My favourite reads…

Over the next week or so Iain Dale will be revealing the details of the top 100 political blogs in his annual poll. Some will shrug their shoulders, others will puff out their chests, and hopefully most people will recognise that it is only a bit of fun.
Anyway, in advance of the list coming out, I thought I would tell you who my favourite three bloggers are, and why. You’ll note that I didn’t say ‘political’ bloggers, and the reason for that is that none of the three are what may be termed overtly political, and therefore they are unlikely to finish anywhere near the top of Iain Dale’s lists, and I strongly suspect they don’t give a damn. That is not to say the three don’t do politics. They do, but they are also what I would regard as ‘proper’ blogs. Blogs designed to tell you something about the person and their lives, their families, their jobs… their highs and lows… and their political views.
Actually, the best political blogs do that too. Instead of being simple rants about ID cards or cctv, or Brown is this and Cameron that, or who got what percentage of what poll or election forecast in this mornings newspapers, and I think blogs by the likes of Iain Dale, Tom Watson, Harry Barnes, Paul Linford and others are often better when telling you something about the person behind the politics. Anyway, in no particular order, here goes:
Occupied Country
Steve at Occupied Country was one of the first bloggers I read when I started blogging, and the other two blogs here have also been around for the duration in one form or another. The Occupied Country isn’t one of those daily reads filled with references to interesting blog sites and newspaper articles. It isn’t really a diary either, and these days it may be a month or so in between postings… but when they arrive they are invariably gems and well worth waiting for. For me, the Occupied Country is like a letter you get every now and then from an old mate who tells you what he has been up to, how the family are doing, and chucks in a couple of photos along the way (the photo at the top of this post was from today’s entry which actually inspired me to write this piece). Over the last year we have seen Steve liberated from an unsatisfying job, suffered his misery and tribulations as a temporary postman, and his ecstasy when he was finally able to ‘hand in his postbag’. We have also shared far more personal ups and downs as he has coped with sickness and heartache in his family.
Fat man in the bathtub
Pete, at Fat Man in the Bathtub is a long suffering social worker in Wales with Buddhist tendencies, and if that wasn’t a bad enough hand to be dealt, the poor bugger is a Birmingham City supporter too. His passion for his football club and his social work clients is balanced by a seething rage about the incompetence of the management of both. He posts much more frequently than the Occupied Country and he is as likely to give us a new recipe he has tried in the same post as a review of a new book he has read or band he has heard. Earlier this year he had a series of hilarious posts as the Fat Man decided to shed a few pounds and train alongside his kids for a charity fun run. I mention his book reviews because we both share a passion for US crime writing and those sort of quirky novels out of the American mid-west that are beautifully well written, although when you finish them you’re never quite sure what the story was all about, or if there was one at all. If ever I was in need of a social worker (and I pray to whatever god you wish that I won’t) I would want it to be this sort of passionate and compassionate person. If I had ever had the gross misfortune to be a social work manager… he would have been my worst nightmare.
Our Man (wherever)
Not so much one blog as a whole mini series all to himself. I first came across Our Man when he was living in Newcastle and posting a quite political blog called It’s Wrong to Wish onSpace Hardware…. (those familiar with Billy Bragg will get the reference). It was a good lively blog, with plenty of comments and lots of good links that a new blogger like myself could nick. But then, after toying with the idea for a long time, he joined Voluntary Services Overseas and upped sticks for Vietnam. If ever you get the time, and you want to read a really good book about travel, logon to Our Man in Hanoi instead. Steve’s diary over his 3 years in the Vietnamese capital really is worth publishing as a book. Although he had visited Vietnam before it hadn’t quite prepared him for working there and helping to set up and market a cafe for training street kids for employment in the catering trade. On all sorts of levels Our Man in Hanoi worked brilliantly, and regular readers were able to share his joys and sorrows and his genuine commitment to not just ‘do something’ for the Vietnames, but work with them to help them to do something. A quick return home and on then to Our Man in Granada, and a different sort of experience which overall seemed much less rewarding for a number of reasons. Then, back home for Our Man in Newcastle where he has posted spasmodically over the last year, but also, like the Occupied Country’ we have seen Steve’s photographic skills and ‘eye for a picture’ improve immeasurably. The feet have been itching for most of that time though, and it came as no surprise to read he is shortly about to embark on a new adventure as Our Man in Cameroon.
So, that’s it, my 3 favourite bloggers. As I say, they do actually ‘do politics’, but in a much more subtle way than you can expect from most ‘political’ bloggers… and you don’t have to tolerate a stream of dickheads in the comments columns either. They won’t be preparing their ‘Oscar’ speeches for when the top blogger polls are printed I suspect, but I look forward to plenty more from all three of them and if you follow the links you’ll find a damned good read I’m sure,