Will you find me under Charlotte at conference?

Here's how it goes.

Wikio rankings measure which blogs link to yours. In the last few months, Mark Thompson and Charlotte Gore have dashed ahead of the Lib Dem blogging pack - I'm one of several bloggers fighting it out in the second tier.

The Total Politics awards saw 1500 blog readers vote for their favourites. On that measure, Ms Gore, crushing the yellow opposition mercilessly underfoot, came out at the top of the Lib Dem tree, 23rd overall (the Cafe was the third Lib Dem blog, behind Lib Dem Voice, and 37th overall).

Now, promising all the glitz and glamour a Lib Dem function with a budget of very nearly nine pounds can manage, we have the Lib Dem Blog of the Year awards. Untold riches and instant celebrity status awaits the winners.

The full listings are on Lib Dem Voice for your reading pleasure.

On "Best new Lib Dem Blog" I find myself up against not only Charlotte and Mark but also the leek-loving team at Freedom Central and the soon-to-be-a-foreigner if Alex Salmond has his way Alexander Ryland at Lamp of Liberty.

Am I in for a roasting? Will I find Charlotte above me again?

Or maybe I'll be victorious on the big prize of the (Sunday) night: Lib Dem Blogger of the Year.

It's a tough contest, though. a Scottish Formula One fan, a small elephant and a significantly larger 2000AD fan all stand in my way, not to mention a certain Yorkshire-dwelling libertarian who's getting far too many mentions here. All in all, much stronger competition than I'd have liked to be facing.

It would help if they'd all try writing a few crap posts, just to boost my chances, but there doesn't seem much chance of that happening. James, Caron and Charlotte are all blogging exceptionally strongly and I've a suspicion Millenium and his Daddies might sneak up and take me from behind on the night.

Finally, if all else fails, I could still win the blog posting of the year, though it wouldn't surprise me if you found me behind James, Charlotte and Mark on that one.

I've done what I can. My conference tickets are booked, the judges have been bribed and flattered to the best of my ability and the ten-page, closely argued begging letter asking Nick Clegg to use his influence on my behalf is in the post. Now I can only wait.