According to the ebuzzing (formerly wikio) rankings, this is the third most influential political blog in the UK – and the fifth most influential blog of any kind. It beats, hands down, the heavily funded ConservativeHome and Labourlist propaganda operations.
Of the two political blogs ahead of it, Guido Fawkes has permanent paid staff, whereas Liberal Conspiracy is a collective of 32 high profile ultra politically correct guardianistas; many of whom are paid by mainstream media.
Yet this blog has total funding of precisely nil and is only me, an ageing and disillusioned man sickened by the growing gap between rich and poor, the domination of mainstream political parties by corporate interests, and the continual promotion of aggressive war.
This blog does everything wrong. There are frequent gaps between posts, sometimes of weeks on end, because I get too depressed at instances of the callous disregard of the powerful for ordinary people.
I do not tweet, except that the start of each blog entry automatically gets tweeted, which someone set up for me.
This is an SNP supporting blog based in Ramsgate, Kent, written by a manic depressive sacked diplomat of eclectic views, whose guiding lights are the deeply unfashionable John Stuart Mill and William Hazlitt, whose favourite book was written by Michael Foot, and who is still metaphorically on his knees begging forgiveness for advising people to put Nick Clegg into government.
This blog, like all the other top blogs, could make substantial money from advertising, but is the only one not to carry advertising because it does not desire money.
It is webhosted for free, and kept running by a team of techies and moderators who do it for free also, not because they support a party or policy line or everything I say, but because they like the blog. It has the most free, well nigh anarchic moderation policy of any major blog. You can say what you like, including being very critical of me. Racism is pretty well the only red line. Opposing voices are very welcome.
I don’t do political correctness.
Even more heretically, this blog succeeds despite the fact the ebuzzing rankings show the majority of its posts are about international relations. Not only is it interested in foreigners, it tends to concentrate on Africa, Central Asia and other places the mainstream media scarcely believe exist. This blog succeeds so well because the mainstream media leaves unmet an active desire for information by very large numbers of people who are not as stupid as they think.
I have been lucky to have led a fascinating and varied life and as a result not only have a large number of high level contacts who would be the envy of any journalist, but am prepared to publish facts that mainstream political discourse finds uncomfortable.
To give just a few examples, this blog made public that Adam Werritty and Liam Fox had eight meetings with Matthew Gould, now British Ambassador to Israel, not the two reported in Gus O’Donnell’s whitewash “report”. At least two included Mossad, and the purpose throughout was to coordinate on the ramping up of official support for an attack on Iran.
This blog made public the deal whereby the US obtained Arab League support for the attack on Libya in return for US support for the Saudi invasion of Bahrain.
This blog revealed Lord Taylor of Blackburn’s role as bagman for New Labour, and for Jack Straw personally, in collecting from the defence industries, and BAE in particular.
This blog revealed the dirty deal between the British government and the Karimov regime to resume arms supplies and military training in return for logistic support for Afghanistan.
You would be surprised by how many people actually embedded in the establishment, including Members of Parliament and very senior mainstream media journalists, have told me they regularly read this blog to see what is really happening. it is an antidote to the model of single propaganda narrative that now characterises mainstream media.
The stratospheric rise of this blog up the industry rankings is not actually caused by a sudden increase in popularity. That popularity has been there for years. But at last it is being measured.
The old wikio rankings measured the number of links from other blogs; in the case of political blogs, only from other political blogs. So clusters of New Labour, Tory and Lib Dem blogs, by constantly linking to each other, could collectively drive themselves up the rankings.
But over 70% of incoming links to this blog are from outside the UK; they did not count for anything at all in the rankings. Nor did the frequent links to this blog from the sites of major newspapers and broadcast companies in the UK and around the globe.
Ebuzzing now has abandoned the old wikio algorithm in favour of a much wider measurement, which draws on more reference sources, including twitter and newspaper sites. The result reflects much more the actual readership and influence of a blog than did the old wikio rankings:
More than 2 million sources are catalogued and analysed. The semantic content ranking is performed automatically. Blog and article popularity are calculated using our algorithm, which takes into account content shares and recommendations on Twitter, Facebook and the primary content exchange platforms.
I think it is hilarious that the huge wedges of cash put by Lord Ashcroft or Unite into the Tory and New War Criminal blogging propaganda arms cannot see off this old chap with his ancient laptop.
The internet remains a great leveller, and that remains reason to hope.
Well done Craig.
