Monday, May 07, 2007
Blog in New Statesman
I was delighted to see this blog mentioned in The New Statesman magazine recently. I must confess that I don't read it (although I might start now...) and am an Economist reader instead - but still, this is great news, and hopefully will push the regular readership up towards the magical double digits. I have to say though that I am not entirely sure whether the article will attract people to the blog, or turn them away, running and screaming towards other blogs to do with Bury Council. Let us consider the few precious lines one by one...
It begins:"For anyone interested in the minutiae of a council candidate’s campaign trail look no further than Richard Baum." Well, I would imagine that wild-sounding invitation has already reduced the audience to one (me).
However, all is not lost, as it continues, as we step from run-of-the-mill political tedium to Harrison Ford-esque adventure with: "Hear how Richard confronts rain, borrowing a wayward umbrella from a councillor." I challenge any fan of Jackie Chan or Steve McQueen not to be lured to the Lib Dems by that one.
"Gasp as he tells of his opinions on luxury flats," it continues, perhaps not realising that my demonic vitriol aimed in the direction of the laminate flooring that is slowly taking over our once green and pleasant land is at least partly based in my own bitter experience of trying to sell one of the bloody things.
And finally "bite your lip along with Richard as he recounts his tale of frustration with Orange customer services." This, I admit, will attract at least one or two other hardy souls who, like me, are forced by the contract they foolishly took out with these incompetent clowns, to deal with the chattering gibbons in Orange's far away "help" centre on an alarmingly regular basis. At the moment I am in a rare oasis of modem compliance amidst the usual desert of "error 891 - no dial tone." So I am seizing it with gusto and writing this.
But, all in all, another tick in the box that makes this one of my better weeks. Thank you to The New Statesman - I will keep on bloggin'.
Rick
It begins:"For anyone interested in the minutiae of a council candidate’s campaign trail look no further than Richard Baum." Well, I would imagine that wild-sounding invitation has already reduced the audience to one (me).
However, all is not lost, as it continues, as we step from run-of-the-mill political tedium to Harrison Ford-esque adventure with: "Hear how Richard confronts rain, borrowing a wayward umbrella from a councillor." I challenge any fan of Jackie Chan or Steve McQueen not to be lured to the Lib Dems by that one.
"Gasp as he tells of his opinions on luxury flats," it continues, perhaps not realising that my demonic vitriol aimed in the direction of the laminate flooring that is slowly taking over our once green and pleasant land is at least partly based in my own bitter experience of trying to sell one of the bloody things.
And finally "bite your lip along with Richard as he recounts his tale of frustration with Orange customer services." This, I admit, will attract at least one or two other hardy souls who, like me, are forced by the contract they foolishly took out with these incompetent clowns, to deal with the chattering gibbons in Orange's far away "help" centre on an alarmingly regular basis. At the moment I am in a rare oasis of modem compliance amidst the usual desert of "error 891 - no dial tone." So I am seizing it with gusto and writing this.
But, all in all, another tick in the box that makes this one of my better weeks. Thank you to The New Statesman - I will keep on bloggin'.
Rick
# posted by Richard Baum @ 10:21 
