As has already been mentioned on Twitter and Denny's blog, my co-editor is running as an independent candidate in the next election. He won't be writing for the site for a while, to avoid compromising his campaign. This means we're looking for contributions and guest articles even more than usual, as I run a number of other blogs, and don't have time to write here as often as I'd like.

If you're interested in politics and civil liberties in the UK and keep up to date with current affairs, we'd love to hear from you. Anyone can write something for us - you don't have to work in politics or have studied it. I do this as a hobby because I think it's important. If you feel the same way, please do consider getting involved - a one-off piece is fine if you don't have time to contribute regularly.

This site is almost a year old, and originally the only contributors were Denny and I. Since then seven other writers have submitted material - not a huge number, but not bad for a new website. Our followers list on Twitter suggests that rather more people are engaged with these issues, and I bet a lot of you have relevant things to say.

I've written some expanded guidelines for articles to help you get started and answer any questions you may have. Please don't be shy. This site can't thrive without your contributions, and if you want to make a difference to the direction the UK is taking, this is one way you can help. This site is about raising awareness, spreading the word, sharing information and persuading more people to look beyond the surface and identify the worrying patterns that emerge. As we make a name for ourselves, we have more hope of influencing journalists and politicians who have more reach. If you find this site valuable and interesting, please consider participating and helping it grow.