Here’s a few of the bloggers who turned up last night at Iain and Guido’s bash when it was announced that the latest juicy Labour sleaze will not be wasted, but go towards Vol 2 of The Little Red Book of New Labour Sleaze due out next spring. Let’s get writing!
The room was packed – all male bloggers as Bel and I were the only female contributers and she could not make it – hopefully more will get stuck in for Vol 2.
I was determined to meet as many people as possible, I did not want to get home and find I had missed the chance of talking to some of my favourite bloggers. Even though I did my best, I still missed out on quite a few.
But it was quite fabulous to chat to Paul Linford, Devil’s Kitchen, Tom Paine, Mike Denham, Mike Rouse, Dizzy, Croydonian and James Cleverly, as well as Guido and Iain (apologies if I missed out anyone, which I’m sure I have). I was in my element and thrilled to be in great like-minded company. I think the biggest surprise was Guido – he seemed quite normal, I was expecting him to be very outrageous in the flesh too. Did any others who went along have any surprises? Were all those anonymous bloggers just as you expected them to be?
Croydonioan, It is a great line, I remember it now, and how true it is too.
Think it is from ‘The Godfather’ – Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
Croydonian, Yes, what’s that saying about keeping your enemy close to you?
I’m happy to run with the principle that my enemy’s enemy is my friend. I never thought I’d be applauding someone who wants to break the Union, but there you are….
I’m beginning to wonder now if Tory bloggers were outnumbered, which is really surprising, but what the heck, it was a great book worth celebrating, roll on the next edition.
P.S. I ain’t a Tory neither!
DK
It was a positive joy to meet everyone, including your good self, Ellee. Oh, and full marks to Tom Paine who flew in from Russia to be there!
Roll on the next one, eh?
DK
Yep I did and I have already volunteered to write a piece for the “update” being compiled in the next few weeks. Its quite a good challenge to write a short, tight and fully accurate piece for such a book.
Ellee, it was great to meet you at last but, as others have pointed out, you know perfectly well I am not one of your lot!
Nice pictures, though!
Andrew, Hi, did you contribute to the book then?
I am not a Tory blogger either…I am far more a libertarian one. I have never voted Tory either.
The group was not that scary/geeky. Many were in suits and well turned out.
Awfully well-fed these Tories, aren’t they?
A bit lacking in sartorial elegence aren’t they.
Ellee, I used to live in his constituency! I remember it was always a Lib-Dem / Plaid marginal.
Jim, What has Lembit Opik achieved during his political life? Is this going to be his sole claim to fame?
Here’s the link:
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/story_pages/news/news2.shtml
Here
Talking of sleaze, I see that even the Lib Dems are at it now! The cheeky monkey!
Look Here.
If only His Grace (a man of mystery if ever there was one) could have assumed a bodily presence and descended to your level….
Jean-Luc, Thanks, but I already have an excellent dvd of Carmen, nothing can beat seeing and hearing something as magnificent as this in person.
Ellee, I hear that Carmen is being filmed by the BBC. You will be able to catch it when it is shown. I don’t know the date yet.
Good lord, a decent picture of me!
N – I believe they are Devil’s Kitchen and James Cleverly
Who are those people with Will?
I would just like to seethe bit more that the A list Bloggers have set themselves apart form the Hoi Polloi.
You know how everything is better with cheese on . Similarly most things are better with me in.Much as despise the development of this aristocracy I would dearly love to be in it.
BOO HOO
Tom, You mean never voted Tory – yet. There’s always a first time.
The second photo isn’t exactly Tory bloggers – that’s half of Blairwatch there and one of them (me) is wearing a Hugo Chavez shirt. I’ve never voted Tory in my life!
Anyway, it was good fun putting names to faces and drinking Iain into bankruptcy, apart from being rained on wandering around south London at 1 in the morning. Roll on Volume Two – at this rate Volume Three won’t be far behind and we’ll all soon require new shelves.
James, If you contribute to the next edition of the Little Red Book of New Labour sleaze, and Jean-Luc too, we may all be invited to a similar bash next year, we can all meet up then. I am sure the blokes would like to have a few more women bloggers join them too.
Many thanks again to Iain and Guido, it was much appreciated.
Ellee, dearest, I don’t think you can put Paul in with the Tory Bloggers. Bit of wishful thinking thee. Sigh – I always miss out on the fun, stuck over here [although Tom Paine made the trip, I see].
Put it this way, Paul is definetly not Labour!
But he almost certainly not a Conservative either 
, he and Toryism and Thatcherism do not mix well!
Croydonian, You could well be right, but it was in essence a Tory bloggers party, Paul seemed to have a good time, it was so nice to meet him, and everyone else.
I suspect Paul L does not regard himself as ‘one of us’ either….
Jim, You are absolutely right. I am wondering what will happen to us Tory bloggers when we are in power, it won’t be nearly as much fun.
Tom, Can you imagine what a Bumper Book of Russian Sleaze would be like? Would anyone be brave enough to write it after Anna and Alexander’s terrible fate?
I look forward to the Sleaze book. It is, of course, easy to lampoon and mock when in opposition – it was ever thus.
Who was it (Churchill, I believe, please correct me) who said something like “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”. When the corruption rises inexorably to an unacceptable level, we vote ‘em all out and we start another cycle!
I give Labour one more turn…
Mr R, I was feeling a little delicate this morning, Croydonian had tremendous staying power sticking it out till the end. I never gave a thought to train times as I was enjoying myself so much, I was lucky to catch the last one backto Ely, I certainly wouldn’t have fancied spending the night on a station bench.
Tom, I have added you to my “other political” blogroll, I could have talked to you all night too, a pity it flew by so quickly.
Jean-Luc, you were lucky enough to see Carmen at the ROH, how wonderful that must have been.
I would have liked to met these people.
Having met up with Croydonian at an ungodly hour this morning I can only hope that you looked & felt better than he did after your night out
)
Point of information, Ms Chairman, but I am not a “Tory blogger”. I used to think I was a Tory, but since Dave Cameron has explained to us all that it involves believing in bogus science and even more bogus social science, I have realised I was in error.
The Little Red Book was an anti-Labour, not a Tory, venture. I was happy to be part of it on that understanding. No-one could be more anti-Labour than me. Certainly not Dave Cameron, who could easily lead the Labour Party without any readjustment of his odious beliefs.
I don’t know whether it was a surprise, but it was good to discover that you come across every bit as well in real life as you do in your writing!
Happy Christmas, Ellee!