Guest Post: Rupert Mallin's birthday wishes

The first of this week's guest posts is from friend, artist, poet and political firebrand Rupert Mallin. I'll start with the birthday wishes and throughout the week we'll be having posts on a number of topics political, organisational and philosophical.

I bought an old frame at a car boot sale yesterday for a few pounds believing it to be 19th Century, because of its size and weight, despite it being covered in layers of white paint. The dealer cared nothing for the frame but the price. Back in my Norwich studio I've removed the first layers of white paint and, wow, it's a three tier hand cut and turned gold leaf frame, possibly 150 years old! So, beneath the surface I've discovered the frame maker's incredible craftsmanship and a nugget of history. If I'd not looked beneath the surface the frame would have gone to a skip or a bonfire.

The two things I really appreciate about The Daily (Maybe) is that it looks beneath the surface and is hand made. Though Jim is active in the Green Party, The Daily is hand made - a pleasure and endurance I expect - and thereby looks beneath the surface at a myriad of political issues, events, campaigns and debates. That is, because The Daily has independence and is not directly an organ of an organisation or party, this blog is imbued with a sense of freedom day to day.

If Jim wasn't an active campaigner with driving humanitarian concern The Daily (Maybe) would be just the Maybe. Mr Jay has created an amazing network of links - local, national and international - and this rich soup just couldn't be mixed together by following a 'line.' Jim is a master blogger.

I'm mentioning the obvious here for I run an arty blog and The Daily (Maybe) is the only political link I feel happy to have. My passing visitors aren't going to fall into a political chat room or a ranting cell if they click on the link. Rather, they'll engage with a radical newspaper style blog which is incredibly informative and carries a wealth of debate on diverse issues. The secret, I think, is in maintaining individual control. I've attempted group blogs, both political and artistic, and they've had a tendency to melt down or implode.

To think The Daily (Maybe) was to be a one month project and now it's celebrating its second birthday, well, big congratulations are due. Always look at the shape of things in the light of history and keep scratching the surface to get under the skin. You may not find gold but truth is worth its weight in the stuff.

Best wishes for the next two years!

Rupert