
8th September 2008 at 2:05 pm
Who are all these Councilors?
8th September 2008 at 2:07 pm
Right click and copy image location, Peter. Tis what I did.
Blog button For Fluffy Justice available on my blog
8th September 2008 at 2:09 pm
That is no good as I then have no idea how to get it into a html script on blogger.
8th September 2008 at 2:15 pm
Copy and paste that, hon.
8th September 2008 at 2:17 pm
BAH! Stupid anti-spam stuff. I’ll put it in a comment on your blog.
8th September 2008 at 2:43 pm
You’re clearly all mad for liking me!
8th September 2008 at 2:50 pm
As a furry Lion who assists Stephen Glenn in blogging I’ll throw all my regal weight in the jungle into support for the Pachyderm.
8th September 2008 at 3:31 pm
Yawn yawn same old boring names yadda yadda… Must have been very cosy!
8th September 2008 at 3:59 pm
neverapriest: same names as what, where? I see a fair few blogs on this list (my own included) that didn’t even exist this time last year.
I have a suggestion if it’s just that you’re bitter for not being included: try harder.
I have another suggestion if you have seen other blogs that deserve awards more than the ones listed (and I’m sure they’re out there, I mean hell I’m on that list and I have read a lot better than my own efforts!): nominate someone.
8th September 2008 at 4:25 pm
Congrats to everyone nominated, especially Jock, Alix, and Steph. Well done. Good luck on saturday.
8th September 2008 at 4:38 pm
“try harder.”
Yes. But be careful. “try harder” might be interpreted as posting more often.
Tut tut tut.
Once a week is best.
It might also be interpreted as blogging about politics.
Tut tut tut
Always include lots of posts which are on subjects which are nothing to do with politics - like the Steve Winwood and Dr Who.
It might also be interpreted as blogging to try to build up an audience.
Tut tut tut.
Naughty Naughty
It might also be interpreted as writing short and snappy posts!
Perish the thought. Make them as long as you get them.
8th September 2008 at 4:45 pm
Blogger now lets you post a graphic and assign a link to it - you don’t need HTML script.
8th September 2008 at 4:55 pm
Only if you have upgraded. I have not done so as I do not want to rebuild my template from scratch, the available templates are not to my liking and I do not have the skills to rewrite them and I am wary of losing five years of blog posts etc.
8th September 2008 at 6:00 pm
Basic HTML
<a href="http://www.libdemvoice.org/blog-of-the-year-awards-2008-the-shortlists-3575.html"><img src="http://www.libdemvoice.org/images/blog-awards-2008/shortlisted-public-office.png" border="0" /></a>
8th September 2008 at 6:01 pm
‘Basic HTML’
Easy for you to say!
Thanks
8th September 2008 at 6:02 pm
Basic, in that it doesn’t have any extra fancy bells attached. (You might want to check the code you copied as WordPress loves curlying the quotes).
8th September 2008 at 6:05 pm
Congratulation to everyone shortlisted!
Now you will all have something new to put on your listing in Who’s Who in the Lib Dems online! Make sure you update it before the ceremony on Saturday!
What? You haven’t added your entry yet? Well you should now that you’ve been shorlisted in the LDV Blog Awards, go to:
http://www.whoswholibdems.org.uk and just follow the instuctions on ‘How to Register’.
8th September 2008 at 6:07 pm
NICE Plug!
8th September 2008 at 6:50 pm
Sincere Woos and Yays for the nominees
Nice to a good spectrum of Lib Dem blogging represented.
My vote’s on Alix, but she can blame herself entirely for that
8th September 2008 at 7:25 pm
Meanwhile, in the Mirror Universe blog awards at the moment, the judges are currently being eviscerated for selecting a shortlist of bloggers that no-one has ever heard of. Actually eviscerated.
8th September 2008 at 7:34 pm
IN that case James, sounds like the shortlists will do some good then. This isn’t supposed to be some self-congratulatory clique after all.
8th September 2008 at 8:23 pm
That’s certainly the hope Charlotte.
It’s one of the reasons why each year we’ve added the previous Blog of the Year winner to the judging panel, as it means there has to be a new winner each time.
At some point the judging panel will become too large and we’ll have to think of a new approach mind
8th September 2008 at 8:36 pm
Didn’t Jennie run some blog awards recently? How many elephants were nominated?
8th September 2008 at 8:44 pm
Congrats to all, but where is James Schneider in the Best New Blogs category?
8th September 2008 at 9:19 pm
Graeme Elephant won best political blog by an individual in Jennie’s awards.
8th September 2008 at 9:22 pm
Thanks, just checking! Much deserved, as are his two nominations here.
8th September 2008 at 9:57 pm
Graeme, mine was decided by public vote, too. None of this smoky den stuff for me
8th September 2008 at 10:23 pm
Thanks for shortlisting me.
I never managed to find the time to make a good job of proper blogging, but Twitter I can do on the go. BBC Wiltshire are now following me too! See you on Saturday…
Duncan
8th September 2008 at 11:41 pm
Where’s Guido and Dale on best non liberal political blog?
8th September 2008 at 11:51 pm
They weren’t shortlisted. How very dare we - it’s like pissing on royalty!
8th September 2008 at 11:52 pm
Ahhh good old judicial independence.
9th September 2008 at 12:05 am
My role as judge was to help draw up that shortlist. It is for a public vote. My work here is done.
I feel it is incumbant on me to point out that one cannot be a judge in a competition without actually having an opinion. We weren’t judging on the basis of what blogs were the most popular, we (well, I at least) were judging on the basis of which we enjoyed reading the most. Dale and Guido didn’t make the cut. I’m sure they’ll live.
9th September 2008 at 12:07 am
* poke *
Wasn’t complaining about the content of your reply, just thought that the tone of it was rather injudicial. And you still can’t spell incumbent.
* runs *
9th September 2008 at 12:15 am
I just answered a question about the relative merits of two people not in the competition!
The first person to moan about natural justice gets a Hi-Ex up the jacksie with my Lawgiver.
…questioning my authority as a judge… mutter… grumble…
9th September 2008 at 12:17 am
“The first person to moan about natural justice gets a Hi-Ex up the jacksie with my Lawgiver.”
Ooooh baby… Talk Justice to me…