In their introductions several panellists focused on the perception that British political blogging lags behind America. Lloyd Shepherd suggested this might be because the BBC has a chilling effect on political debate in this country but others disagreed, suggesting that it will take an election before British political bloggers come into their own. John Kampfner, editor of the New Statesman talked about the difficulty for traditional media of delivering online content that is fast and accessible but which also retains the rigour expected of long established brands. Our own Christopher Hope backed this up, arguing that bloggers at traditional media organisations are at greater legal risk because they are more tempting targets for litigation. Not so, said Alex Hilton, of Recess Monkey and Labour Home, pointing out
that he is being pursued for £10,000 by a member of Respect. Alex was keen to
argue against the blogosphere existing at all. "All we have in common is a content management system," he said.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Blogging Discussion at Telegraph Towers
Last night I moderated a blogging discussion hosted by the Daily Telegraph. The subject was: what influence has blogging had on politics and the media. On the panel were the Telegraph's Iain Martin, Mick Fealty of Slugger O'Toole fame, Alex Hilton from LabourHome, Tim Montgomerie from ConservativeHome and Lloyd Shepherd, the man behind Westmonster. There were sixty or so in the audience including Will Lewis, editor of the Telegraph, Ian Macgregor, editor of the Sunday Telegraph, Jonathan Charles from the BBC and John Kampfner, editor of the New Statesman. I won't write it up here as Shane Richmond has already done a brilliant job HERE. He starts...
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17 comments:
Iain, Please can you give Ed Vaizey's blog another plug? Thank you! :)
Yes, I agree with canvas, Ed needs another boost :D
Are political bloggers in danger of taking themselves too seriously? If the standard of comment which blogs receive, yours and others, is indicative, then you seem to be talking not only within quite a small circle but with characters rather tainted by a sense of self-importance. Out of the 60 million in the country, just how many people and of what type do you think you reach? What do analyses of the readership provide? Why do we not see comment from persons already to the fore on the political stage: MPs, senior journalists and so on? Are they too contemptuous of blogs to lower themselves to comment or even to read blogs? Instead, we get a selection of regulars who under noms-de-plume seem to think their views matter. It is one thing to add to a debate with a fresh idea but what value are the opinions of any of these people when we have no knowledge of their background. One opinion we may be certain of is that they have a high opinion of themselves.
Not me of course.
And jocularity aside, I find that “anonymous” contributions are on the whole more worthwhile.
p.s. I'm so sorry for your loss.
@ Anon 11:53
In the light of your comments it's extraordinary that you bothered....to comment.
Anon 11:53 makes somes good points. But surely what he describes is really quite like what we all experience in day to day conversation? If some of it reads a bit "green inkishly" surely that's just the way of everyday conversation rather than of well considered thoughts that an editor might pay for (or a tutor not reject with insults).
Other blogs do attract (or are written by) politicians under their own names, but however much one values their points of view those are not the only ones which are interesting. Or not the only ones that are interesting if one hasn't dedicated ones whole life to politics. And that includes posts which seem to be utterly unreasonable.
When the Times newspaper was published at Printing House Square the letters page used to look as if noone except the seriously great and good needed to bother. Iain and his colleagues are much more hospitable to the rest of us.
What do we make of the 'nom de plume' issue? I'm not sure. I happen to use my own name since I'm using my own computer rather than one belonging to a boss and I don't have any business or professional need to do otherwise. But really nobody is that much wiser as a result. As it happens I can be found by a Google search, especially using my other initials, and I am in my local telephone book. But none of that means a thing and doesn't provide any reason why my views should carry more weight than those of anyone else. I'm just another voter. There are lots of us!
Surely the point is, though, that politicians are elected by attracting all of us 'just another voters'. It's up to them whether they listen or not. So thanks, Iain, for your hospitality here.
Iain, related to this we have new data which seems to show that people who read political blogs are much more likely to become politically active . . .so perhaps blogging is one of the answers to political apathy.
http://www.sixtysecondview.com/?p=500
Anonymous 11.53
And jocularity aside, I find that “anonymous” contributions are on the whole more worthwhile."
Pompous oaf!
Of course OUR views matter.I wouldn't give them if they were not!
It is what is called democracy! I disagree with your pompous oafish observations BUT I support your right to say them. As I support people who say Enoch Powell was right..or wrong as the case may be.
Read David Cameron's RESPONSES on his forum - on Webcameron. That's all about the marriage of politics to the internet.
it's really brilliant.
I look up to political bloggers,especially 7ft Tory ones.
I know my place.
ConservativeHome has been a massive hit in terms of traffic and impact. Sometimes I think LabourHome is mentioned in the same breath for the sake of being impartial but they are very different beasts. LabourHome just isn't very good and has nothing like as much to offer. Sometimes there's a big happening in politics and I'll goto to LabourHome to get their perspective and it won't even be mentioned.
I am a regular poster on Iain's Blog. I think it would be quite wrong to withhold the distillation of my wisdom from the huddled masses yearning to learn, from hour to hour, what I have to impart.
It's not just that the right-wing blogs are more successful. Increasingly the contributors to Cif (The Guardian) reflect right wing views. Moreover those views are often expressed in a more thoughtful and persuasive way than the ranting and canting from the left.
This is the mood of the times. All the intellectual energy is now coming from the right.
ConservativeHome is a filthy nasty website. Boycott it. Yuck.
:)
Since I rarely read the bleating drivel slithered out by that appalling ultracrepidarian and kakmerchant known as "Recess Monkey", it is indeed music to my ears that he is not only being pursued for £10,000, but he is being pursued by a member of "Respect".
There is a difference between being cutting edge, cheeky and anti-establishment and being a sad tosser with delusions of grandeur, bird-cage scrapings for brains, a tendency to side with losers and a predeliction for defending the indefensible by erroneously calling it satire("Thatcher is dead, Sion Simon" etc). It's not the first time he has had a brush with messrs Sue, Grabbit and Runne, and hopefully this time they will nail him and rid the blogosphere of a knave and nincompoop.
Re Anonymous November 08, 2007 11:53 AM.
That was me, and now I think my point has been made perfectly.
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