That time of year - Top 10 Political Blogs

Email your ten favourite blogs (ranked from 1-10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

It's that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2009-10, which will be published in September. This year the poll is being promoted/sponsored by LabourList and LibDemVoice as well as this blog.

The rules are simple.

1. You must vote for your ten favourite blogs and ranks them from 1 (your favourite) to 10 (your tenth favourite).

2. Your votes must be ranked from 1 to 10. Any votes which do not have rankings will not be counted.

3. You MUST include ten blogs. If you include fewer than ten your vote will not count.

4. Email your vote to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

5. Only vote once.

6. Only blogs based in the UK, run by UK residents are eligible or based on UK politics are eligible.

7. Anonymous votes left in the comments will not count. You must give a name

8. All votes must be received by midnight on 31 July 2009. Any votes received after that date will not count.

If you have your own blog, please do encourage your readers to take part. Last year, more than 80 blogs did so. We hope this year it will be far more than that. BUT, DO NOT list ten blogs you think your readers should vote for. Any duplicate voting of this nature will be disallowed. If you do not wish for your blog to be voted for please email katy.scholes@totalpolitics.com. Here's the code to add to your blog sidebar or blogpost to feature the grahic above with an automatic clickthru to the instruction page...

The results of the poll will be published in the forthcoming book the TOTAL POLITICS GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING IN THE UK which will be published in mid September in association with APCO Worldwide.

So, go to it. Email your Top Ten Favourite Blogs totoptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

Comment Nominations

Taking place in October, The Comment Awards are the first to celebrate comment in all its forms - both print and online from the Commentariat across both newspapers and the blogosphere.

There are 12 award categories, and you can make nominations for as many or as few award categories as you wish by clicking the nominate button on the homepage. Each nomination must be supported by a minimum of 3 or a maximum of 5 articles.

Wales Yearbook 2008 Political Awards Results (Pippa Wagstaff too shocked to return)

According to the Western Mail the winners of the Wales Yearbook 2008 Political Awards (sponsored by ITV Wales), are:

LORD Elis-Thomas, Presiding Officer of the National Assembly, was last night named Welsh Politician of the Year at a ceremony in Cardiff City Hall.

The former Plaid Cymru president got the award “for his role in the Assembly’s transformation into a true legislature, passing Welsh laws under its new powers”.

The citation went on to say: “As the Assembly’s first, and so far only, Presiding Officer, he has had no precedent to guide him – something he has seen as an opportunity rather than a problem.

“Dafydd Elis-Thomas has never been afraid to revise his opinions to reflect changing circumstances.

“A radical republican when first elected to Westminster at the age of 27, he has been keen to involve the Queen and Prince of Wales in the Assembly’s ceremonies as he works to weave devolution into the constitutional fabric of the nation.”

Other winners were:

MP of the Year: Paul Murphy.
AM of the Year: Edwina Hart.
MP to Watch: Jenny Willott.
AM to Watch: Andrew RT Davies.
Local Politician of the Year: Councillor John Davies, Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Local Government Association.
Campaigner of the Year: Nerys Evans.

Dafydd Wigley, the Honorary President of Plaid Cymru, received a Lifetime Achievement award.

Elis Owen, National Director of ITV Wales, said: “We are delighted to support these awards, which are one of the ways that we celebrate the hard work politicians do for us in Wales.”

The awards will be shown on ITV Wales in a special programme on Thursday December 18 at 11.05pm, hosted by Wales Tonight’s Jonathan Hill and Sharp End’s Mai Davies. All winners received a personalised cartoon by Mumph and a bottle of Penderyn Welsh whisky.

Is it me or are some of the award results highly questionable and could be described as scraping the barrel? No wonder Pippa Wagstaff is on a break from blogging. At this rate she won't have the will to return!

Anniversary

Today is my blogging anniversary or birthday

12 months
330 posts
368 labels

63,102 hits
2,556 Facebook friends before disablement
5 awards
3 bans

5 offers of coffee by the bay
2 threats of legal action

1 offer of dinner
1 offer of marriage

and countless cases of abuse and sexual harassment

Whoever said blogging is dull?

