Some You Win, Some You Lose

Spent a few minutes this morning updating my list of recommended blogs (sorry, I really can’t bring myself to call it a “blogroll”). It’s been a couple of months since I gave it any attention so I knew I’d be making the odd update and blogs come and go.

Mrs Smallprint and Political Umpire have gone by the wayside. The latter’s a real shame, because PU was a fine writer, put a lot of thought into his work and showed his passion for the (second ?) greatest game in the world – cricket.

PU has had to give in to the pressures of time, and we all understand that. I’ve been struggling with it myself over the last couple of months. It’s a real battle to balance work, being a dad, attempting to keep fit and - most recently – running an under 12s boys’ football team, which is proving trying to put it very mildly.

I’ve added one link, which I came across via Old Holburn, namely Leg Iron. He helped to publicise the State-terminated walk on Wednesday, and keeps a really excellent blog. His most recent entry about the state of this nation is an intriguing mixture of despondency, determination and defiance. He says elsewhere that his entry into political discussion came via blogging. He absolutely nails the lie told by Hazel Blears earlier in the week. The truth is that there is a mountain of high-quality and thought-provoking writing in the political blogosphere. To dismiss it as she did as negative and cynical illustrates the government’s intolerance of opposition far better than it does any understanding of what’s actually out there. Many of us think it utterly wonderful that we’re able to express a point of view for all to see; actually the fact that the government doesn’t like us doing it makes it all the more delicious.

I’m in denial about Grendel. I’m hoping he’ll be back at some point.