Political blogs: Why the internet frightens politicians - Telegraph

Political blogs: Why the internet frightens politicians - Telegraph: "Political blogs: Why the internet frightens politicians Last Updated: 12:01am BST 22/09/2007 Page 1 of 3 Many UK voters are using the internet to make their voices heard, says leading Tory blogger Iain Dale – but our political parties show few signs of taking up the opportunities available online Party conference season is upon us, and the question on people's lips is whether Gordon Brown will call an early election. Everyone expects the next general election to be the first 'internet' election, in which political parties compete for votes using technical wizardry and web know-how. In some ways they will be right, as money previously poured into billboard advertising is used to place banner advertising on websites, but that is as far as it may go. None of the parties are remotely geared up for fighting an election on the internet and they have squandered the opportunities presented to them over the last two years to build up their internet presence. Politicians in the US, for instance, could show their British counterparts a thing or two about how make the internet work for them."