Lib Dems Honour Top Bloggers (Including Two MPs) At Party Conference

Lib Dems Honour Top Bloggers (Including Two MPs) At Party Conference
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For the Liberal Democrats as much as any other other party, blogging is generally a grassroots activity.

It was something of a surprise, then, that at LibDemVoice.org's fifth annual blogging awards, which took place on Saturday night at the party conference fringe in Birmingham, two of those who were awarded gongs were... Members of Parliament.

Stephen Williams MP took home the award for the best blog by a LibDem holding public office, while Julian Huppert MP won the prize for best use of social media for his Twitter feed.

Huppert noted on Twitter and in his acceptance speech that he had left a dinner with Hugh Grant to make it to the ceremony on time.

The slight irony of the MPs' success at an event for bloggers was noted by compere Mark Pack, who is the co-editor of LibDemVoice.org. The absence of Andrew Reeves, the party campaign director and active blogger who died suddenly earlier this year, was also noted with sadness.

The award for the best LibDem blog was taken by Nick Thornsby, who also won an award in 2010 for the best new blog by a Liberal Democrat.

This winner of this year's best new LibDem blog was A View from Ham Common, written by Richard Morris.

The best post on a LibDem blog was voted to be 'Tory Boy Throws Toys Out of Pram: Not Exactly 'Man Bites Dog'', wirtten by Alex Wilcock, while the best non-LibDem Blog was Political Betting by Mike Smithson.

The awards were criticised by some LibDem bloggers, however, for appearing to reward those who write for LibDemVoice.org.

"Can we take the LibDem Blog of The Year awards seriously when all they do is give the prizes to their mates?" asked one blogger.

That criticism was rejected by Mark Pack and others via Twitter, following the event.