The Lib Dem Blogosphere and Me

Was drawn by this blog entry from Lynne Featherstone our MP for Hornsey and Wood Green regarding this piece by Pickled Politics. Lynne also referred to another piece of hers where she wrote:

Liberal Democrat bloggers tend to be either fairly inward or local looking. There are many blogs that really talk all about what is happening in the party, along with a smaller number of – often excellent – blogs which are clearly aimed at a particular local audience (e.g. a councillor’s blog such as Mary Reid’s, which seems to be largely aimed at her constituents – understandably enough!).

What we seem to be missing are those combative, outward looking souls who spot a story and want to help spread or extend the message or the point or the attack, as opposed to inwardly looking expressing their own views on it. So you tend to get stories not spreading, and where they are commented on, they are only commented on by those who have reservations to express.

Maybe having taken a bit of a sabbatical from blogging I have noticed some of that which she is talking about. Now taking all that on board I take a look at my blog.

Yes there are items there that are based on West Lothian, but there are also elements that look at Scotland, or the UK, or Europe or further afield. The readership I have indicates that I have readership which is anything but parochial. In fact I take delight in the the rare occasions when I am actually hit more often from West Lothian than outwith for a particular story. The diaspora of what I cover can hardly be confined as looking inwardly to the Liberal Democrats or locally to West Lothian. There have been times like the Livingston by election when obviously that was what the blog mainly featured on but by in large that is the not the thread nor train of this blog.

Lynne says what the Liberal Democrat blogosphere is missing are combative, outward looking souls. If you look to the left you will see a list of blogs that I read, the Lib Dem ones may need to be updated, but the other party ones are where I take umbridge that I'm not combative or outward looking. Many of the writers and readers of those blogs come here. They do post comments not always supportive but at the same time many of them have realised that I am even handed. Until recently many of them did not list one Scottish Lib Dem blog in their blogroll, that has changed. I do not think it would have changed if this blog was as insular, non-controveral, non-combative as those that Lynne seems to think are in the ascendancy in the Lib Dem Blogosphere. I may not be as outspoken as Nich Starling but at the same time I don't hold back.

I think I've found a reasonable balance. I attack what needs attacking and praise what needs praising that goes for all parties including my own. Sometimes it does stir up a hornet's nest of interest sometimes the world seems to merely pass by. But I will continue to be me.