According to the Total Politics list I have shot up from a scrawny 196th place (2009) in the UK Top 300 Political Blogs to a not-so-scrawny 93rd place (2010). Yay.

To add to my frabjous joy, I have overtaken Craig Murray whose appeal has definitely  waned – down from 95th last year to 98th place now haha.

Let’s nonetheless be right.

Many blogs won’t care less about Iain Dale’s rating lists and so don’t encourage their readers to vote. Craig has a far bigger readership than I do, even if (as one wag once put it to me) many of them seem to be people for whom Craig’s comments box performs a valuable public service – if they weren’t raving away there against Bushitler/Blairnazi, they’d be wandering around Sainsbury’s muttering to themselves.

Here by contrast the readship is refined and highly intelligent.

Still, the loneliness of the long-distance blogger is real enough, and these lists at least show that people are reading the product of all the bloggers listed – and appreciate the effort involved.

Several people at the Speechwriters Guild conference yesterday said that I should write a book about my life and times in the FCO. I told them that I write this instead – and it’s even better than a book, as it’s free to readers and has a much-reduced carbon foorprint.

To all those who took the trouble to vote for me this year – many thanks.