WE ARE BACK. THANKS RISHI.

A blog? A BLOG? That’s not on Patreon or Substack? What is this, 2010?

Well yes, it feels a bit like that. 2010 was the first election I covered on this blog, and subsequently became better known for writing snark about local politics than the intended purpose of here: celebrating the deep weirdness of this outwardly ordinary town.

I liked that this blog has gently retired in its senior years (the average lifespan of such a site is tiny:99% of blogs get no further than a single post, so this place is like one of those Greenland sharks that are often spotted, still swimming through freezing waters after being hatched around the time Roundheads and Cavaliers were scrapping): I’m not as involved as I was in local stuff, having passed on the editorship and management of The Beestonian magazine over to the wonderful Debra Urbacz, and taking a job lecturing in journalism. The few times I do kick something out usually goes to Central Bylines or other such places: I’m much more likely to be making a deck of slides demonstrating the Barbra Streisand Effect or getting a bunch of teenagers to write stupid headlines.

I’m a recovering localpoliticsaholic. I thought I’d never go back.

Yet…well, I cannot resist a General Election. To me it is Eurovision, The World Cup and a display of the Aurora Borealis rolled into one. I cannot fight my innate nerdiness to all thing Broxtowe and ballot box.

Yet while in 2010, I saw myself as a dashing young gunslinger riding the new-wave of social media to bring hyperlocalism to the world (or at least those with an NG9 postcode). Now I’m a worryingly portly, mortgaged -up, grey haired husband and father. Your white, middle aged man with an opinion, and a platform. An utter cliche of a human.

So for the 2024 General Election, I am de-centering myself and opening this place up, as I sort of did in 2019. I want other people to help me cover the campaigns in Broxtowe, in whatever way you fancy. The more diverse voices, the better. This won’t be a dull left-wing echo chamber: I’d love as many viewpoints as I can accommodate. Of course, there will be a degree of editorialising, but more for quality control than polemical reasons.

Writers, photographers, meme makers….here is where we can get your stuff out.

If that sounds good, get in touch at lordmattbeestonia@gmail.com.

If you’d just like to read this, that’s fine, I’m not paywalling this site. But I would like to be able to cover correspondent’s expense, and even perhaps pay a modest fee. As such I’ll be setting up a crowd funder for donations: these will be kept absolutely transparent and I will never take a fee until every other person who gets involved with the project gets one.

That will be tomorrow, but feel free to Paypal mattgoold23@hotmail.com if you really must throw funds my way. Otherwise, you can follow this site and get regular emails, ot follow me over on Twitter (yes, still Twitter. I refuse to call it anything) @Beeestonia (note the spelling).

I now need to get in the gym and match fit. Follow this blog, send me ideas for stories / gossip / insight/ amusing gifs of local politicians looking daft.

AND yeah, thanks Rishi. I was looking for a bit of a break after a year teaching bit no, you just didn’t consider my feelings, did you?