It's grim oop North

Hi, I'm Clive and I blog (when time allows) at The UK Today.

I'm here at the invite of Tim. I accepted this invitation to contribute in order to address the biggest single threat faced by the UK political blogosphere; the growing influence of certain right-wing blogs and a rampant outpouring of hypocrisy. Sorry, the two biggest threats faced by the UK political blogosphere; the growing influence of certain right-wing blogs, a rampant outpouring of hypocrisy and the condoning of unacceptable online conduct. The many threats faced by the UK political blogosphere....

Excuse me, I'll try that again.

I'm a socialist, with a small "s". Unlike The Great Charm Rat (or Blessed St Margaret as the less discerning call her) I believe in this strange thing called "society". In fact I find most of what the Conservatives (and New Labour) stand for to be unpleasant and unacceptable in a civilised society. I'm also a Christian who believes that Matthew hit the nail firmly on the head.

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Now, I've met Paul Staines and while he superficially appeared pleasant enough, I remember how he and his ilk behaved during the 80's and 90's. I lived in Berkshire when Cruise and Pershing arrived; I was studying in the Rhondda in South Wales during the miner's strike; the Lawson boom forced me to leave the place where I grew up and where all my friends lived and I have spent the last 18 years living in a region devastated by Thatcherism and the worst excesses of Conservative policy.

Anyone capable of reasoned judgement and who has visited Staines' blog will see it for what it is. A partisan cess-pit of bigotry, hypocracy and right-wing excess. It may seem cool, knocking the New Labour government (with justification), but don't for a moment believe the spin Paul puts on his blog. When the Conservatives finally form a government, don't expect people like Staines' to hold them to account. They'll simply become the sycophantic mouthpieces of a New Tory establishment that at heart will be no different to New Labour or the old Tories.

Staines' blog isn't cool, it is a dangerously appealing home for people who either should know better yet don't care, or seriously misguided individuals who don't appreciate the risks inherent in Staines' methods.

So I'm here to provide balance; to try and highlight the need for greater honesty, transparency and better standards of conduct in the political blogosphere.