It’s clear now that my blogging days are over.There’s a number of reasons, of course, but primarily the need to avoid repetition – not just of my own work, but what others write too – becomes exponentially more challenging with every post. Like so many others before me, I’ve said what I wanted to say in this format. I don’t have enough material in me to sustain a blog of my own any longer.
Thanks for all your support and encouragement, comments, opinions and everything else. It’s been wonderful.
Roger Thornhill said...
30 Jan 10 at 4:05 pm
Is it that tweeting takes the energy out of one’s blogging unless it is mainly a way to flag up new posts (e.g. DK, Dale, Guido)?
Once I began tweeting the motivation to blog was diuted significanty.
Having said that, I hope the ‘sphere will still see comment and input from you. To see hatstand events “Gored” on a regular basis ( as in Charlotte, not Al!) would be A Good Thing.
Please do not disappear entirely!
Martin said...
30 Jan 10 at 4:09 pm
Bugger!
KingOfAnkh said...
30 Jan 10 at 4:09 pm
That’s a shame, I only just found you.
Andrew Hickey said...
30 Jan 10 at 4:12 pm
That’s a shame. I know I disagree with you as often as not, but you’re one of the better writers in political blogging at the moment – I don’t care what Liberator says – and I’ve always enjoyed reading what you’ve had to say.
I hope this cessation of blogging is as short-lived as your last one…
JuliaM said...
30 Jan 10 at 4:21 pm
I’m sorry to see you go, and I would like to echo Roger Thornhill’s comment: “Having said that, I hope the ’sphere will still see comment and input from you. “
JohnRS said...
30 Jan 10 at 4:26 pm
Sorry to see you go – hope it’s not really permanaent.
Tom Paine said...
30 Jan 10 at 4:32 pm
That’s a big disappointment. You have been one of the most consistently rational and (as you write well) enjoyable authors in the British blogosphere. This, despite your mysterious conviction that you are a LibDem. Best wishes, thanks and I hope you change your mind soon.
Devil\'s Kitchen said...
30 Jan 10 at 5:00 pm
Vale, Charlotte: may angels wing you to your rest.
And then Devils drag you from your rest and back to the land of political writing…
DK
Charlotte Gore said...
30 Jan 10 at 5:27 pm
Tom, my membership is about to expire and I won’t be renewing it, for what it’s worth.
Richard B said...
30 Jan 10 at 5:41 pm
+1 to all of the above. I’ve enjoyed reading you, and I hope to again.
Caron said...
30 Jan 10 at 5:51 pm
Aww noes! I hope that you will soon find new inspiration and come back to us. I disagree with most of what you write but I love the way you write it.
You have a real talent for this writing lark – do something with it, even if it’s not blogging.
Good luck!
KelvinKid said...
30 Jan 10 at 5:57 pm
Well, surprisingly I’m sorry to hear that you are giving up. I almost always disagreed with you but I enjoyed reading your stuff. It forced me to re-examine my own prejudices. Good luck for your future in politics, unless you become a Tory of course!
Stephen Glenn said...
30 Jan 10 at 7:43 pm
Charlottw if I was to think I couldn’t say something because someone else had already said it I’d be a very quiet man. As it is I look to say something in a way that not everybody is going to say it, that is how I keep sane in this blogging world.
I thought you had the same sort of approach and the Blogosphere will be a darker place (or with that Kitten’s eyes is that correct) without you.
As they say in Scotland ‘Haste ye back’ fingers crossed.
Letters From A Tory said...
30 Jan 10 at 8:29 pm
Very sad news indeed. It is always enjoyable to read bloggers such as yourself who have a certain way with words, and that is why you will be missed.
Best wishes.
A.Tory
First Class posts on Saturday | Letters From A Tory said...
30 Jan 10 at 8:32 pm
[...] Charlotte Gore says goodbye to [...]
BenSix said...
30 Jan 10 at 8:36 pm
Sad news…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ya_Gq8d4Q
MancUnionist said...
30 Jan 10 at 8:37 pm
First Scottish Unionist, now you? What’s happening to my blogs!
Mark Wadsworth said...
30 Jan 10 at 8:49 pm
What’s the problem with repeating yourself? You don’t win an argument by making a crystal clear and valid point once or twice, you win the argument by saying it over and over again to different people in different ways, for decades if needs be. Abandon any sense of shame about not being original.
This is how the politicians do it, they repeat a lie over and over again until people believe it – my latest bug bear being the idea that chronic government over-spend is somehow a ‘fiscal stimulus’ that will ‘kick start’ the economy.
Firstly, they have never made it clear what they are spending that extra £150 billion a year on; and secondly, for £150 a year they cut scrap all taxes and replace it with a flat twenty per cent income tax or something – if that doesn’t work then nothing will.
Just to give an example.
Secret admirer said...
30 Jan 10 at 9:17 pm
No! Don’t go!
Andy Scott said...
30 Jan 10 at 10:16 pm
FUck.
The Great Simpleton said...
30 Jan 10 at 10:25 pm
Why give up? Most readers have you on RSS feed so all you need to do is post when the urge or rage takes you. None of us expect daily output, I for one would prefer a good quality post once week or more than none at all.
PS yes, I did put this on the wrong post!
Gregory Carlin said...
30 Jan 10 at 10:29 pm
Charlotte
I feel like the day I was told, Britain was going to replace its slant flat-tops by a ski-ramp welded to some kind of a fat frigate.
Singapore, feck it, the Japs had bicycles, the cunning little buggers, however, getting rid of the Royal Yacht, forcing HMtQ to eat her muesli out of tupperware,
Now this…
Gregory
Northampton Saint said...
30 Jan 10 at 11:02 pm
Sorry to see you go, i’d only just found your blog.
