However it was lightened by a couple of favourite Lib Dem bloggers saying nice words about me and the blog what I write*. As many political bloggers know the recess is also awards session. We have voted in the Total Politics Poll and now those of us of a liberal democratic persuasion are largely at it again the BOTYs are upon us.
As I've already blogged about the rules, categories and what to do I won't labour the point, but this morning on my trip to work I was lifted by the kind words of two fellow bloggers as they mused over the awards.
Peter Black AM won last years BOTY for an elected representative. But in summing up the field for the top gong the Lib Dem Blog of the Year he said:
"The question as to who is going to win the prize of Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year is already the subject of much speculation on the blogosphere and on Twitter. There is consensus that three bloggers in particular are in the running. These are Charlotte
Gore, Mark Reckons and Costigan Quist. However there are many more excellent Liberal Democrat blogs out there including Liberal England, Sara Bedford, Stephen Glenn, Jenny Rigg and Jane Watkinson to name but a few. It is a crowded field of exceeding high quality and I have no idea who might win. Though I nominated Charlotte Gore just because she dropped so many hints all over the place."
Ok I'm in the second trance of blogs listed by the esteemed Assembly Member, though to be perfectly fair I expect that to get unto the short list alongside the highlighted three will be the most that many a Lib Dem blog can hope for this year.
Although not from reading Nich Starling our Norfolk Blogger, his comments made me both well up and smile at the same time.
"Last year I wrote in Iain Dale's guide to political blogging that I felt the awards were too self congratulatory, rather too on message, and the judges rather self selecting in that the same people and the same "friends" get chosen every time. Those of you from the provinces (and I use that term loosely) and who don't get to conference really don't matter. Yes, I am sure I'll get comments decrying my views, but I would add that it would me hypocritical for me to seek votes or feign interest in these awards given my published views.
"For my money, Stephen Glenn writes the best Lib Dem blog at the moment so perhaps he will get some credit for his good writing."
Yeah I did a double take, looking for hidden links to other bloggers, but no there were none. Nich singled me out, just like he did last year when it was his turn to write for Iain Dale and the Total Politics Guide. Having quoted me he then said:
"The Lib Dems need more blogs like this for the rest of the British political
blogosphere to sit up and take note."
So I'm clearly still doing it right in Nich's eyes.
Thanks to both. Though I think I may just have to settle for short listing in the blog categories, I've been around too long to count as new, nor been elected to anything.....yet. However, there may be hope for one of by blog post in the category of Best Blog Post of the Year. So I'd better get on with picking out the cream.
*Apologies to the late, great Ernie Wise for procuring one of his catch phrases.
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