Top 100 Independent Tweeting Bloggers 2016

Another revolution of the sun completed, which means time for the top 100 independent tweeting bloggers' list! As always, here are the criteria. As per the annual compilation of tweeting commentators, quality has nothing to do with the rankings. Let me say that again. This is not a beauty contest. It pays no attention to the positions put forward by listees or their skill as writers. It's a pure exercise in listing people according to their number of followers on our favourite social media platform, Twitter. That is all. Second, my definition of an "independent" is quite loose: it's a political commentator that manages and regularly posts to their own corner of the web. No one owns it but them. For example, our new number one - Owen Jones - contributes to many publications, TV programmes, and radio broadcasts but he retains and writes on his own Medium site. He therefore qualifies. Get the picture? Also, by "regularly" anyone qualifying for the list must have written something within the last month. Longer than that, no entry. Second, party publications with professional staff are also a no - hence the absence of Conservative Home and Labour List, but the inclusion of the equivalents for the Liberal Democrats and UKIP. I've also thrown the MPs off the list this year.

Okay, without further ado ...

1. (NE) Owen Jones (515k followers)
2. (1) Alastair Campbell (363k followers)
3. (2) Guido Fawkes (219k followers)
4. (NE) Britain Elects (85.8k followers)
5. (4) Iain Dale (83.8k followers)
6. (5) Left Foot Forward (62.8k followers)
7. (6) Wings Over Scotland (48.9k followers)
8. (8) Bella Caledonia (47.4k followers)
9. (9) Nick Tyrone (41.6k followers)
10. (10) Open Democracy (50k followers)
11. (11) Political Scrapbook (45k followers)
12. (12) The F-Word (42.2k followers)
13. (13) Richard Murphy (37.4k followers)
14. (15) Mike Smithson (36.9k followers)
15. (NE) Scott Nelson (35.3k followers)
16. (RE) Ann Petifor (30.5k followers)
17. (17) Coppola Comment (28.4k followers)
18. (NE) The Canary (28.2k followers)
19. (30) Steve Topple (24.7k followers)
20. (29) Exposing UKIP (23.9k followers)
21. (48) I'm a JSA Claimant (22.6k followers)
22. (NE) Rachael in Swindon (22k followers)
23. (19) UK Media Watch (21.7k followers)
24. (18) Another Angry Woman (21.6k followers)
25. (20) Pride's Purge (21.3k followers)
26. (25) Jon Worth (20.5k followers)
27. (21) Libcom (20.1k followers)
28. (23) LibDem Voice (19.5k followers)
29. (28) Carl Gardner (18.3k followers)
30. (35) Neil Clark (17.8k followers)
31. (22) Labour Uncut (17.4k followers)
32. (NE) Craig Murray (17.2k followers)
33. (52) Novara Media (17k followers)
34. (26) Archbishop Cranmer (16.9k followers)
35. (36) Angela Neptustar (16.7k followers)
36. (31) Lenin's Tomb (16.5k followers)
37. (RE) Boycott Workfare (16.2k followers)
38. (43) Mainly Macro (15.6k followers)
39. (34) Paul Bernal (15.6k followers)
40. (38) Lallands Peat Worrier (14.3k followers)
41. (44) Sarah Ditum (13.1k followers)
42. (33) The Commentator (12.8k followers)
43. (NE) Election Data (12k followers)
44. (67) Twll Dun (11.9k followers)
45. (45) Big Brother Watch (11.9k followers)
46. (53) Tim Bale (11.4k followers)
47. (RE) Eric Joyce (10.6k followers)
48. (46) Mark Pack (10.4k followers)
49. (86) Glen O'Hara (10.3k followers)
50. (47) Kate Belgrave (9,139 followers)
51. (58) Zelo Street (8,932 followers)
52. (54) Left Futures (8,748 followers)
53. (51) David Hencke (8,639 followers)
54. (NE) Kevin Hague (8,534 followers)
55. (82) Chelley Ryan (8,368 followers)
56. (NE) Lily of St Leonards (8,352 followers)
57. (65) 5 Pillars (7,943 followers)
58. (57) Bloggerheads (7,890 followers)
59. (55) Anthony Painter (7,728 followers)
60. (63) Flip Chart Fairy Tales (7,552 followers)
61. (61) Chris Dillow (7,364 followers)
62. (56) A Dragon's Best Friend (7,339 followers)
63. (62) Stephen Tall (6,511 followers)
64. (76) All That's Left (6,362 followers)
65. (73) Vox Political (6,255 followers)
66. (NE) Filibuster (6,011 followers)
67. (69) Bright Green (5,817 followers)
68. (68) Bloggers 4 UKIP (5,702 followers)
69. (67) All That Is Solid (5,653 followers)
70. (RE) Emma Burnell (5,416 followers)
71. (74) Tim Worstall (5,334 followers)
72. (84) SCOT goes POP! (5,291 followers)
73. (NE) The SKWAWKBOX (5,265 followers)
74. (75) Liberal England (5,258 followers)
75. (NE) Who Owns England? (5,198 followers)
76. (77) A Room Of Our Own (5,144 followers)
77. (RE) The Cornish Republican (4,758 followers)
78. (78) Rob Marchant (4,738 followers)
79. (80) Anna Chen (4,172 followers)
80. (NE) Language: A Feminist Guide (4,091 followers)
81. (99) Revolution Breeze (4,023 followers)
82. (91) Cllr Alice Perry (4,005 followers)
83. (88) Think Left (3,769 followers)
84. (90) Sarah Brown (3,668 followers)
85. (NE) Sam Shenton (3,610 followers)
86. (96) Bob from Brockley (3,578 followers)
87. (NE) Hatful of History (3,540 followers)
88. (NE) Labour Insider (3,519 followers)
89. (87) Bishop Hill (3,519 followers)
90. (98) Dick Puddlecote (3,244 followers)
91. (97) The Thoughtful Campaigner (3,183 followers)
92. (93) Liberal Burblings (3,030 followers)
93. (NE) Sarah Ismail (2,709 followers)
94. (NE) Wendy Errington (2,682 followers)
95. (100) Labour Hame (2,654 followers)
96. (NE) Rob Francis (2,647 followers)
97. (NE) Cllr Ruth Rosenau (2,504 followers)
98. (NE) The Nation Said No Thanks (2,431 followers)
99. (NE) Ambush Predator (2,302 followers)
100. (NE) John Gray (2,229 followers)

A motherload of churn once again, though not quite as much as last year's. As nearly everyone on this list is writing because they want to and incomes don't depend on it, people are far more prone to giving up and spending more time with potted plants. That is the nature of blogging, alas (did I forget to mention I've blogged for 10 years?). And so, there are 24 new additions to the list. What's interesting are the numbers of people who've re-entered the list after taking the blogging plunge once again. Perhaps the turbulent political year we've just had has prodded a few back toward their lap tops and the wonderful world of online political comment.

As always, I miss a few. If you are aware of a regular politics blogger who should be on this list (i.e. has more than 1,773 followers) then please let me know on the old Twitter or via comments. I'm a completionist!