Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Labour of Love: Normal Service Will be Resumed Shortly


The plan is for normal service to be resumed shortly. We don't intend to go the way of Cllr Kerron Cross. KC has pulled the plug on his cheerful blog, without even posting the promised traveloguey stuff. Boo hoo. An explanation is promised in due course. But where will that appear? The world of the Labour Blog is turned upside down.

Will Parbury is not firing on all cylinders by any means.
Tom Miller 2.0 has "done a Kerron" and skulked away.
Recess Monkey was resting last time I looked.
Luke Akehurst is ticking over, but far from prolific.
Hamer Shawcroft's British Bullshit Foundation is still sadly on ice.
John Leech Watch is not paying attention to John Bull any more.
Idiots 4 Labour are cackling maniacally only to themselves.
Bloggers 4 Labour is still running a comprehensive feed, but not much else.
Fightback, replacing a similar Labour ultra blog, was KO'd in Round One.
Ridiculous Politics has also packed in the good fight.

That's ten significant obituaries or hiatuses in a couple of short years. A first XI adding Kerron back in. And of course there are many more. Some of these may come back from the dead. But has there been similar attrition in other parts of the political spectrum?

Has the advent of new investors at Labour Home, the advent of Labour List, cheeky chappie Tom Harris MP, beloved of the Tories, and the Go4th and Alastair Campbell axis stymied others? Perhaps for some proprietors it is competition from real life politics and/or family life? Or is it a rush of lively new voices?

UPDATE Thu 08:49: Pleased to see that John Leech Watch is not quite as dead in the water as I thought. And Luke is out of Hospital and possibly even living closer to his local truffles and champagne socialist bar, all the better to wheel himself there. Will Parbury is making blog-orphaning excuses in comments involving prolific tweeting and others are willing Kerron Cross to make a Kezia-like comeback.

Meanwhile I have added a classy video performance from Mr Tractor Production Statistics Gordon Brown - on global connectivity and anti-poverty - and also a secret seven of Labour freshies, all with NW or at least Northern connections, to the LOL bog roll.

HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. And I'll also be adding Paul Halsall's English Eclectic, soon as.

21 comments:

Political Scrapbook said...

Kez Dugdale changed her mind after a few months. The truly prolific bloggers - like Cross - seem to find another outlet or come crawling back.

http://keziadugdale.blogspot.com/2009/02/girl-can-change-her-mind-cant-she.html

Paul Halsall said...

It will become a big area if Labour are in opposition.

Meanwhile LabourList is doing quite well at the moment.

I blog pro-Labour, but as part of a range of topics. I'm sure there are lots of others who do the same.

Constantly Furious said...

Just one example of where it's all going wrong for the Labour Party: Hattie H's attempt to legislate against rape.

Martin S said...

"My blog is now hidden (and will not be updated)"

Oh. How odd.

Bill Quango MP said...

Don't give up. As said before once Labour have faced the biggest defeat in British history, someone will have to tell them how to get back on track.
They can be like the Tories and waste a decade trying different things or get the grass roots to do it for them in half the time.

Libertarian said...

Maybe it's just that the buffoons you elected to lead/run the Labour Party have managed to totally and conclusively lose the argument.

You will now have to suffer 20 years in the wilderness.

I would suggest that you all try to form an alternative to the Tories ( that isn't bnp) and start again.

Will Parbury said...

Not totally given up blogging but have really moved on to twitter 959 tweets to 879 followers.

Do think that blogs tend to be better at attacking which may come in useful in the future should the unfortunate happen.

J said...

Even Labourites are finding Labour indefensible.

Call an election, lose, get into opposition and start again, and then the Labourite blogosphere will thrive.

Elby the Beserk said...

You forgot that nice Derek Draper, didn't you?

Elby the Beserk said...

LabourList akin to reading of debates in the Junior Socialists Club at school; the "quality" of the writing, ooh, what .. about 16 years old, the debating, 14 years old.

Still, it keeps them off the streets causing trouble, I guess...

Elby the Beserk said...

LabourList akin to reading of debates in the Junior Socialists Club at school; the "quality" of the writing, ooh, what .. about 16 years old, the debating, 14 years old.

Still, it keeps them off the streets causing trouble, I guess...

Chris Paul said...

Elby TB: I did suggest at one point that LL contributors add their linear age* in brackets after their by-lines. Indeed there are some older folk who should be put out to grass. Mr Cheech and Mr Chong you know who you are ...

* Or Menkal age?

Constantly Furious: Are you expecting Harriet to legislate in favour of rape?? Is that it?

Chris Paul said...

Libertarian: the word was that the Tories would never be elected again. Here's still hoping. Though like cockroaches Cameron's cloak and dagger "secret Tories" think they can pull the wool over one's eyes, what?

Talk of 20 years in the wilderness strikes me as excitable.

Scrapbook: Excellent blog by the way, added with a number of other freshies to the blogroll. Perhaps Blackburn Labour will also reciprocate at this juncture?

Sadie Smith said...

Constantly Furious: sorry, you want to legalise rape?

Chris Paul said...

Hi Sadie

Think CF (conservative future - coincidence) thinks rape is legal, due to piss poor conviction rate, never mind piss poor investigate and piss poor bother-to-report even though wrecked my life rates.

A minor public figure in Greater Manchester was accused of rape in 2005. Didn't make the papers. But another public figure allegedly immediately started spreading stories about the alleged victim, whose version of the events incidentally is very very compelling indeed. I can name at least a couple of people to whom words were spoken along these lines.

Second public figure denied doing this character attack ... including on HoP stationery as it goes. Not sure that's in the Green Book exactly. What a fool, as well as a complete shit.

When the local rag (eventually) rang the police - who had been interviewing away for literally months and had taken linen for DNA too - the police apparently (can we believe the editor involved?) told them that the alleged perp had not even been interviewed.

I've been told that alleged perp, second public figure and a named detective did have at least one conversation before this all went away, mysteriously. Can that be true? Perhaps it isn't true.

A man is accused of rape and he is not even interviewed at all? An investigation proceeds for months. A report of him and his friend meeting a named DC also does not actually constitute an interview?

To a very great extent CF already have their way. Rape is rarely punished. Sometimes it is hardly even pursued at all. Usually it's men who decide such things.

Tom said...

I know I keep repeating this, but new blog is in the making. give it a couple of weeks.

jailhouselawyer said...

Bloggerheads has been reduced to follow me on Twitter...

Shamik Das said...

There's a new New Labour blog on its way; watch this space...

Kerron said...

Hi Chirs,

Just on your specific question, a public statement will be made in the next few weeks and I will ensure that you receive a copy.

My blog archive will still be available via the British Library here:

http://tiny.cc/2Qvrb

It is time for pastures new. :-)

Luke Akehurst said...

I'm not out of hospital yet and Z Bar is a Kurdish cafe that does a great fry-up, rather than a "local truffles and champagne socialist bar".

Anonymous said...

Nice labour supporting bloggers like me have just come back from their little breaks and are going to be blogging all about how ineffable the Tories are, see you soon