Monday, March 02, 2009

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Tim Montgomerie has a post up about the Conservative Party's internet strategy, which includes this amusing fact:
Before Eric Pickles became Chairman £500,000 was spent by the Conservative Party on newspaper advertising to recruit online supporters!
Is the internet likely to be as prominent in the UK as it has been in the US political system? I doubt it because I don't think our political system really encourages popular participation in the political process. The parties want you to vote for them every 4 or 5 years and then shut up in the mean time. There is no sense that by getting involved in grassroots politics you can really influence the highly centralised political parties.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd have to say that the internet has been important on the right in the US despite the Republican Party not because of.

Official party enterprises tend to be safe and tow the party line.

Ross said...

Yes, in the US the Democrats have arguably used the web more effectively, both for fundraising and for getting their spin in first.