47. Paul Staines

Job: editor, Order-Order.com Age: 44 Industry: digital media New entry Not for nothing has Paul Staines been dubbed one of the most feared and influential forces in British public life. The former rightwing lobbyist and acid house rave promoter began blogging under the pseudonym Guido Fawkes in 2004, and has since brought down Damian McBride , forced Peter Hain to resign and caused a storm with revelations that William Hague shared a room with his driver before last year's general election. Staines, one of a coterie of influential rightwing bloggers, returns after a year's absence from the MediaGuardian 100 thanks to the way he has transformed his one-man band into a thriving political media boutique. As well as acting as a "mini Max Clifford" by selling its juiciest morsels to the national press (helping to support a small team of writers including his successor, Harry Cole) Staines runs a blog advertising network, dominating online political advertising. "There is a certain trembling fear I put into politicians when I speak to them at a drinks party," said Staines, whose Order Order website gets around 50,000 visitors a day. "I'm probably a bad person for enjoying that." He says he isn't threatened by the launch of the Huffington Post's UK edition. "The cake is growing and it's big enough for everybody. I'm quite happy to see the money coming out of print and going to Arianna Huffington."