Paul Waugh
The Evening Standard says Waugh's blog is about "politicians, power struggles and Westminster shenanigans", which neatly sums it up. The paper's deputy political editor is non-aligned. He roves far and wide inside the corridors, committee rooms and bars of Westminster, and his posts fizz with energy and mischief. On a running story he is hard to keep up with. A great exponent of political bloggery at its best, his site is often irreverent and always fast off the blocks. On the serious stuff he marshals the facts, but with the gossip just gets it out.
Tim Montgomerie
Three cheers for Montgomerie (and his co-editor, Jonathan Isaby), who, despite being funded by notorious Tory non-dom donor Lord Ashcroft, have managed to retain the feistiness and independence of their blog posts. While they are pro-Tory, they are not uncritically so, leading and reflecting real debates going on inside the party. Naturally, they play down stories damaging to the Tories (including the controversy about Michael Ashcroft) but they steer clear of propaganda. Essential reading on the probable next party of government.
Michael White
guardian.co.uk/profile/michaelwhite+politics/blog
Michael White's analysis is unique. His take on events is never predictable and he delights in debunking. Where less experienced lobby journalists will talk a story up beyond its merit White, the Guardian's former political editor, will hose it down and place it in historical perspective. He is one of several contributors to the Guardian site, whose input is led by the forensic, relentless and astute Andrew Sparrow who led the way with live blogging from events such as the Chilcot inquiry on the Iraq war".
Will Straw
The place to start the hunt for intelligent views and news about the centre left, or the "progressives", as Labour modernisers like to call themselves these days. For too long the left had little to rival the many Tory blogs but Straw has helped fill the void. This is good on news/analysis and has the feel of the "inside track". Straw is the son of justice secretary Jack Straw but no auto-loyalist. He says his blog is about policies and furthering progressive goals rather than "promoting individual politicians and parties". It was inspired by America's ThinkProgress.org.
Anthony Wells
For those who need to keep an eye on poll trends and like expert comment on them, this is a hugely helpful blog. Wells works for the polling organisation YouGov and knows what polling is good and what suspect. He links into a mass of information about past and future elections and lists key battlegrounds at the next election, as well as target seats and marginals. There are also constituency profiles of each seat in the country. But it is not just for political obsessives. His comment is accessible and the analysis reasoned and factual.
Sunder Katwala
The Fabian Society has been an important force for more than century in the development of public policy on the left of British politics. Now, with Sunder Katwala as general secretary, it has developed an impressive presence online. His erudite and forensic blog has played an important role in the fightback against the previous blogging dominance of the right. Katwala got stuck into the Tories over their new far-right partners in the EU and their muddled proposals for tax breaks for married couples. It is good to see a traditional thread of the Labour movement so active in the new media.
Benedict Brogan
blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/author/benedictbrogan
Brogan, now deputy editor at the Daily Telegraph, launched his blog while at the Daily Mail and has successfully transferred it to his new employer. Before he moved to Telegraph towers, the paper was already shifting from an oddly pro Gordon Brown stance to its default position of robustly backing the Tories. Despite this, the Brogan blog remains refreshingly waspish, witty and intelligent, taking politics seriously but endlessly debunking the politicians. It brings a welcome unpredictability and intellectual quality to the Telegraph's output.
Kerry McCarthy
Intriguing because it is done by a Labour whip, and whips are notoriously secretive. Yet McCarthy blogs well, offering insights into her dual role as MP and Commons arm-twister. Her "April Skies" post on 28 February is a snapshot of an MP's daily grind. There is also plenty about issues and events in parliament. McCarthy uses the blog to bash the Tories (presumably that was part of the deal with Nick Brown, the chief whip) but not too much to put one off. Again, it is the sense of the inside track, and the personal element, that makes it attractive.
Daniel Finkelstein
Finkelstein is chief leader writer and a columnist at the Times. He is also a former adviser to the Tory party. His Comment Central is, as he puts it, a "rolling guide to the best opinion on the web" and his blogging has an intellectual undercurrent. Never afraid to get stuck into blogging rows with fellow columnists, he has recently been in heated debate with Janet Daley of the Daily Telegraph. Finkelstein also does more common or garden newsy blogging which is worth following because he's well in with the Cameronistas. He is probably closest to the Tory leadership of any blogger.
Paul Staines (Guido Fawkes)
Staines is a former member of the Committee for a Free Britain, a shadowy organisation funded by Sir James Goldsmith and Rupert Murdoch. The Guido Fawkes blog is impossible to ignore because it breaks stories. After it revealed his emails laying out plans to smear leading Tory and other politicians, Gordon Brown's spin chief, Damian McBride, had to leave Downing Street. While rightwing, the blog is anti-establishment in the broadest sense, so can have a go at the Tories too. It has been robust over expenses and donations across the spectrum.
