Podcast Episode 52

A little later than normal, this week's podcast develops the theme of Tony Blair as a "follower not a leader" that I wrote about on this blog last week. It can be heard HERE or alternatively read on the Companion Blog HERE.

Links and Finks

Apologies for the relatively light bloggage this week which was due to the need to finish off an important project at work. Just time before I clock off for the weekend to tell you about the latest new links on the blog and to highlight a couple of interesting new initiatives on the blogosphere.

The first of these is Daniel Finkelstein's long-awaited "best of the blogs" aggregator on Comment Central. It's called Web Grab, and it's easily the best thing of its kind to be found on any national newspaper website.

Unlike Comment is Free, Web Grab is genuinely seeking to reflect the diversity of stuff on the blogosphere, owing its inspiration to Tim Worstall's peerless Britblog round-up. I was fortunate enough to get a mention in the first Web Grab, in the shape of my post a week ago on the devilishly clever John Reid.

The other thing that's caught my eye recently - and I'm a bit late with this as Dizzy had it a while back, is the New Constitution blog, which is, at its name suggests, an attempt to write a new constitution via the blogosphere. I don't necessarily agree with all the content - it's anti-monarchist for a start - but I like the general idea.

As for those new links, welcome aboard Luke Akehurst, one of the best Labour bloggers around, PragueTory, a blog that many people predict is going to be big in 2007, and The Psychiatrist, an interesting health and politics blog from Dr Michelle Tempest.

Like most bloggers I have a general policy of linking to any site that links to mine so if I have missed yours off, please let me know.

BlogGems

An occasional series dedicated to bringing the choicest comments from the blogosphere to a slightly wider audience.
No 5.

"I think it can be safely assumed that when this century's Presidents are graded, George W. Bush will feature at the bottom. If we ever have a worse one then mankind is unlikely to survive for such a survey to be realised."

Campbell Waterman, commenting on Danny Finkelstein's Comment Central blog.