Ellee Seymour

This is Iain’s list of top Conservative blogs compiled by a panel of 12 right wing bloggers. He wonders whether my "softer, more personal approach" was not to their liking, which is why they placed me at 19. And I am thrilled to be included in the top ten on the main list, which I have not yet seen, thanks to the votes of other bloggers and my readers.

My approach to blogging is that first and foremost I write about what interests me, then it has to be fun. I am not a dedicated political blogger like some others, my blog is more a miscellany of my life, I enjoy writing about any topical issue that catches my fancy. And that includes politics, as well as the environment, women’s issues, PR and the social media, and missing people.

So in these circumstances it’s a great achievement to be on this list, and it’s kind of nice sitting so close to Boris, ranked at 18  - figuratively speaking! But yes, politics is a subject close to my heart, especially as I am a Conservative press officer.

Congratulations to Dizzy and Croydonian for their excellent ranking; their dedication to blogging is so transparent, and they are both great guys too. And, of course, Iain quite rightly deserves to be No1. However, I did feel that Bel should have been placed higher than 43, she is a great political writer, and is very popular with her loyal readers.

Many thanks to everyone who voted for me, I thought you would like to see Iain’s list in full, with his introduction:

Guide to Blogging 2007: Top 100 Right of Centre Blogs

The GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING 2007 is published this week. Featured among the 288 pages are a myriad of blog lists. Now for the TOP 100 RIGHT OF CENTRE BLOGS. This list was compiled by a panel of 12 right wing bloggers. Bearing in mind who they chose as Number 1 I should make clear that I had no part in it!

The right of centre blogosphere is thought by many to be in a state of rude health. It is more diverse, radical and influential than its left of centre counterpart, but still there are only seven or eight right wing blogs which have a mass readership. This list was ranked by a group of right of centre bloggers. Their decision reflects in large part the rankings of the Top 500 list, chosen by more than 500 bloggers and blog readers, with one or two exceptions. The exceptions are James Cleverly and the Waendel Journal who are ranked more highly in this list, and Ellee Seymour who is in the top ten on the main list but only scrapes into the top twenty on this list. Ellee has established herself in the front line of British political blogging, but her softer, more personal approach may not have been to the the panel’s liking. You can’t win ‘em all!

Another female Blogger who has made an impact is Caroline Hunt, whose ‘devil may care’ attitude has attracted a number of admirers. Of the top four, Dizzy Thinks, in the person of Phil Hendren, has emerged as possibly the most improved blog of the year, which is reflected in his second position in this list and third in the overall list. He has broken a number of stories and his forensic analysis continues to impress. He doesn’t let his love of IT geekery dominate the blog, and he manages to find story after story in the pages of Hansard, which the mainstream media then follows up.

Guido Fawkes has not had his best year and he would be the first to admit it. His Newsnight appearance alongside Michael White was the blogging equivalent of David Davis’s 2005 party
conference speech. It wasn’t quite as bad as it appeared at the time, but it did do him – and indeed the blogosphere – a considerable amount of damage. Despite that, his traffic levels have held up well.

ConservativeHome has dropped to number four in this list and I am slightly at a loss to know why. It has had an excellent, if overdue, redesign and although it went through a rough patch
earlier in the year it is back to its fighting best. Not everyone likes its editorial stance, and it will be interesting to see how Platform 10, its new Cameroonian rival, competes in both analysis and storygetting. It will do well to rival Tim Montgomerie’s contacts, but perhaps that’s not the point. In fact, there is no reason why Platform 10 and ConservativeHome should be considered rivals. Time will tell.

Nadine Dorries is perhaps the brightest new entrant into the blogging world. The Tory MP for Mid Befordshire has some trenchant views and she’s not backward in coming forward in expressing them, much to the chagrin of the Conservative whips. In a very short time she’s created a cult. Her blog is the one most read by her fellow MPs – and not just Tories. John Redwood has become a truly prolific Blogger. He is very different in style to Nadine, but if you want insightful analysis into the economy, regulation and globalisation, John Redwood’s
Diary is the place for you!