I recall many times over the years when you were a bit down and questioning whether to keep this blog going.Shows just how much impact your honesty and courage has had and just how much appetite for truth and integrity there is out there.
Well done again.
I take my hat off to you Craig for your forthright candour in an insane world. I enjoy reading your commentary and the opinions of the many others who follow you.
Keep up the excellent work! Your effort are truly appreciated.
Thanks so much Craig for all the pounds you saved me over the years since I have been reading your Blog. I can’t remember the last daily i read except for doing crosswords. Congratulations for an excellent site.
Bravo Craig! Been reading for years although contributing rarely to discussions. I hope that knowing how much you are appreciated lifts you through some of your darker days.
Don’t let the buggers grind you down!
My first reaction to certain developments: what has Craig got to say about this?
I was tempted to say, never mind the metrics, go for the beef. But then I figured the metrics are a great consolation when you are trying to communicate with people, and the next bit might suggest taking ads from McDonalds or Burger King.
So, mind you, I’ve said nothing.
KUTGW.
Well done Craig.
What can I add to what’s already been said !
Thank you for your courage in shining a light in dark places.
Craig you are honest decent and courageous. In a just world you would be sharing the nobel peace prize with Glenn Greenwald. I hope you continue for many many years
Good job! Congratulations from ordinary Uzbeks.
I had no idea how popular this site is until reading this–my hearty congratulations! I am now following you on Twitter and Facebook. Just got a new 23 inch LCD monitor and the blog displays much better than on my old clapped out CRT job that finally conked out last week.
My interest in the blog was re-kindled by your powerful and brave speech outside the Ecuadorian embassy.
If you ever depressed, perhaps these beautiful pieces by Latin American classical guitarists might cheer you up:
1. John Williams playing Barrios’ Vals No 3, Opus 8. He also discusses Barrios’ importance in the classical guitar repertoire. William says that Barrios is the greatest ever composer-guitarist. I agree.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frgys8HZbWs
2. This is an interesting multicultural combination: Iranian classical guitarist Dr Lily Afshar, “first woman in the world to gain a Doctorate of Music in guitar performance” at Florida State University. She is playing in this clip Paraguyan/G
uarani native American composer-guitarist Augustín Barrios Mangoré’s “Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios” (An Alm for the Love of God) also known as “Ultimo Tremolo” or “Gran Tremolo”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wSrRky_Mm4
3. Another Latin American composer/guitarist genius Agustín Barrios Mangoré playing a “Julia Florida”. Barrios was a mixed race Paraguyan/Guarani native American who was very tall and had huge hands which made long stretches easy. His compositions are exquisite but mostly a bastard to play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeYc0knmMeQ
One more:
Classical guitarist John Williams playing Venezuelan guitarist Antonio Lauro’s beautiful Vals Criollo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iyRLD9YYSg
Thanks Craig. I am a Cornish Girl living in Ireland basically as a Political Refugee. I have 2 Young Kids who I didn’t want born as Subjects and wished for them to be educated not brainwashed, it’s therefore vital for me to know whats really happening in this World so I can properly educate my Children-I do not wish them to be ignorant or subservient! You really are a light at the end of a very long Dark Tunnel.
ps:If you really want to “give out” as my Irish Friends would say, take a look at the machinations of The Duchy of Cornwall, Cornwalls real Constitutional Position, The 50,000 Signaturies that Blair ignored for a Cornish Assembly and the sly Anglicisation of the Cornish People….then You will understand why I’m a political Refugee here in Ireland though born and bred in Penzance!
“The truth is an offence, but not a sin”
Well done on your blog. I learn from it.
The Craig Murray blog is my most visited website. It cuts through the meeja crap, and the comments examine stories from all perspectives. It’s a unique resource.
Craig is an amazing example of humanity, honesty and sound judgement. He rescued me from a crisis some years ago and asked for nothing in return; for which he deserves my eternal trust and loyalty.
“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.”
Samuel Adams, American Revolutionary
I’m sure Samuel Adams would also have logged on here every day for updates too.
Congratulations and keep up the good work.
It’s because even although everybody does not implicitly agree with all your posts we recognise that they are honestly offered, contain a lot of common sense, are topical and interesting, are well-written, and are mostly right. You deserve to be higher up the list. Guido Fawkes by comparison is a cartoon blog.
Good for you, Craig!
Your website is always my first port of call in the mornings.
Cheers and thanks too to moderators Clark and Jon and to Tim Ireland (Bloggerheads) who set Craig’s blog up I believe.
