This is my one and only opinion on this, this year...

http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/07/21/not-supporting-iain-dales-top-blogs-competition/#comment-17317

...other than to say, if you ask me, if this wasn't about bolstering Iain's ego and vistor stats, he'd have farmed it out to someone regarded as neutral.

A long time ago. Agreed.

Hey, do you remember when it was Iain and Iain alone who decided who would chart where? Not counting his own blog, of course. He had the man he voted into 2nd place vote him into 3rd, just so everything was above board:
http://www.bloggerheads.com/images/winnahs.gif

I've seen more transparent Zimbabwean elections.

PS. I expect my last comment to be taken seriously by screeching, skirt-clutching Tories or I'll be very disappointed.

I was going to write some articulate reasons why I'm not going to take part (again) but really when it comes down to it I'm not taking part because I think he's a twat.

Refreshing honesty there, bigdaddymerk... but do remember that Iain is the kind of person who will take valid criticism and describe it as an insult. Outright abuse is a gift to him. It may not feel like it at times, but often it's worth explaining what it is that makes him a twat.

I think it's the countless shameful hypocrisy that Iain shows. Not so much with his editorial or his part in the so called 'blog wars' but in his comments. If he posts about one of his mates he'll say something along the lines of 'I think X is getting too much criticism' or 'I've never been so shocked at the level of bile shown towards X', however on the very same website he allows some truly awful comments to be posted towards others - one example that springs to mind is a comment about an Labour member that suggested the best thing he could do was to go away have another massive heart attack and die. It's real nasty stuff, yet if someone has a pop at him he cries like a big girl. I can't be doing with him, he is the Walter Mitty of blogging in my mind - and that's just one of the reasons I think he's a twat.

p.s. is your comments section playing up again?

Yes, comments will play up from time to time. Sorry about that.

Thanks for taking the time. A welcome rendition of a common observation:

"A measure of his hypocrisy is that he never accuses anonymous posters of cowardice if they are attacking one of his opponents." ('ahs benton')
http://www.bloggerheads.com/archives/2008/01/thats_iain_dale.asp

He runs and hides behind the sock-puppets on his website all too often, but he fails to understand (or admit to) his role in popularising the false-face/flaming nonsense that undermines us all.

Oh, and if you try to pull him up on it, the guy who declared himself in charge of 'the' chart demands to know who put you in charge of the blogosphere.

And you can guarantee that the right wing will claim it proves they are the most popular.

Bigdaddymerk, I have to say that I object to you calling Iain Dale a twat, for taking the term in it's most literal sense, a twat has one use. One more than Iain Dale has.

Tim, you can't begrudge Iain a vote of some sort.As we've both observed, he can only win a vote when he controls the result. A sort of bloggers Mugabe if you will.

I'm not taking part 'cos I'm a lazy bugger and can't really be arsed. In fact I'm surprised I'm leaving this comment about it.

Hahahaha! According to the latest spin on this, everybody who refuses to participate is afraid of charting poorly.

Is it merely a coincidence that the latest headline is "How Long Before Ireland is Punished"?

Well, now you've done it. I'm flying into a rage as we speak.

I've been debating whether to post about this for nearly a year now, but what the heck ...

I was the 'lucky' winner of last year's supposed 'political books & films' prize, and I was actually quite chuffed and looked forward with some anticipation to receiving the haul. Which, as it turned out, was a massive let-down. When I say that the absolutely dire film 'Wimbledon' was one of the highlights, you'll understand what I mean. And the political connection was tenuous at best for several of the items. It was as though a particularly over-efficient cleaner had trawled through Dale's study and thrown items into the postbag at random.

At the time I considered posting a full inventory and letting people judge for themselves, but decided not to (at least partly because of Dale's nastiness to those who dare cross him). But now the issue's back on the blogging agenda, I thought I'd mention it for your amusement ...

1. Shh! I still owe D-Notice a t-shirt.

2. I am shocked and appalled that Iain is capable of overhype.

3. In other news, Iain and Paul have 'heard rumours' and can 'confirm reports' involving money, MSM, and their mates. A 'five figure sum' is involved.