1 2 Iain Dale’s Diary
2 5 Dizzy Thinks
3 NEW Guido Fawkes
4 1 ConservativeHome
5 14 Croydonian
6 8 Archbishop Cranmer
7 3 Burning our Money
8 NEW Devil’s Kitchen
9 NEW Tim Worstall
10 7 James Cleverly
11 23 Mr Eugenides
12 NEW Waendel Journal
13 NEW Nadine Dorries MP
14 NEW Adam Smith Institute
15 NEW Donal Blaney
16 64 Prague Tory
17 11 Tory Radio
18 4 Boris Johnson
19 9 Ellee Seymour
20 56 Caroline Hunt
21 NEW Daily Referendum
22 NEW EU Referendum
23 NEW Sinclair’s Musings
24 NEW An Englishman’s Castle
25 52 Theo Spark
26 NEW John Redwood MP
27 NEW Daniel Hannan MEP
28 36 UK Daily Pundit
29 58 Freedom & Whiskey
30 NEW Mike Rouse
31 NEW Roger Helmer MEP
32 NEW Islington Newmania
33 NEW City Unslicker
34 NEW Matt Wardman
35 48 Man in a Shed
36 18 Dodgeblogium
37 NEW Nourishing Obscurity
38 NEW Samizdata
39 NEW Taxpayers’ Alliance
40 50 Martine Martin’s Lebwog
41 NEW Daily Propaganda
42 NEW Musings of a Reactionary Snob
43 22 Bel is Thinking
44 NEW Prodicus
45 65 A Very British Dude
46 NEW WebCameron
47 NEW Priti Patel
48 NEW Richard Spring MP
49 28 A Tangled Web
50 NEW Edland 51 NEW Nation of Shopkeepers 52 NEW Not Proud of Britain 53 NEW The Bristow Blog 54 79 Thunder Dragon 55 NEW Glyn Davies 56 NEW Little Man in a Toque 57 NEW Globalisation Institute 58 NEW Britain & America 59 NEW Last Ditch 60 31 Gavin Ayling 61 NEW Vicky Ford 62 NEW Birmingham University CF 63 27 Ed Vaizey MP 64 NEW Is there more to life than shoes? 65 72 Conservative Party Reptile 66 41 A Conservative’s Blog 67 57 Last Boy Scout 68 NEW Tory Reform Group 69 NEW Ghost of the Hitch 70 NEW John Moorcraft 71 NEW Blognor Regis 72 NEW England Expects 73 NEW Rachel Joyce 74 NEW PJC Journal 75 NEW David Gold 76 37 Tim Roll Pickering 77 46 Remittance Man 78 NEW Tapestry Talks 79 NEW Platform 10 80 89 Curly’s Corner Shop 81 24 Road to EU Serfdom 82 13 West Brom Blog 83 NEW David Jones MP 84 NEW Istanbul Tory 85 NEW Neue Arbeit Macht Frei 86 NEW Pub Philosopher 87 17 Trevor Ivory 88 NEW Brussels Journal 89 NEW The Crossed Pond 90 NEW Not a Sheep Maybe a Goat 91 NEW YBF Activists 92 38 Contra Tory 93 NEW Scottish Tory Boy 94 NEW Hunter & Shooter 95 49 Civitas 96 NEW Cross of St George 97 NEW Nicolas Webb 98 NEW Martin Kelly 99 NEW Cornerstone 100 71 Laban Tall

Were you shocked, like me, to learn that the Red Arrows have been banned from performing at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics - because they are too British!

If so, then please sign the following 10 Downing Street protest petition to try and get this ludicrous decision overturned.

The Arrows, officially named the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, have flown at 4,000 festivals worldwide. But the Department of Culture, Media and Sport decided last week that the jets were “unsuitable� and “not in keeping with the event as they were too militaristically British�.

I would have imagined that we would be proud to showcase the best of what is British, that these daredevils will thrill our global visitors.

News of the ban has been condemned by my MEP Robert Sturdy, he feels it is outrageous, knowing how they are popular headline attractions at local airshows in East Anglia.

One protester put it in a nutshell when she asked in an email forwarded to me:

Do they think the Chinese will be worried that the Beijing Olympics will be too Chinese? I hope they are VERY Chinese. That’s surely the whole point of holding the Olympics in a different country each time?!?!

I remember last seeing the Red Arrows perform at RAF Mildenhall - what an awesome air show they put on there, sadly no more since the Iraq war. It was a Sunday and my son James hated the deafening noise of the overhead planes as they screeched close above us. I was forced to sit in the car and watch, while James hid as low as possible on the floor with his hands over his ears. I’m sure he would love them now.

This is my article about women and blogging which I contributed for Iain Dale’s 2007 Guide to Political Blogging, which will be published this week.

I’ve been writing my blog for 18 months and I have never had so much fun. I have also discovered that it is not for the faint hearted.

Women bloggers still make headline news in a way that their male counterparts don’t. Women bloggers arouse public interest, the inference being that it is a male dominated place.

But why is that? I cannot think of any reason why women bloggers should be singled out for special attention. At the end of the day, it is the content and personality behind it that counts – this applies equally to male and female bloggers.