Welsh Politico Award: Gold, Silver, and Bronze

The results are out for the Welsh Politico Award in which four judges chose their favourite posts from the last 12-months in the Welsh political blogosphere. All nominated posts can be found here. Congratulations to Ordovicius for organising the award.

Gold Post: ...Go on, say something! Author: Amanwy Blog - Bevan Foundation Blog

Silver Post: Beth yw pwynt Llywydd Plaid Cymru Author: Penderyn Blog - blogmenai

Bronze Post: Welsh Conservatism and devolution Author: Dylan Jones-Evans Blog - Dylan Jones-Evans

Slugger Political Awards Report: Changing not circling the political process

The Slugger Awards have just taken place in Belfast, described thus

For the last six years, with all its various eyes and ears, Slugger O’Toole has been a particularly avid watcher of the political scene. We have endeavored to pick up and share the best journalism and research and keep a close eye on Northern Ireland’s nascent political process. In our own informal way, we’ve acted more as a critical friend than fawning acolyte or jaded oppositionalist.

At Slugger we think that we have a fantastic opportunity to improve politics in a way that institutional reformers will never be able to. We want to reward better politicians, better politics and better governance. We’d like to reward those that have succeeded in reaching out to the public and involving them more effectively in local governance.

So today, with the support of our launch sponsors, Stratagem NI Ltd, we are announcing The Slugger Awards 2008.

Rather than bloggers patting bloggers on the back, this was an award ceremony where a blog is giving awards to other players in politics for "conversational politics".

The work that Slugger is doing is (as far as I know) unique in this country: a blog having a measure of impact in seeking to strengthen the political process, rather than simply trying to make different things happen using the existing political process. That's what we need for blogs to fulfil their potential.

Slugger Awards Podcast

The Digital Circle podcast from Sims Digital Media reported on the event (and the audio is on my Wardman Wire post).

Other reports of the awards

• Alan in Belfast: The Slugger Awards - for the wee guy and the big names. (Good personal report)
• NALIL - North Antrim Local Interest List: NALIL - Slugger Political Blogger of 2008 (award winner)
• Daithi McKay (Short report)
• Crea8ivity (Good summary. Damn and blast people who use hard to type names for their blogs!)
• Young Unionists (Brief)
• Redemption's Son

Who won the Slugger Awards?
(Reformatted from the Awards site).

• Best MLA: Naomi Long for her speechcraft and fluent (and combative) contributions to Assembly debates. And for getting Alliance noticed!
• Up and coming politician: Daithi McKay for his work on the Giant’s Causeway controversy (his one of three winners whose award related explicitly to that particular issue).
• Local Council: Belfast City Council, for scale and profile and running a tidy fiscal ship but also for its leadership role in the Open Cities initiative.
• Local Councillor: Deirdre Nelson, one of a new generation of outward looking local councillors.
• Journalism: David Gordon by proving that not everyone in the world of mainstream media has succumbed to ‘Churnalism’.
• Best blogger: Mr Nevin Taggart, who by diligence and close attention to local affairs proves that you don’t have to be big to be clever.
• Assembly Committee Chair: Danny Kennedy.
• Local Newspaper: Impartial Reporter (Fermanagh) has stuck to its last and consistently brings real news and strong analysis to its local readership.
• Representatives external to Northern Ireland: Peter Robinson for marshalling his disparate band of troops and leaving Westminster a calling card that he’s now the man back in town.
• Jobsworth Award: Assembly Commission.

Wrapping Up

In my view this is an example for the other countries in the UK. The interesting question is this:

How long will it be before any "mainland" blogs are taken sufficiently seriously to be able to mount such a set of awards in London, Cardiff or Edinburgh (or - I suppose - in Brussels)?

I don't think I have seen any reporting of the Awards in the British press or on British blogs. That is a pity - NI is streets ahead of any other part of the UK in this respect, helped by the fact that politicians in Northern Ireland perhaps haven't realised yet that they are supposed to be an Elite living in a bubble. Long may this ignorance continue.

