Writing for a wider audience

I realise I'm a crap writer (I'm good with sums not words), and also probably a hypocrite for saying what I'm about to say, but reading lots of blog posts about the riots from across the political spectrum has made me think that if someone is writing for a wider audience, rather than just nodding-dog readers, then there are a few rules of thumb:

1. Keep posts short and cogent. Pure Orwell: "If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out."
2. Don't use emotive language, names, loaded terms, etc. Besides anything else, I'd start to worry about myself if I found using the term "Nu Liebour" gratifying.
   
3. Credit political opponents with intelligence and good motives. If I disagree with the gist of a blog post, I'm going to struggle to read the post when it's sprinkled with the insinuation that I'm stupid and want to eat poor people. I think that if you can conceive of your opponents in a good light, it enriches your understanding of that position, rather than just to think of them as bogeymen.