Madam Miaow hands down.

Penny Red. She’s gorgeous and tenacious.

Penny Red for the ‘gender reversal’ piece, as well as neatly laying out the facts about how sexism works in society, and how male privilege works. And for the stuff on mental health. And for the pieces explaining how the fear of rape fits into a woman’s psyche. And for many other things I just wouldn’t have any kind of handle on otherwise.

And not only for those things, but also the fact that she’s been around for ages, started well, and keeps getting better. She’s my age, but makes me look like a hamfisted yahoo. You can’t blame me for having a crush.

I’d be happy if Jack of Kent won too, his down-to-earth approach to reading English law is one that should be rolled out as a nationwide standard for journalists.

Jack of Kent. Very illuminating on legal matters. However, is Winston Smith a shoe-in for the Orwell?

I second number 2, but in secret

I’m trying to think of reasons why it should be boycotted.

nick cohen’s dire ‘waiting for the etonians’ is up for political book of the year which is good enough reason for a boycott

Re: Yurrzem @ 10.15am

Winston Smith is interesting just as a study of how someone can enter the care profession with an open mind and good intentions, try his best to hold onto those ideals, and eventually find the whole thing to be an undeserving waste of time and money. More than anything though he deserves some recognition and praise just to encourage him to keep at it, as he clearly doesn’t get that at work.

I personally wouldn’t back it just because I already knew care-home kids are nasty, and I already knew charity workers were feckless, and the only thing I’ve learned from it would be exactly how far you can push a man before he starts supporting mandatory vasectomies (which only sounds unreasonable out of context, when you read the blog you can totally see where he’s coming from).

Gwyn @8:

I’d have longlisted ‘Anne’s’ brilliantly impassioned http://militantmedicalnurse.blogspot.com/ for much the same reasons. You get the impression she only blogs when she’s just come off a terrible shift.

Re: organic cheeseboard @ 10.36

A good 75% of the books are tripe, and only Paul Lewis really seems deserving of the journalism gong. Is it always like this?

Hmm. Tough call, because it’s not really a list which pits like against like blogs, is it? Generalist against narrow focus politics, big sod-off blogs against solo efforts, even-handed analysis against opinionated invective. All have their place, but lumping em together, and then declaring one the best?

Re: Alisdair Cameron @ 1.50pm

From the Orwell Prize site: “They are awarded to the book, the journalism and the blogposts which are judged to have best achieved George Orwell’s aim to ‘make political writing into an art’.”

No matter how worthy or professional or commercial or partisan the blogs are, it’s the art that matters. I think that’s a fairly consistent leveller.

The Bad Old Days Will End, which I’d never seen before, is good fun.

Winston Smith also manages to be both funny and depressing at the same time.

Particular congratulations to Hopi and Iain Dale…

You see, Sunny, politeness costs nothing!

I actally feel sorry for the kids Winston rights about. At the rate they appear to be going they will probably end up in jail, all because of a totally useless care system that can’t see that emotional support and strong disipline are a duality and a system that means institutions can get away with the most appalling incompetence as long as they can keep up appearances.

Just to point out, they ALL nominated themselves. So while they may be good writers, it is also a list of massive egos.

The prize is self-nominating.