Tin Testimonials

I've been meaning to do this for a while: it's an idea floated by James Higham and carried out by several, including, spectacularly, Tom Paine.

So, without further ado, here's my selection of 10 BlogPowerers:

Nourishing Obscurity. James Higham's prodigious work rate leaves most of us feeling like arthritic old stonemasons. His range of interests is huge, and generally, he lightly dusts his eclectic posts with his points of view, rather than browbeating us with rants. It is always a pleasure to read James and to uncover another nugget of news or culture that had completely passed me by.

Sicily Scene This blog is a ray of Mediterranean sunshine, with its mixture of food, drink, culture and everyday life. Sensitively written with love and thoughtfulness, it is an insight into both a life, and a way of life.

An Insomniac Matt is a very bright and well read man, whose views on subjects ranging from religion to Torchwood are invariably fascinating and, above all, humane. His blog, like many of the best, ranges from the nibble-post to the extensive argument and you can rely on it for something to amuse or interest you, and above all, to make you think.

Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe. Colin gives us a Scot's view of life in Australia, with personal stuff, politics, sport and things that make him laugh all included. I find Colin's style very amusing, wry and clever. His blog is the one to turn to for the latest Australian political outrage, or just for the latest bit of funny-but-true (or in the case of the cricket, unfunny-but-sadly-true).

Bel is ThinkingBel writes with passion and knowledge on politics from a right of centre perspective. Her style is very easy on the eye and extremely engaging: I can often feel my rage building as I read the latest governmental idiocy exposed. Bel also engages fully in the discussions on her blog, which are full, cover lots of viewpoints, and are invariably thoughtful. One of my daily reads, beginning to outrank Iain Dale for politics (for me)!

Not Saussure Not Saussure is one of the cleverest bloggers on BP and the one with the keenest eye for detail. He can be relied on to get right to the heart of a political or cultural matter, to dispel prejudice and ignorance, and to debate the subject fully in the comments. A real gem of a cultural and political blogger.

The Last Ditch It was a brilliantly thoughtful post on atheism which first drew Tom Paine to my attention and since then he has continued to inspire, with his well-reasoned and often furious posts on politics. His devotion to his series of testimonials has revealed a keen eye for character and a real interest in the motivations of the bloggers he writes about. A class writer and thinker.

Ellee Seymour Ellee is a blogger with a profile beyond most our dreams. Her writing on political issues is incisive and opinionated, usually very well researched: this is a blogger who really knows what they're talking about and who has really thought before deciding on her opinion. The debates in the comments are often extensive and reveal a range of views.

Morag the Mindbender. Morag is a very lively writer, whose work bounces along with opinion, rage, and intelligence. She takes strong views and explains them with humour and an appeal to the humanity of others. Her posts are generally detailed and knowledgeable, and reading her views is becoming an increasing necessity.

Corporate Presenter Jeremy Jacobs' blog is a fascinating mix of presenting, media, politics and humour. He writes with verve, irony and a dry wit. His presenting posts are always interesting to those of us who know absolutely nothing about it, but all of his posts are engaging and well worth a read.


There it is. Sorry for any inaccuracies!

UPDATE, 9.05PM: Quick extra-testimonial to WESTMINSTER WISDOM in the comments.

UPDATE 12/1/07, 7.40PM: Grammatical error fixed.

UPDATE 12/1/07: 8.10PM: Grammar/Spelling errors fixed. I am rubbish at writing.