Comments on: Web as a weapon: visionary stuff from Gordon Brown http://puffbox.com/2008/05/18/gordon-brown-internet-vision/ Adventures in government, politics and open source. Mostly WordPress-related. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:55:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Matt Wardman http://puffbox.com/2008/05/18/gordon-brown-internet-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-313 Matt Wardman Tue, 20 May 2008 10:15:34 +0000 http://puffbox.com/?p=155#comment-313 I'm not convinced on this one. I'm a sceptic anyway wrt Mr Brown and I won't take a single word from this govt at face value - based on their record and my bitter experience. On the point at hand, there's a very narrow dividing line between net democracy and net marketing. I'm a member of Avaaz.org, and the "million members" campaigning for change can be as little involved as being names on a read-only email list. Net transparency is a fog compared to traditional politics. I'm not sure how to fix it. Politicians need to be extremely suspicious of net-campaigners claiming millions of supporters. I'm not convinced on this one. I'm a sceptic anyway wrt Mr Brown and I won't take a single word from this govt at face value - based on their record and my bitter experience.

On the point at hand, there's a very narrow dividing line between net democracy and net marketing.

I'm a member of Avaaz.org, and the "million members" campaigning for change can be as little involved as being names on a read-only email list.

Net transparency is a fog compared to traditional politics. I'm not sure how to fix it.

Politicians need to be extremely suspicious of net-campaigners claiming millions of supporters.

]]> By: charlie beckett http://puffbox.com/2008/05/18/gordon-brown-internet-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-312 charlie beckett Mon, 19 May 2008 15:17:08 +0000 http://puffbox.com/?p=155#comment-312 Hi Simon, Well-spotted. We're doing research on this area at Polis@LSE next autumn - people can email us if they want to know more at Polis@lse.ac.uk I've blogged about it at www.charliebeckett.org cheers Charlie Hi Simon,
Well-spotted. We're doing research on this area at Polis@LSE next autumn - people can email us if they want to know more at Polis@lse.ac.uk
I've blogged about it at http://www.charliebeckett.org
cheers
Charlie

]]> By: Simon http://puffbox.com/2008/05/18/gordon-brown-internet-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-311 Simon Mon, 19 May 2008 09:07:30 +0000 http://puffbox.com/?p=155#comment-311 I'm fairly sure that Brown has, for many years, typed his own speeches - something Blair certainly didn't do. (See this <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/jul/08/comment.politics1" rel="nofollow">Andrew Rawnsley piece</a> from last year.) I'm fairly sure that Brown has, for many years, typed his own speeches - something Blair certainly didn't do. (See this Andrew Rawnsley piece from last year.)

]]> By: Jon Worth http://puffbox.com/2008/05/18/gordon-brown-internet-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-310 Jon Worth Mon, 19 May 2008 07:45:04 +0000 http://puffbox.com/?p=155#comment-310 The words are OK, but does he really mean it? If Brown is as computer-phobic as Blair was then I wonder... The words are OK, but does he really mean it? If Brown is as computer-phobic as Blair was then I wonder...

]]> By: Huw Leslie http://puffbox.com/2008/05/18/gordon-brown-internet-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-309 Huw Leslie Sun, 18 May 2008 21:45:50 +0000 http://puffbox.com/?p=155#comment-309 This is Milliband speak - I was at a speech he gave to the Fabian Society conference in January where he was talking about his idea of the 'civilian surge', which he's since repeated elsewhere. The link between the growing power of the individual in the information arena, and the growing power of the individual in civil society, has been noticed by those at the top, and my fingers are crossed that they start to take even more seriously the efforts of organisations like MySociety to use one to strengthen the other. This is Milliband speak - I was at a speech he gave to the Fabian Society conference in January where he was talking about his idea of the 'civilian surge', which he's since repeated elsewhere. The link between the growing power of the individual in the information arena, and the growing power of the individual in civil society, has been noticed by those at the top, and my fingers are crossed that they start to take even more seriously the efforts of organisations like MySociety to use one to strengthen the other.

]]>