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Week on the web
Andrew Alexander
The prime minister has been in the US this week, and two things are certain: he is less famous than the Pope, and he doesn't have his own plane.
Many of the journalists travelling with Gordon Brown noted, somewhat sniffily, that his chartered jet did little for national pride.
This provoked something of a blogging backlash, with Hopi Sen pointing out this was a classic case of damned if you do, damned if you don't. "No flagz on Plane ? WTF???"
But Niall Paterson defends the story, arguing that this is what blogs by national journalists should be all about.
On this train of thought, the Economist generated some interest with a piece on the potential for new media.
While not saying anything particularly new, it says that in comparison with the US "Britain's main political blogs are mostly written by insiders, such as former party staffers and established journalists".
Brown was heading to Boston on Friday, but the Beantown Bloggery - your guide to anything and everything Boston - suggests he isn't bigger than the pope their either.
"Margaret Thatcher - yes. Tony Blair - yes. Gordon Brown - not so much. Sorry dude."
Sam Coates has been using his Red Box blog to provide a blow-by-blow commentary of the US trip with plenty of interesting stuff you wouldn't find in the Times, and he reproduces an excellent sketch in the Washington Post.
"Once, they overran Nazis together. Now, they overcook hamburgers."
Cassilis posted a damning analysis of Brown's media performances, and David Hughes at Three Line Whip has some tips on how to handle photo opportunities US style.
Former Conservative Welsh Office minister Rod Richards was back in the news this week after hitting a Tory canvasser on his doorstep.
A Change of Trouble suggests he used his one phone call from the police station to phone the press, but does anyone else think that every April sees a new Rod Richards story?
This week saw the death of the redoubtable Gwyneth Dunwoody - tributes from the Guardian's Michael White and Revolts, which looks at her rebellious Commons career.
White thinks she would not have minded the inevitable by-election speculation, which is in full flow over at Political Betting - where the view seems to be that Cameron needs to win the seat.
Also this week, Daniel Davies wondered if the Euston Manifesto will go the way of Lordi and Brokeback Mountain, while Charlie Booker weighed in to the mayoral election with this frivolous but funny attack on Boris Johnson - "even if the Standard photographs Ken carving a swastika into a dormouse's back, I'll vote for him".
Devil's Kitchen was unimpressed, and called Brooker an "unthinking bigot".
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Published: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:29:03 GMT+01
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