Sunday, November 28, 2010
Social Media as a driver of policy
The Independent on Sunday contains a fascinating article this morning on the sort of reforms that Ed Miliband wants to introduce to bring the Labour Party into the 21st Century.
Headlining the article is the idea that the party will turn to social networking sites for things to put into their manifesto. I somehow doubt that the document will contain a series of pledges no more than 140 characters long, especially if the examples given are anything to go by.
My favourites are @peregr1n Freezing earthworms makes them easier to sharpen and @rosycottage It may be a very fashionable vote winner to talk about the "squeezed middle" but what about the "squashed bottom"?, the latter possibly underlining the all-things-to-all-men approach of Miliband's appeal so far.
More importantly though the paper also says that the Labour leader is considering reforms that will give non-party members a say in Labour's policy and leadership. This apparently involves making multiple votes in leadership contests a "thing of the past".
Considering how much Ed Miliband benefited from such a system this is rather ironic. Nothing like pulling up the drawbridge once you are safely ensconced in the castle.
Headlining the article is the idea that the party will turn to social networking sites for things to put into their manifesto. I somehow doubt that the document will contain a series of pledges no more than 140 characters long, especially if the examples given are anything to go by.
My favourites are @peregr1n Freezing earthworms makes them easier to sharpen and @rosycottage It may be a very fashionable vote winner to talk about the "squeezed middle" but what about the "squashed bottom"?, the latter possibly underlining the all-things-to-all-men approach of Miliband's appeal so far.
More importantly though the paper also says that the Labour leader is considering reforms that will give non-party members a say in Labour's policy and leadership. This apparently involves making multiple votes in leadership contests a "thing of the past".
Considering how much Ed Miliband benefited from such a system this is rather ironic. Nothing like pulling up the drawbridge once you are safely ensconced in the castle.
