At the annual 2008 voting for the weblog awards, category 'Europe (non-UK)', you will find only conservative weblogs, and some folkloristic blogs to fill the void. The blog that is leading at this point, links to "Politically Incorrect", an infect German blog, that avoided supervision by German authorities by moving to an American server. A (neo) conservative cabal took hold of (at least) some categories of the 2008 weblog awards. It is of no use to cast your vote in the "Europe" category. It has to be boycotted, this year. What happended?
In two of the 48 categories of the weblog awards that I took a look at and that are submitted to a vote actually, (neo)conservatives managed to propose a selection, that is poised to get a blog of their obedience as the winner. No European candidates this year, like the serious and reliable "A Fistful Of Euros", or the funny "Amazing Retecool Goldmember", who won in past years, but a bleak sample of the most loyal overseas followers of Daniel Pipes and Mark Steyn...
Juan Cole (Informed Comment) who is nominated in the 'Middle East-African" category, wrote today:
Michael J. Totten has surged way ahead in the voting online for the best Middle East weblog. The way he has done this is very instructive and tells us something about how the Neoconservatives always run rings around the American left and leave them with nothing to do but complain about Neoconservative power.
First, Totten demonized me and mobilized rightwingers in general and right-Zionists in particular to vote for him as a way of voting against Informed Comment. [..]
The European in pole-position: Mr. Motl from Plzen in Czechia
;)
Click for complete imageIn the 'Europe w/o UK' category it is worse. You'll find not one normal blog from or about Europe. Leading at this moment is a Czech blog that does not believe in global earth warming: The reference frame, that also blindly supports Czech president Vaclav Klaus' policies against Europe. It links to Politically Incorrect (PI) and many G.W.Bush inspired publications.
Motl, the author of Reference Frame, cannot get enough of his president Klaus' provocations. As if it is not enough, that Klaus managed to get the US radar facilities for an US missile system against Iran (?) onto Bohemian soil, against the expressed opinion of a large majority of the Czech citizens, this man claims now, that "no regulation of the money markets" is due. Motl features Klaus' opinion article in the Financial Times:
;)
(click to see)
Continuing with this...
Well, you have the picture here: The moment, you are questioning a stupid commentary of a Czech official, you are no less than a Brezhnevist!
And, guess who are on the blogroll! Mr. Klaus, of course, but also the conservative Tim Blair of Australia. And, fifth in the row: Politically Incorrect, the anti-muslim hate-blog from Germany!
I do not know what "socially dominated" blogs are. Maybe a new kind of SM?
I am not expert enough to have an opinion about Motl's rantings on climate. It is not warming, but, on the contrary, getting colder, if I understand him well. That is exactly what P.I. is also saying and will repeat until palm trees will line the Hamburg Reeperbahn...
Another candidate: No Pasaran
Click for MickChe Mouse of 'No Pasaran!'...
The French candidate is an American who features books about the supposed French hangups against the US: No Pasaran, mocking the lefitsts' struggle against Franco in Spain during the thirties, some seventy years ago.;)
By clicking on the picture to the left, you'll see, where No Pasaran's links go: To the Danish anti-Muslim cartoons and to a collection of books about so-called French anti-Americanism.
In the ellipse at the bottom begins an article that says, that the Guantanamo Camp shouldn't be criticized, and that the Europeans should create their own Guantanamo in the African Djibouti. Welcome to the last year's neocon favored blogs in Europe (non-UK)!
The author of the blog No Pasaran doesn't understand the word 'physisician" either. He names Motl, the Chzech blogger leading the contest, a "shrink" (psychiatrist). But, dear "no pass", Motl claims to know much about natural history (physics). That is why he is denying climate change. No psychiatrist in the neighborhood. However, I think both candidates urgently need one.
Italian putrified winds
;)
One of the two Italian candidates is somebody who is fascinated by flustering winds. And proudly featuring an Italian translation (click above) of an Obama - hate text by the Bush-paid agit-prop professor Daniel Pipes. And do not miss on the picture, to your right, the link to the "American Heritage Foundation", a conservative Washington organization that financed (in part) the Irish anti-European constitution campaign of Declan Ganley.
The others on the shortlist
;)
The others: "Kosmopolit" would have liked Declan Ganley less of a one-issue movement, but supports generally his ideas. The rest is about cooking, folklore, anti-Americanism in the German press, Icelandic sceneries, etc.
So, this year, please, do NOT vote at all over there.
Only, on special request, support Michigan Middle East Professor Juan Cole here, against a slandering and spinning campaign, of which I have never seen the like. Until Tuesday: Vote every day!
But NOT in the 'Europe (Non-UK)' section!