"And another one gone and another one gone, another one bites the dust..."

First, one of the first blogs I ever read, The Devil, hangs up his pitchfork, perhaps for good:

"I won't say that I am retiring, or that The Kitchen (or The Knife) is dead—as before, I may prove myself wrong. But what I will say is that—right now, at this moment—I feel no desire to write, and cannot see that desire returning. But, as I keep saying, it might do (do keep me on your Feedreaders)."

And now Tom Harris MP decides to (in the best traditions of politics, though this time not due to a scandal) spend more time with his family:

"... the blog has become a burden. It’s taking up too much time (though not as much as some might think – I am a very fast writer), it’s getting me into too many squabbles with people I have never met and are likely never to meet. And increasingly I’ve felt like I’m adopting stances simply for the sake of being confrontational and provoking a row.

Basically, the bottom line: blogging is having a negative effect on my personal, family and political life for reasons too many and complicated to recount."

Two very, very different blogs, but each one good and always worth reading, even when you disagree vehemently with their outlook.

You'll both be missed, and the blogosphere is diminished once more by your leaving....