[Update: formatting tidied.]

Welsh Politico Blog Award Nominations

A competition run by Ordovicius has now received nominations from all four panel members.

Oudles of thanks to those panelists that chose a post from this blog [Adrian Masters and Alan Davies]. If a stranger ever sends a drink over and waves to you from the bar, you'll know who she is. Further congratulations to all that were nominated.

The Welsh Politico Blog Award consists of the Gold, Silver and Bronze seals of Owain Glyndŵr, which will be awarded to the three blogposts that the panel judge to have made the greatest contribution to or had the biggest impact on Welsh politics in 2008. The following is the final shortlist.

The Panel

Alan Davies
Managing Director of Junction 31 and Director at Cymro Consulting.

Daran Hill
Managing Director of Positif Politics and Chair of Public Affairs Cymru.

Richard Wyn Jones
Director of the Institute of Welsh Politics at the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University.

Adrian Masters
Presenter of Dragon's Eye, and former presenter of the BBC's Politics Show Wales.

Adrian Masters

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT VOICE Peter Black AM: Welsh Liberal Democrat leadership race to begin soon?

As well as blogging regularly and for the longest time, Peter Black has consistently taken an honest and open approach to blogging. In this post as ever, he allows us to see behind the scenes with candour and without innuendo.

MISS WAGSTAFF PRESENTS: How to make enemies and alienate people

Insider gossip with substance. As always.

PAUL FLYNN - READ MY DAY: Hypocrisy' versus 'hypocrisy

His account of voting with the Tories against his own government. Like Peter
Black he allows all of us to understand what it's really like in politics.

Daran Hill

PETER BLACK AM: Different Meetings

Peter Black’s blog posts are at their best when he gives a cheeky bit of insight rather than cutting and pasting the latest story from the Western Mail before anyone else because he seems to get up earlier than other bloggers. This short missive from the Black bunker is a great example of his frank style. Mischief maker or party political saviour – the jury will be forever out perhaps. In this post, the impact and economy of his last sentence is provocative blogging indeed.

HUW LEWIS AM: Adam Price's Kind Offer

Huw Lewis doesn’t blog for fun but to make political points and that’s why he’s always worth a read. He’s one of those politicians that it’s impossible to be neutral about (even within his own party) and his blog is always forthright. This post is a juicy morsel of political defence. It’s also worth noting that the two bloggers in question, Huw and Adam, are conducting a dialogue on their own blogs rather than posting on each others. That in itself speaks volumes.

A VIEW FROM RURAL WALES: Tipping Point

Absence from a legislature has made Glyn Davies no less relevant to Welsh politics and his blog remains a must read. One of the best things about Glyn’s posts are his provocative openings, which are usually engaging enough to draw me in (apart from the gardening posts). He usually develops a narrative which sustains interest and challenges the reader to revisit our conceptions. The non-Cardiff perspective which shines through is always well constructed and in this post he really makes you think about how devolution is delivering. Glyn remains one of the few bloggers in Wales who manages to write both from the heart and with precise language. Never afraid to cite examples, it’s never a rant, and always a pleasure.

Alan Davies

MISERABLE OLD FART: Holy Smoke
MISERABLE OLD FART: Leanne Wood - Communist or Nationalist

Very Witty writer + runs two blogs simultaneously in both English and Welsh. But doesn't merely translate from one language to the other. The content of both of his blogs is original, informative, and entertaining. A Welsh nationalist and a Plaid sympathizer (albeit from the right of the party) Miserable Old Fart is prepared to speak out against Plaid Cymru policy and hold Plaid Members to account, where others fail, which perhaps does not endear him to many plaid members.

MISS WAGSTAFF PRESENTS: Wiped from the Face(book) of the earth

Miss Wagstaff Presents is a must read- first for all the juicy inside gossip from Cardiff Bay. First to get political scoops. She/he/it has a finger on the Welsh political pulse like no other journalist. This story is testament to her growing influence, and the fear she strikes in to our Welsh political classes (particularly Labour ones!)