Hopefully you’ll find something to say in the future, and be able to put your thoughts up on DK, CF or Anna’s blogs periodicaly
Bryan said...
31 Jan 10 at 12:56 am
I’ll miss your posts, C.
All the best to you.
Devil\'s Kitchen said...
31 Jan 10 at 1:21 am
Northampton Saint,
I have, of course, extended just such an invitation to Ms Gore: The Kitchen is very much the place for semi-retired libertarians to indulge in some much-needed catharsis…
DK
Morus said...
31 Jan 10 at 7:02 am
A real shame – you were one of the very best.
Good luck in whatever takes over from this…
Obnoxio The Clown said...
31 Jan 10 at 9:12 am
Sorry to see you go, Charlotte, please do take up DK’s offer — we will miss your thoughtful contributions otherwise!
NightJack said...
31 Jan 10 at 9:39 am
Take care Charlotte. I know exactly how you feel. Good luck in whatever your next thing is.
NJ
Laurence said...
31 Jan 10 at 10:23 am
That’s a real pity. Thanks and good luck.
The Nameless Libertarian said...
31 Jan 10 at 12:02 pm
That’s a shame, but I can see what you’re saying and understand why you’re giving up blogging.
All the best,
TNL
Heresiarch said...
31 Jan 10 at 1:00 pm
Just heard. Disappointed, obviously, but I’ve been there often enough to know the feeling. I do however refuse to believe you’ve said everything you want to say. There’s an election in a few weeks/months which needs your incisive commentary – might you not come back to do a lap of honour for the duration?
As for not having enough material to “sustain a blog of your own” in the longer term – well, DK has offered a guest spot. I do too. But maybe you’ll turn into a sort of Alix-style occasionalist. Whichever, I’m convinced we haven’t heard the last from you.
Dick Puddlecote said...
31 Jan 10 at 3:06 pm
Himmelgarten, now you … bleedin’ classic liberals constantly messing up my blogroll.
Seriously. Such a shame as I always enjoyed your writing. Hope to see you guesting somewhere soon.
Ollie Cromwell said...
31 Jan 10 at 7:14 pm
Charlotte,
All the best and good luck for the future. I hope you still drop by the Mark Reckons QT livechat from time to time.
Constantly Furious said...
31 Jan 10 at 8:04 pm
Gah! You silly mare. Don’t stop: you’re one of the best writers out there. No, really. You make it look easy, so don’t say it’s too difficult.
And don’t you dare delete this blog. You’ll be needing it, in a few weeks, when you’ve had some time without the (entirely imaginary) pressure to produce something new every day.
Mark my words…
Dazmando said...
31 Jan 10 at 10:48 pm
NNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Well at least theirs still Twitter. some times limiting yourself to 140 characters can be a good idea.
Hmmm Blogging does get harder. I think I do understand. But I like others will miss you 80(
Charlotte Gore said...
31 Jan 10 at 10:51 pm
Nah, I’ve had nothing to say for a month now… tried to write something the other day and that’s when it hit me that I’d lost the knack of it.
If I think of anything I’ll guest on someone else’s blog – I gladly accept the invitations I’ve had, but I’m not exactly busting with material at the moment.
Joe Otten said...
31 Jan 10 at 11:55 pm
sniff
Kevin Monk said...
1 Feb 10 at 1:19 am
Thanks for your blog and posts. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
Asylums in Beirut said...
1 Feb 10 at 4:01 am
“I’m not exactly busting with material at the moment”
When that happened to me – I signed to EMI as a semi Warholian experiment in getting a huge pile of cash without doing anything.
Creativity is okay if you are going to pop your clogs, if you are going to be around for a while, you need to space yourself.
As Gary Glitter once said to me, “it’s all about the kids”, or in your case, the mentally wired – do as you please demographic.
Charlotte, never leave a fan-club walking around aimlessly, they could wander in front of a bus or join the Lib-Dems or something.
They are your progeny, don’t leave them at the side of the road and drive away.
A blog isn’t just for Christmas.
AiB
Matt Wardman said...
1 Feb 10 at 10:14 am
Will definitely miss you.
The Devil’s Invitation repeated for here, of course.
Count the fs and you know where to send it.
Matthew Taylor said...
1 Feb 10 at 11:49 am
Sorry to see you go – hope you do take up some of the invitations to guest soon.
Jennie said...
2 Feb 10 at 12:25 pm
I feel superfluous in saying this, but I’m going to say it anyway: you’ll be missed.
burkesworks said...
2 Feb 10 at 4:29 pm
It’s a great shame to see a fellow non-sandal-wearing LibDem hanging up their mouse; you write provocatively and you do it very well. I’ll look forward to your contributions over at DK’s (and lord knows they’re sorely needed given our mutual hatred of Andy Burnham’s anti-smoking policy) but it won’t be quite the same.
Best of luck wherever you choose to go in the worlds of politics and blogging – and hopefully I’ll see you in the PUB again soon.
Jennie said...
2 Feb 10 at 4:32 pm
This thursday, hopefully…
Jonathan said...
11 Feb 10 at 4:56 pm
Hi Charlotte,
I agree with a lot of what’s been written here – I think you’re interesting, witty and you write beautifully.
I have a suggestion – why not allow some of your more thoughtful readers to submit content to you. First of all, it’s a great way for you to maybe get back into the swing of it with some personal responses to well written pieces by others with which you may disagree. Also, it’s a great way for people who maybe don’t have your profile to perhaps get a leg up in the world?
I’ve got no blog to push myself, but I get so depressed reading the comments sections in the Times et al, I can’t believe that that’s all Britain’s armchair politicians have to offer!
Best of luck in whatever you do next either way.
Jon.