I collected a 5 per cent (approximately) sample of UK MPs by choosing every twentieth name on the alphabetical list on parliament’s website (http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm) and then checked how many have a blog. Of the 33 MPs chosen, four had a blog (although one of them is not working!). It doesn’t sound like much but actually that’s 12 per cent which I suppose can be considered a significant number.
Still, going back to the comments that came out of last month’s discussion at Good Relations concerning how important blogs could be in constituency politics perhaps one would expect more. Maybe we’ll have to wait for the next general election to see a large scale take up.
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I think that politicians should definitely have their own blog. In the UK I think it is only about 25% of the population that votes which is a notably low number compared to other European countries. In Norway for example it is regarded stupid not to vote. I am not sure why so few Brits vote, but maybe if people had the opportunity to engage more in politics they might become more interested as well. I think blogging is a good way to reach the younger population who does not necessarily bother to watch the news every day. I think one of the reasons why so many lack political engagement, is that they feel they don’t have a say and that they don’t have any power to influence decisions. New media such as blogging have the opportunity to change this because it is an interactive medium which can create a greater dialogue between politicians and the public. This might be a bit too optimistic and naïve to think that new media can “change the world” however, I do believe that it opens up new opportunities to participate in the political process compared to traditional media. For example, when I studied journalism in Scotland I interviewed the Scottish health minister via his website something that I probably would never had the opportunity to do five years ago. New media makes it easier and quicker to make contact!
Your blog makes me think about David Camerons attempt to engage with the new revolution on the web. On his webpage (webcameron.org.uk) you can see videos of him at home living a ‘normal life’, with the kids interrupting, and of him trying to write speeches. On this site he also publishes blogs, and you can ask him questions and look at his biography.
I think the original idea was to make him authentic, to make people like him as a person. But in my opinion the whole thing seems phony. He is in a way trying to hard.
The way I see it, if politicians are going to start blogging, they need to find another route than Cameron’s.
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