Left-wing blogs still can't criticise Labour

Guido Fawkes has written today about the widespread failure of left-wing blogs to be critical of the Labour Party. He contrasts them with Conservative blogs, which he claims are generally all unafraid of being critical of the Tories.

Fawkes is absolutely right and it’s a point I’ve made in a blog post before. Their silence is deafening: it couldn’t be more obvious that they aren’t commenting on controversial issues within their own party. It also couldn’t be more pathetic. But why can't they do it? Do they lack the courage or the willpower to criticise Labour? Do they not think there is anything to criticise?! Whatever the answer, the result is that they come across as intellectually weak.

The real kicker is that they are undermining themselves. Because readers know that whatever the truth of a situation, these blogs will always write the same story. And in the end that means that people won't listen to what they have to say about the Government. Which means that they won't enhance the Labour Party's message because no-one who isn't a fully paid-up Labour member will be interested in what they are saying.

So for their own sakes, for Labour's sake, and for the sake of a better political blogosphere, I hope these sites start to look critically at Labour instead of just attacking the Government.

p.s. Another interesting part of the expenses saga is that no politician of any hue has sought to make political capital from David Chaytor’s imprisonment. It’s not even being used by Elwyn Watkins in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election. It's pretty clear that Westminster would like the story to go away as quickly as possible.