5 of the biggest posts from our first 5 years

Today is LabourList’s 5th birthday, so I wanted to take the opportunity to return to some of the most popular posts on the site in recent years. Picking just five was a very difficult task – I could have picked hundreds – but here’s a brief selection of what you’ve been reading on LabourList. There’s plenty more to come…

The very definition of irony: We’ve always prided ourselves on giving people a voice on LabourList – and no-one has risen to that challenge quite like Sue Marsh. Her campaigning for the rights of the disabled and others who are unable to work against the government, ATOS and anyone else who gets in her way is a constant inspiration. This post – which explains the ludicrous position she’d been placed in – went viral back in 2011.

Liveblogs: LabourList has always loved a liveblog – and you’ve loved them back. From by-elections to reshuffles, a LabourList liveblog is all consuming for the site, but we’re always rewarded by your anecdotes, stories and participation. We can’t publish links to all of our liveblogs here, so why not have a peek at this one – County Council elections and South Shields by-election liveblog – which is still our most read one to date….

Michael Green/Grant Shapps checks out a LabourList liveblog

Abolish Oxbridge: There was once a guy who used to write a regular column for LabourList called Owen Jones. You may have heard of him. One of his more controversial pieces was entitled “Abolish Oxbridge”, and although what he was advocating was less radical that the title might suggest, the piece still has a consistent daily readership nearly three years later.

What not to say in an interview – a quick guide for MPs: I feel incredibly self-indulgent for picking a post that was written by me – but if we’re honest this one was shooting fish in a barrel. Sometimes Tory MPs say incredibly stupid things – and it’s our pleasure to pull them up when they do. Here’s Tory MP Amber Rudd committing interview Hari-Kari.

Why I’m considering legal action against Jeremy Hunt: Want to kill an unfair attack stone dead? Tell the truth and do it in detail. That’s what Andy Burnham did a few months ago when he wrote this blog for LabourList, demolishing Jeremy Hunt’s attacks on him, refuting his smear campaign with evidence and explaining why he was considering taking Hunt to court. A masterclass in rebuttal.

Disagree with any of these? Think I’ve missed something? Let us know what pieces have stuck with you in the comments below, on Twitter or on our Facebook page…