There are two types of blog: 1) 100% political blogs 2) less than 100% political blogs
1) 100% political blogs
There are alotofpoliticalblogs out there. In fact if you believe some of the stories you read in the media, the future of blogging lies in its ability to challenge politicians of all parties and to increase political accountability. So now we have a swathe of right wing blogs, a mass of left wing blogs and a sprinkling of other blogs scattered somewhere inbetween. These blogs live and breathe politics, as if nothing else in the world matters. They ignore the weather, the effects of getting drunk and the latest Dr Who episode in favour of endless comments about Iraq, taxation, liberty and what some idiot politician said yesterday. I consider myself to be fairly interested in politics - I always vote and I like to keep tabs on who's saying what about whom - but even I can't stomach a 100% political diet. Which is why, in most cases, I find these blogs terribly boring to read.
But there are two different types of 100% political blog: a) Those with a wholly one-sided viewpoint b) Those with a fair and balanced viewpoint
1a) 100% political blogs with a wholly one-sided viewpoint
Wholly one-sided political blogs make no attempt to hide their partisan nature. Most approach every blogpost from a biased angle, praising anyone who agrees with their own thoughts and pooh-poohing their opponents. They present opinion as fact, they see conspiracy theories everywhere, and they dissect every breaking rumour for the benefit of their devoted readership. Most of these blogs have few new ideas of their own, they merely feed off what other people are saying. While some attempt to be reflective, many merely try to score points and pick holes in everybody else's arguments, ad nauseam. Which is why in most (but not all cases) I find these blogs condescending and incredibly tedious to read. A typical 1a) post tends to read like this:
"Have you seen what <insert name of politician> has said <link to article on news website> here. What an idiot! No sane human could believe such rot. Imagine the consequences! No, what this country needs is more <insert political hobby-horse>. I see my good friend <insert name of equally bigoted blog> agrees with me. So I am right after all!
But there are two types of 100% political blog with a wholly one-sided viewpoint: i) Those you disagree with ii) Those you agree with
1ai) 100% political blogs with a wholly one-sided viewpoint that you disagree with
These make painful reading. Some fanatical moron is wibbling on about something hopelessly biased, and hopelessly wrong. Scroll down the page and there are a succession of similar posts, all based on a similarly unsound footing, all of which make you want to yell at your computer screen in sheer exasperation. You could leave a comment telling these bloggers how misguided they are, except they'd probably write a 1000 word reply defending their indefensible position and then think they'd won the argument, whereas really they'd only have proved what a complete tosser they are. So you never ever read this type of blog, ever. 1aii) 100% political blogs with a wholly one-sided viewpoint that you agree with
Ah, now these people talk sense. They're on your wavelength and they talk your language. They confirm all your suspicions and they pander to all your prejudices. Except, erm, they're still incredibly boring aren't they? So you'd never ever dream of reading these blogs either.
Let's be honest, everybody knows precisely who's going to win the forthcoming UK general election, just not yet by how much. Expect one month of debate about the economy, one month of shouting about weapons of mass destruction, one month of campaigning about local taxation and one month of rabid gypsy-baiting, but don't expect the end result to be in any doubt. Not that this will stop the growing chorus of political bloggers from pretending to be important and announcing that they have the scoop that will change public opinion. They won't, and I'll carry on not reading what they have to say (as, I hope, they'll ignore me).
Vote050505: A little bit of politics