Yet it is perceived by some to be a male domain, particularly in the political arena. I suspect the ratio of female bloggers is similar to that of female MPs and councillors, that women are not as politically motivated through personal choice and will link up with sites where they feel comfortable and welcomed.

And blogging is most certainly not just a boys’ game, it’s one that the girls can feel equally at ease in. Blogging is known as the “naked conversation�, it’s about being transparent and honest so readers learn about the “real� person. There’s no place to hide if you fake it or fib, your lies will be discovered and word will pass round virally at an astounding pace.

Thanks to the ease of free blogging software, women need not be deterred by the technology needed to set up a site. The general rule of thumb is if you can book airline tickets on the Internet, then you should have sufficient expertise to set up and run your own blog.

For the record, I regard myself, first and foremost, as a blogger. The fact that I have breasts does not, or should not, come into it. I enjoy researching and writing posts and interacting with visitors on news and political issues, as well sharing insights into my personal life and interests.

I am fortunate in having regular readers who post genuine comments on wide ranging subjects, from domestic violence and divorce, to climate change and the EU. Readers have become “virtual� friends, several of whom I have even met, and we exchange emails and Christmas cards. If I appeal for information on my blog, they readily respond and help out and have been a godsend.

But I have also had my moments of misery, been targeted by a cyber bully as well as attracting abusive comments from the odd nutter. I’ve also written the odd post I’ve regretted. There is never a stone large enough for you to crawl under in blogosphere. Any insults, humiliation, regrets and taunts are all played out publicly for the world to see. This is what makes it tough for women, why we sometimes need thick skin. It happens to men too, but maybe they can laugh it off in their macho way while women take it more personally. It is not a pleasant experience, but this is when the tribal network and your “virtual� friends come up trumps and rally to your aid, supporting you through what seems to be your worst nightmare.

It is crucial that women retain their confidence and humour during these dark days if they seriously enjoy blogging. It’s all part of a steep learning curve and, in my case, they are infrequent enough to forget about. Others though have not been so lucky.

Rachel from North London. http://rachelnorthlondon.blogspot.com started a weblog to record her experiences as a July 7 bombing survivor and found herself stalked mercilessly by a woman who was sentenced to six months in jail (appeal pending) for a “vicious, vitriolic and vindictive� harassment campaign against her.

And a highly regarded American blogger, Kathy Sierra, http://headrush.typepad.com/

was so shattered following a series of death threats on her site that she stopped writing her blog.

I wonder how many women are blogging anonymously, particularly if they feel men will not take them seriously. When Penelope Trunk http://blog.penelopetrunk.com writes on Yahoo Finance, she finds inane comments posted every week about her sex life.

What I would advise Penelope to do and is set out a few ground rules clearly stating that visitors to your site should regarded it as a conversation that is taking place in your living room where swearing and inappropriate comments are not allowed. They should realise that while they are entitled to disagree, they should not do so in an abusive way.

However, I believe women bloggers do have the last laugh because they can end up with the great book deals which men do not, to my knowledge. Former Sunday Times journalist Judith O’Reilly cashed in earlier this year with her blog, Wife in the North, http://www.wifeinthenorth.com. She writes poignantly about her move from London to rural Northumberland with three young children, two elderly parents and an absentee husband and it has made her £70,000 richer.

A book deal also landed straight into the lap of Catherine Sanderson, whose alter ego is Petite Anglaise, http://www.petiteanglaise.com. The bilingual secretary was fired by an English firm of accountants in Paris on the grounds that her site, though anonymous and never identifying her employers, somehow brought them into disrepute. She not only won her appeal against unfair dismissal, but also a book deal.

Zoe Margolis hasn’t looked back since starting her erotic weblog, Girl With A One Track Mind, http://girlwithaonetrackmind.blogspot.com under the pseudonym Abby Lee. A media frenzy followed when Zoe’s real identity was revealed as an assistant director in the film industry and she was forced into hiding.

The danger for me is how addictive and time consuming blogging can be, how it can eat into a large chunk of my day as I am willingly lured from one link to another. This requires a discipline that I have not yet mastered, as my family will confirm by their occasional burnt dinners caused by my need to reply to a comment .

For me, there is no doubt that the positives far outweigh the negatives. 99.9% of the people I have “met� in blogosphere I would happily invite into my living room for a real conversation; they are decent, clever people who enjoy an intelligent debate with some light-hearted banter. Blogging is great fun, a constant source of amusement and stimulation, and the day it becomes a chore is the day when I give it up.

As another taster, yYou can read Nadine Dorries’ insights about MPs and blogging here.