Mr. Murray,
You write well. That’s talent I don’t have, so write about autumn leaves or dogshit, I’ll be looking forward to reading about it.
And while I’m at it, good job to the chaps who help out around here (you know who you are).
It is staggering how apparently intelligent, independent people not only accept most of what they read in the “quality” press, but almost aggressively write-off or discount anything on the internet as conspiracy-obsessed rubbish. Of course much of the internet is indeed full of incoherent, wild, baseless allegations and theories, but no more so than the conventional media. It is up to the reader and viewer to engage his or her critical faculties.
What is disheartening is how so many otherwise savvy people are prepared to regard almost everything they read in the Guardian, Independent and particularly the BBC as reasonably truthful. Very little of it is. But in the case of the BBC I doubt whether it was ever different, since before the internet, there was very little opportunity to research or absorb any contrary views, opinions or facts. It is the growth of independent internet blogs and websites which at least give the discerning reader the opportunity to access other angles.
Like many commenting here, by default almost everything I see and hear on the BBC is automatically discounted. What staggers me is how the BBC news editors can continue to imagine that any reasonably aware person believes hardly a single report they publish.
There is now a large amount of historical evidence to show that the BBC not only misreported the impending financial crisis beginning as far back as 2007, but it continues even now to give exposure on its news programmes to the very “experts” (economists, business leaders, analysts etc) who were part of the whole mechanism by which the UK virtually bankrupted itself, while rarely seeking other less vested-interest views. When you widen the scope of BBC reporting into other areas, such as its appallingly biased stance leading up to the Iraq war, its eventual obsequious position on the Kelly affair, its early acceptance of now proven lies regarding the Charles de Menezes shooting, its misreporting of 9/11, 7/7 and its refusal to even consider that at least some aspects of Global Warming might be the result of hype and exaggeration, you cannot conclude other than that the Beeb, and many other shamefully lazy and compliant news gatherers, are living in some kind of parallel existence which involves sticking fingers in their ears and shouting “la la la”.
This blog is a breath of fresh air.
Better keep on doing everything wrong.
Craig,
Some inspiration for your path…
“Seven social sins: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.”–Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Phil:
“I also enjoy the fine contributions from your regular commentators.”
Really? A toad changing its spots? Btw, i believe the correct word here is ‘commenters’.
Craig, well done, this is a ranking you well deserve, and well done Clark Jon and Tim and the ultra fast finders and seekers, Komodo dragons with bad breath, tea swigging Glasgow cowboys, fury fingered Mary and so many more.
When this blog is buzzing you can almost feel it in your hyper cortex, it must be almost addictive to a journalists fed up with the daily regurgitations.
hipp hipp hurray, fireworks, who dare’s to say this is worth a celebration, a bring your own booze garden party even?
Congratulations from California! Keep on keeping on…
…and continued best wishes.
Craig, well done in keeping this site going and free of crass advertising.
Commenters – error, not found
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/commentators?s=t
Pepsi
Congrats Craig from Tottenham, North London,
(It’s not as bad round here as the MSM would have you believe by the way!)
Have got somewhat addicted to your blog over the last year reading it in some far flung places round the world for intermittent, irregular dose of sanity, lucidity and integrity. Hopefully this recognition and all these commenter’s heartfelt plaudits will keep yer chin up when the storm clouds gather, as they probably do for many of us. You’re an inspiration, don’t ever let those bastards get you down. Shelley is ringing in my ears as I type, something like… (Rise like lions after slumber / In unvanquishable number / And shake your chains to earth like dew / that in sleep had fallen on you / Ye are many, they are few!!!)
Congrats and KUTGW to all those regular sources that also make this blog the best, Komodo, Mary, John Goss, Mark Golding, Nuid, Nevermind and chums.
More power to you all!
Uccello.
comment [ˈkɒmɛnt]
n
1. a remark, criticism, or observation
2. talk or gossip
3. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a note explaining or criticizing a passage in a text
4. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) explanatory or critical matter added to a text
vb
1. (when intr, often foll by on; when tr, takes a clause as object) to remark or express an opinion
2. (Literary & Literary Critical Movements) (intr) to write notes explaining or criticizing a text
[from Latin commentum invention, from comminiscī to contrive, related to mens mind]
commenter n
INEPT?
And for many others like myself who feel that that the neocon infiltration of our freedoms continues unreported and unabated-this blog will continue to be our first port of call on the internet, Craig. Many thanks.