DYLAN JONES-EVANS: State of the UK economy
DYLAN JONES-EVANS: Welsh Conservatism and devolution

Dylan Jones Evans is one of Wales' foremost Economists, sums up the economic challenges succinctly in lay man's terms. His language is simple and his style is very engaging. Bloody good read.Whilst engaging with many economic issues, DJE is also an aspiring politician who not shy away from engaging with some contentious political issues, least of all his party's very own stance on the future of devolution in Wales.

A Frank and honest debate on Conservative Party policy on Devolution. Rather refreshing for a Tory politician on the question of devolution, which has long been shoved in to the long grass by other senior Tories.

Richard Wyn Jones

PENDERYN/BLOGMENAI: Beth yw pwynt Llywydd Plaid Cymru? (English translation)

AMANWY (BEVAN FOUNDATION BLOG): …Go on, say something!

VAUGHAN RODERICK: Y Gwir yn erbyn... (English translation)

Sauregurkenzeit Award Winner (Thanks, I think?)

Charmed, I'm sure! Thanks for the cucumber prize. One question... Should a judge congratulate the winner [don't know why] and then tell the wider blogging public which blog is their particular favourite? I demand a recount, unless the cash prize is enough to buy a new dress.

The winner of the prestigious Sauregurkenzeit Award for political blogging in Wales is:

Miss Wagstaff Presents [according to Cambria Politico]

Commiserations to Cynical Dragon who really really wanted to win this.

Congratulations to Pippa Wagstaff on consistently good blog content, on a successfully accomplished redesign and upgrade and, of course, winning the most votes in the online poll.

Judges Verdict: The standard of Welsh political blogs is getting better but is still lacking in significant ‘journalistic cutting edge’, impact on the political process or a coterie of regular post commentors. By rights, Peter Hain should have been the Welsh blogosphere’s first political victim but this opportunity was missed and taken by Guido Fawkes instead. Another major criticism is that many Welsh blogs are just rehashed versions and comments on other blogs or media stories with little original content. However, there are encouraging signs.

Judge’s Favourite blog: NoGoodBoyo

Total Politics Results: Top 100 UK Political Blogs

Five Welsh blogs (numbers 58, 59, 61, 72 and 79) have made it into Iain Dale's Top 100 UK Political Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9. Last year's position is in brackets.

