Politicans Blogging, or not, as the case may be

Some feel that Irish media blogs need a big story to propel blog sites into public consciousness. Some believe that the big story may be the next General Election (Conghaile 2005). Irish Politicians participation in the Blogosphere has been abysmal to date with only 3 politicians taking the plunge. It will be interesting to see how many politicians will be blogging (and in any real sense as opposed to just reiterating the party-line) by the time the election comes around.

In Britain while a number of politicians blog, a recent article in Parliamentary Affairs provides insight into why mainstream political organisations have been unwilling to use new media creatively. Ward and Vedel claim:

“The institutional fragmentation of government and parliament is not necessarily conducive to fostering a coherent approach to information technology. IT tends to cross-cut the traditional bureaucratic sectorisation of Westminster and Whitehall leading to a lack of ownership and leadership. As Allan’s article reveals, in Parliament, for example, there is a high degree of division and also individualisation. Many complain of a lack of corporate culture in Westminster and a struggle to foster a collective identity because, parliaments essentially comprise individualised small businesses (MPs’ offices) each doing their own thing. Fragmentation is compounded by the poor reputation that IT has within government and parliament. As Margetts notes, the experiences of many government departments with IT projects have often been extremely difficult. Such experiences often lead to a latent technophobia that runs through many political institutions. In part, it also reflects the wider culture of politicians (very few of whom have any IT back-ground), who operate and win promotion through a very traditional partisan, adversarial, face-to-face culture. From local party meetings, parliamentary debates and doorstep canvassing, most UK politicians are still wedded to the adversarial cut and thrust style of politics. Politicians often seem to believe that there is little demand for ICT within the political system or that ICTs attract the wrong sort of people—cranks, spammers, single-issue fanatics and the already privileged middle class. Overall, the result is often a fear factor within mainstream institutions. For parties, parliaments and government departments, their IT failures produce unwelcome publicity and are scrutinised in a way that does not apply to the less institutionalised parts of the political world such as NSMs (new social movements), consequently they have more to lose. Not surprisingly, given the track record of government, there is a fear of making mistakes that has engendered a cautious approach to technology.”

It could have been written about Ireland…..

Conghaile, P. O. (2005). It's a Blog jam! Irish Independent Weekend. Dublin: 10-12.

Ward, S. and T. Vedel (2006). "Introduction: The Potential of the Internet Revisited." Parliam Aff: gsl014.