Top 100 Independent Tweeting Bloggers 2017

Cue the Pearl & Dean music. Yes, another year has gone and the beginning of the next calendar coincides with a reflection on who's hot and who's not in the world of independent political blogging, at least as far as Twitter is concerned. In case you're a newbie, here are the rules. This is not a "best of". This is not a reflection of people I agree with, think write well, or another arbitrary classifying schema. It is, as per the list of tweeting political commentators, a simple rank ordering by the number of Twitter followers. But independent? How is that defined? It is a blogger who posts regularly on matters political to their corner of the web or, fuzzing it a bit, an outlet independent of the big media organisations and parties. So, for example, The Canary is an independent outfit and so gets on. LibDem Voice is semi-official, but is a voluntary operation and so gets on. I'm sure you get the picture. Likewise, there are a few big media stars on here but, again, make the list because they maintain their own outlets. Last of all, there is a six week rule applied here. If you haven't posted anything in that time you don't make it, simple as that.

Okay, without further ado ...

1. (1) Owen Jones (725k followers)
2, (RE) Paul Mason (574k followers)
3. (2) Alastair Campbell (425k followers)
4. (3) Guido Fawkes (242k followers)
5. (4) Britain Elects (164k followers)
6. (5) Iain Dale (107k followers)
7. (5) Left Foot Forward (65.5k followers)
8. (NE) The London Economic (58.8k followers)
9. (10) Open Democracy (58.6k followers)
10. (18) The Canary (53.9k followers)
11. (7) Wings Over Scotland (53.8k followers)
12. (8) Bella Caledonia (52k followers)
13. (15) Scott Nelson (51.2k followers)
14. (11) Political Scrapbook (47.9k followers)
15. (13) Richard Murphy (46.3k followers)
16. (12) The F-Word (45.3k followers)
17. (14) Mike Smithson (44k followers)
18. (9) Nick Tyrone (41.4k followers)
19. (16) Ann Petifor (39.8k followers)
20. (NE) Aaron Bastani (39.8k followers)
21. (17) Coppola Comment (35.5k followers)
22. (33) Novara Media (35.3k followers)
23. (26) Jon Worth (34.2k followers)
24. (19) Steve Topple (30.7k followers)
25. (27) Libcom (27.9k followers)
26. (32) Craig Murray (26.8k followers)
27. (20) Exposing UKIP (25.8k followers)
28. (24) Another Angry Woman (25.4k followers)
29. (25) Pride's Purge (25.4k followers)
30. (30) Neil Clark (25.3k followers)
31. (73) The SKWAWKBOX (25k followers)
32. (23) UK Media Watch (24.2k followers)
33. (RE) Kerry-Anne Mendoza (23.6k followers)
34. (28) LibDem Voice (22.4k followers)
35. (36) Richard Seymour (21.3k followers)
36. (38) Mainly Macro (21k followers)
37. (35) Angela Neptustar (20.3k followers)
38. (39) Paul Bernal (19.8k followers)
39. (NE) Shon Faye (19.5k followers)
40. (NE) Another Angry Voice (18.7k followers)
41. (31) Labour Uncut (18k followers)
42. (34) Archbishop Cranmer (17.9k followers)
43. (41) Sarah Ditum (16.9k followers)
44. (NE) Matt Turner (16.5k followers)
45. (72) SCOT goes POP! (16.2k followers)
46. (40) Lallands Peat Worrier (15.8k followers)
47. (46) Tim Bale (15.5k followers)
48. (49) Glen O'Hara (15.4k followers)
49. (NE) Evolve Politics (15k followers)
50. (47) Eric Joyce (14.8k followers)
51. (NE) Talk Politics (13.4k followers)
52. (45) Big Brother Watch (13.2k followers)
53. (RE) The Optimistic Patriot (13k followers)
54. (42) The Commentator (12.6k followers)
55. (66) Filibuster (12k followers)
56. (48) Mark Pack (11.9k followers)
57. (55) Chelley Ryan (11.5k followers)
58. (51) Zelo Street (10.8k followers)
59. (54) Kevin Hague (10.4k followers)
60. (RE) Karen Ingala Smith (10.3k followers)
61. (52) Left Futures (9,583 followers)
62. (NE) Lily of St Leonards (9,508 followers)
63. (57) 5 Pillars (9,474 followers)
64. (50) Kate Belgrave (9,353 followers)
65. (61) Chris Dillow (9,004 followers)
66. (53) David Hencke (8,866 followers)
67. (60) Flip Chart Fairy Tales (8,769 followers)
68. (62) A Dragon's Best Friend (7,513 followers)
69. (70) Emma Burnell (7,158 followers)
70. (NE) Katie S (6,951 followers)
71. (65) Vox Political (6,905 followers)
72. (64) All That's Left (6,660 followers)
73. (75) Who Owns England? (6,659 followers)
74. (69) All That Is Solid (6,561 followers)
75. (67) Bright Green (6,186 followers)
76. (NE) New Socialist (6,083 followers)
77. (76) A Room Of Our Own (5,964 followers)
78. (71) Tim Worstall (5,947 followers)
79. (NE) Tom Gann (5,768 followers)
80. (74) Liberal England (5,643 followers)
81. (80) Language: A Feminist Guide (5,268 followers)
82. (78) Rob Marchant (5,121 followers)
83. (81) Revolution Breeze (5,019 followers)
84. (82) Cllr Alice Perry (4,709 followers)
85. (87) Hatful of History (4,491 followers)
86. (86) Bob from Brockley (4,347 followers)
87. (83) Think Left (4,272 followers)
88. (RE) Neil Scott (4,115 followers)
89. (84) Sarah Brown (4,041 followers)
90. (NE) Ungagged! (4,017 followers)
91. (NE) The Prole Star (3,705 followers)
92. (91) The Thoughtful Campaigner (3,653 followers)
93. (90) Dick Puddlecote (3,574 followers)
94. (94) Wendy Errington (3,207 followers)
95. (98) The Nation Said No Thanks (3,098 followers)
96. (92) Liberal Burblings (3,010 followers)
97. (95) Labour Hame (2,774 followers)
98. (93) Sarah Ismail (2,772 followers
99. (100) John Gray (2,749 followers)
100. (99) Ambush Predator (2,428 followers)

Time for the science bit? Well, what's interesting is the return of five folks to the chart who'd previously stopped blogging. Obviously word had got round and thought it necessary to push something out in time for this tally. On top of them there's 13 new entries, which is far fewer than last year. Have we reached that point in the cycle where blogging is plateauing, and those still in the less glamorous game of writing for yourself is down to the hardcore? I haven't a clue but one thing's true, newer blogs are getting thinner on the ground.

Yes, this is a provisional list. So if there are others you can think of that haven't made this list and do meet the criteria set out in the opening paragraph, and have more followers than those on the bottom of the list do let me know and it shall be duly updated.