1. (2) Guido Fawkes

2. (1) Iain Dale

3. (4) Conservative Home

4. (3) Dizzy Thinks

5. (-) Political Betting

6. (-) Devil's Kitchen

7. (9) Spectator Coffee House

8. (12) Burning our Money

9. (42) John Redwood

10. (14) Ben Brogan

11. (20) EU Referendum

12. (15) Tim Worstall

13. (-) Tom Harris MP

14. (13) Archbishop Cranmer

15. (54) LibDem Voice

16. (16) Mr Eugenides

17. (-) Hopi Sen

18. (85) Daniel Hannan MEP

19. (-) Three Line Whip

20. (70) Stumbling & Mumbling

21. (35) Donal Blaney

22. (128) Boulton & Co

23. (-) Liberal Conspiracy

24. (8) Nick Robinson

25. (-) People's Republic of Mortimer

26. (11) Recess Monkey

27. (56) Adam Smith Institute

28. (27) Comment Central

29. (72) Luke Akehurst

30. (47) Waendel Journal

31. (38) LabourHome

32. (30) Ministry of Truth

33. (22) Tom Watson MP

34. (33) Nadine Dorries MP

35. (46) Dave's Part

36. (-) Letters from a Tory

37. (17) Norfolk Blogger

38. (-) Shane Greer

39. (-) Sadie's Tavern

40. (45) Samizdata

41. (32) Slugger O'Toole

42. (111) A Very British Dude

43. (21) Harry's Place

44. (-) SNP Tactical Voting

45. (61) Quaequam Blog

46. (104) UK Polling Report

47. (182) Socialist Unity

48. (59) Daily Referendum

49. (53) Liberal England

50. (172) Lynne Featherstone MP

51. (18) Paul Linford

52. (68) City Unslicker/Capitalists at Work

53. (51) Our Kingdom

54. (-) Labour Outlook

55. (63) Millennium Dome Elephant

56. (155) Paul Scully

57. (-) A Very Public Sociologist

58. (90) Peter Black AM

59. (78) Glyn Davies

60. (195) Obsolete

61. (99) Ordovicius

62. (-) UK Libertarian Party

63. (40) Biased BBC

64. (7) Croydonian

65. (69) James Cleverly

66. (-) Is There More to Life Than Shoes

67. (-) J Arthur MacNumpty

68. (120) Normblog

69. (-) Raedwald

70. (-) Three Thousand Versts

71. (-) Tory Bear

72. (-) Miss Wagstaff Presents

73. (52) Bloggers4Labour

74. (-) Pint of Unionist Lite

75. (151) Theo's Blog

76. (-) Kezia Dugdale's Soapbox

77. (71) Beau Bo D'Or

78. (25) Bob Piper

79. (-) David Cornock

80. (-) Forgesian Thinking

81. (-) Heresy Corner

82. (103) Love & Liberty

83. (125) The Daily (Maybe)

84. (161) Peter Hitchens

85. (81) Melanie Phillips

86. (0) Redemption's Son

87. (10) Ellee Seymour

88. (0) Lenin's Tomb

89. (83) Liberal Burblings

90. (-) Scottish Tory Boy

91. (-) Stuart King

92. (86) Matt Wardman

93. (34) Pickled Politics

94. (0) Ewan Watt

95. (41) An Englishman's Castle

96. (0) Centre Right

97. (0) Never Trust a Hippy

98. (0) Red Box

99. (76) Chris Paul's Labour of Love

100. (50) Last Ditch

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Welsh Blog Index Awards 2008: Results

Having been away for nearly a week, I'm humbled to have returned to the following news from our very own Welsh Blog Index Awards 2008.

A big thank you to everyone that voted for this blog, and a hearty round of applause to my colleagues - Dotcommentator and Senedd Whip - for their huge effort over the last several months.

• Best Politicians Blog: Glyn Davies
• Best Media Blog: David Cornock
• Best Other Blog: Ordovicius
• Best Welsh Language Blog: Vaughan Roderick
• Best Newcomer (established after the last awards of August 15th 2007): Miss Wagstaff
• Most Improved Blog: Miss Wagstaff

I can only assume that those who voted for Miss Wagstaff Presents in the 'Most Improved Blog' category are old readers that have stuck it out since the beginning :)

Total Politics Results: Top 100 Right of Centre Blogs

Five Welsh blogs have made it into Iain Dale's Top 100 Right of Centre Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

28. Glyn Davies
85. Lone Voice
95. David Jones MP
98. Linguanaut
99. The Right Student

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Total Politics Results: Top 100 Left of Centre Blogs

Nine Welsh blogs have made it into Iain Dale's Top 100 Left of Centre Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

19. Ordovicius
35. Bethan Jenkins AM
39. Adam Price MP
47. Cynical Dragon
59. Guerrilla Welsh-fare
60. Welsh Ramblings
73. Blog Menai
87. Amlwch to Magor
90. Paul Flynn

I would never have described The Cynical Dragon as left of centre.

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Comment of the Week

It seems that life doesn't begin at 40, according to one reader that commented upon Iain Dale's announcement of the Total Politics Top 40 Welsh Blogs:

Being no 40 on a list of Welsh bloggers is quite a thing. To receive such an accolade is a bit like being singled out as the 40th most pro-democracy member of the Chinese politburo or the 40th most attractive check-out girl in the Croydon branch of Tesco! Respect. Ha ha consider who is number 40 that's probably the most accurate thing ever written.

No. 40. Martin Eaglestone

Martin, don't listen to them [him]!

Total Politics Results: Top 50 LibDem Blogs

Two Welsh blogs have made it into Iain Dale's Top 50 LibDem Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

8. Peter Black AM
19. Dib Lemming

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Total Politics Results: Top 40 Welsh Blogs

Forty Welsh blogs [a high number, I thought] have made it into Iain Dale's Top 40 Welsh Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

As Iain puts it "Plaid Cymru will be pleased with their showing in the Welsh Top Blogs list, with 18 of the 40 places going to nationalist blogs." Those Nationalists have far too much time on their hands!

