BritBlog Roundup #4

Yes, it’s Sunday afternoon, there’s a rugby match on soon and I’m tapping away here bringing you (and me) this week’s BritBlog Roundup, the fourth in this new series. Rules are simple, anything posted by a resident or citizen of the four nations on these Isles is eligible to be nominated, something you have written or something from elsewhere that you think we all should know about. Simply send entries to britblog AT gmail DOT com before Sunday noon GMT and given a fair following wind I shall put it into the Roundup. There are no restrictions as to subject or politics, (other than the libel laws and a modicum of good taste...Hello Kitty is the leading cause of diabetes for example) and I positively welcome, for entirely selfish reasons, entries from people who disagree with my prejudices Bayesian priors or those millions of bloggers that I don’t know about yet.

Two that I particularly noticed this week, Stumbling and Mumbling on the subject of Richard Layard’s new book, Happiness, A New Science. Particularly enjoyable to see one of my old professors getting a right good kick in the nadgers (also recommended by Blimpish). Planet Potato (yes, of course it’s from Ireland) provides advice to tourists arriving in Dublin. Actually, you might want to scroll around that blog a bit, lots of good stuff there.

Clive Davis recommends this London Photoblog, by Andrew, especially this City of London nightscape. Oddly, I used to work in one of the buildings in that photo.

Norm of That Blog is somewhat metaphysical about the powers of tea...I think I’m right that we drink more of it than anyone else in the world? Might explain a lot that, if the tea really is communicating with us.

Blithering Bunny is onto the Italian Job, no, not the Michael Caine movie, nor the dreadful remake, but the release and shooting of the communist journalist. Certainly, he makes me think that someone somewhere hasn’t been telling the entire truth and nothing but the truth.

Albion Blogger at A Very British Insurgency gets me slightly wrong, thinking that I am doing this for all of you. No, I’m doing it for selfish reasons, so that I can tap into your knowledge of what is good out there. But he thanks me, so he gets two entries this week. I should also note that in the course of normal blogging this week I’ve had several fellow members of the VRWC urging me to look at that blog.

Nick Barlow (who I found out is known and liked by Iain Murray...must be a good bloke then) offers his Politics by Tantrum and also recommends Matt Turner’s take on our electoral system.

Jon Calder is breaking the rules!!! Only one nomination per person please, but from his blog, some thoughts on coverage of the Liberal Democrats in the media and anti-terrorism legislation (also recommended by The Obscurer), then the Liberal Dissenter on the thin veneer of civilisation and Chicken Yoghurt, who is not happy and is quite magnificent in the manner he tells us that he is not. One to watch, that one.(Also self-nominated.)

Gareth at the CEP suggests that these three should be read together. Yes. They. Should.

Jarndyce offers the reasons why Taiwan is Buggered. Can’t fault the analysis.

Gareth points us to Tom Griffin, who is able to explain the current British Consitution in a mere few paragraphs. It really does work that way.

Jon Barnard thinks that all of Emerald Bile should be linked to but thinks this the best of the week. Not for those delicate about profanity, but who can disagree with this:

I drink tea hard. I’ve had four cups today, and it isn’t even 11am. I really like to push myself to the limits. Not girls’ tea, either, but super-strength Man’s Tea. Made with leaves, not bags: so it gets into your bloodstream quicker and, like, totally fucks your head. It is the kind of tea Hitler would drink, if Hitler drank tea.

People who drink herbal teas should be taken outside and shot. I believe that very strongly.

Nosemonkey is spot on with his two pieces, Thank the Lord for the Lords and The EU is a Political Project.

Giles has a friend who is blogging her conversion to Judaism, a fascinating slice of which is Synagogue Visits.

An Englishman in New York is great on the originator of the modern dystopic novel, Yvegeny Zamyatin. Read We if you get a chance.

From a blogging MP, Richard Allen, comes live blogging of the debates on the abolition of freedom. Swords do sound a good idea at times (although the pink ribbon was to make sure that swords did not get taken into the Chamber).

John Band rightfully blows his own trumpet in How to find fanatics and also recommends Blood and Treasure.

The Future is Another Country mixes Toynbee (no, not Polly, her grandfather?), the EU and the Constitution into a Letter to the Times.

James Hamilton points us to A Step at a Time, recommending specifically this multi-part review of Robert Conquest’s latest. The whole blog looks interesting, James describing it as  Lots of
Eastern Europe/Russian stuff, updated at Instapundit speed but Oliver Kamm length.

Paul Colletti states that trickle down is beggining to work. No, not Thatcherism, The Lebanon.

Ken hasn’t quite finished reading the rules yet, nominating his whole blog, Nanny Knows Best. It is good, of course, but this post gives a flavour. Ken? One post please, not the whole thing!

Pooter of that Geek employs his lab’s time machine to explore the mysteries of Fiskistan. Simply marvellous, a must read.

Calling in from his hideyhole on the Cote D’Azur Francis looks at the EU’s new Software Directive and also recommends Richard North on the same subject.

The Anglo Saxon Chronicle continues to explore the intricacies of the Law, this time that of Treason and which bits have been repealed and which not. Given the dreadful standards of Parliamentary drafstmanship I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the Duke of Bavaria is now King (as some of course insist he is).

Biased BBC wants to remind us of just how caring and sharing Auntie really is. Streetwalkers documentary during half term break at 9.15 am. It’s a serious piece of reporting and well worth a look.

Gareth suggests that the BritBlog Roundup is so important that you should all blogroll the URL. No comment from me except to say that if this does become a travelling carnival, that would be the place to look for where it is any particular week. Got to get it established first though.

The Corridor of Uncertainty is a cricket blog and offers a new version of dice cricket.

And that’s it for this week! Entries for next week to britblog AT gmail DOT com by noon GMT next Sunday please, all subjects, any view point, from residents and citizens of our four nations. Now, half time in the Scotland Wales game, how’s things going then?