1. Peter Black AM
2. Glyn Davies
3. Ordovicius
4. Miss Wagstaff Presents
5. David Cornock
6. Miserable Old Fart
7. Cambria Politico
8. Bethan Jenkins AM
9. Betsan Powys
10. Adam Price MP
11. Cynical Dragon
12. Vaughan Roderick
13. Guerilla Welsh Fare
14. Valleys Mam
15. Welsh Ramblings
16. Dib Lemming
17. Hen Rech Flin
18. Blog Menai
19. Lone Voice
20. Amlwch to Magor
21. Welsh Blog Index
22. David Jones MP
23. Paul Flynn MP
24. 07.25 to Paddington
25. Borthlas
26. Blog Dafael
27. John Moorcraft
28. Andrew Nutt
29. Ceredig
30. Nicolas Webb
31. Dylan Jones-Evans
32. Inside Out @ Swansea
33. Leighton Andrews AM
34. Elfyn Llwyd
35. Huw Lewis AM
36. Jill Evans MEP
37. Gwilym Euros Roberts
38. New Welsh Right
39. Independence Cymru
40. Martin Eaglestone

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Total Politics Results: Non Aligned Blogs

Three Welsh blogs have made it into Iain Dale's Top 20 Non Aligned Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

6. Miss Wagstaff Presents
9. Cambria Politico
10. Miserable Old Fart

This list excludes Media blogs.

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Total Politics Results: MP Blogs

Four Welsh MP blogs have made it into Iain Dale's Top 20 MP Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

6. Adam Price MP
10. David Jones MP
11. Paul Flynn MP
15. Elfyn Llwyd MP

Elfyn Llwyd blogging!?!

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Total Politics Results: Green Blogs

No Welsh Green blogs have made it into Iain Dale's Top 20 Green Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

It seems that we only eat greens in Wales.

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Total Politics Results: Media Blogs

Four Welsh Media blogs have made it into Iain Dale's Top 30 Media Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

8. David Cornock (BBC, though not an official one)
12. Betsan Powys (BBC)
13. Vaughan Roderick (BBC)
20. 07:25 to Paddington (Western Mail)

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

Blog 'Critics' Awards 2008

I did tell you earlier that it's the Awards season. Ordovicius' Blog 'Critics' Awards 2008 offers something different from last year:

Last year I ran the experimental Welsh Blog Awards 2007. Due to my experience with that little experiment I decided late last year to approach the 2008 version from a wholly new direction.Firstly, this year's version will be limited to politics.

Secondly, there is only one category: we'll call it the Best Blog for now, though 'Best Blog Post' would be more correct. The 'award' will have three winners: Gold, Silver and Bronze (like the Olympics, but without the moral ambiguity on Human Rights).

Thirdly, the winners will be selected by a small panel of judges which will be made up of non-bloggers (but blog readers) who are recognised figures in Welsh politics, including academics and commentators. Rather like the AM.PM awards, but for bloggers. These judges will be named once the nominations are in.The nomination process is a simple one: what is being nominated here is your favourite blog post (or blog posts, plural) from 2008 related to Welsh politics. Whether a blog is still running or not is irrelevant, as long as the nominated blog post is one that was published this year. Equally irrelevant is the nationality or geographic location of the blog author: as long as the nominated post is relevant specifically to Welsh politics it qualifies (yes, that means even Iain Dale could win; who knows?).

You can either leave a link to your favourite post(s) in the comments thread, or email them to me, or send me them via facebook. Remember to include hyperlinks and not just a post's title. Blog authors are encouraged to include their favourite post(s) from their own blogs among their nominations.

Due to the (new) nature of this award, it won't be called the 'Welsh Blog Awards 2008'; I'll consult with the judges to come up with a new name for it in the very near future. And no, I won't be on the panel myself.I'd appreciate it if you could get the nominations in by the end of August.