Before I get onto the subject of blogging and journalism, I'd like to look and politics and blogging. Specifically, I'd like to comment a little on no-longer-councillor Andrew Brown.
Andrew has being something of a poster child for blogging politicians. He's been widely quoted in the media, and in political circles, on the topic of blogs and their interaction with the electorate. He used his blog to communicate with the electorate directly, and engaged in conversations with local bloggers (like me).
He then lost his seat at the local elections. So, is political blogging a failed experiment ?
Well, a quick look at the voting figures for Blackheath ward tells us that Andrew came very close: only 40 votes separated him and the lowest-placed LibDem. Also, interestingly, Andrew got the best result amongst all the Labour candidates, beating out even the deputy mayor. Now, I'd like to suggest that Andrew's attitude to communicating with his electorate, including his blogging, contributed to that (relatively) strong placement. Sure, "best of the losers" isn't the best place to be in, but Labour suffered serious set backs all over the UK that night, and Blackheath lacks the same hardcore of "tribal Labour" voters (as political commentators term them) that sustained the party in other parts of the borough. Yet, he only lost his seat by 40 votes.
The fall of the Ladywell Labour candidates can be pretty much directly attributed to the Ladywell Pool campaign. The reason behind the similar wipe-out in Blackheath is harder to pin-point, but I suspect they were punished at a local level from the crimes of the party at a national level. That's pretty ironic, really, given that Andrew had done more to connect with his community on a local level than pretty much any other politician I've ever met.
So, certainly not a failed experiment, but one that remains uproven, so far. The signs that he's started something are there. One new Tory Lewisham councilor is blogging. There's a Green and a Labour type at it too. Andrew Milton is still at it (although he engages less in the wider conversation than Andrew Brown). And there are many, many councilors across the country doing the same. The trail blazed by Andrew is clearly being followed by others, and still has the potential to change the way local politics is conducted and, by extension, the political landscape of the country. If I'd have been able to vote for Mr Brown, I would have done so without hesitation - and I'm extremely reluctant to vote for any member of the Labour party right now. Why? Because he proved to me that he was a good politician at the local level, who genuinely cared about his voters. And that's rare in this day and age.
Andrew himself is back blogging at Someday I Will Treat You Good. It's well worth checking out. It's interesting to see how his 'voice' has changed now he's representing himself (and I detect a harder, more cutting edge to it, which I rather enjoy) and see which topics he chooses to write about. It's good stuff, it's political and it engages with the local readership. The experiment, I suspect, isn't over yet.
Technorati Tags: blogging, blogs, lewisham, local politics, politics, democracy
May 31, 2006 5:58 PM | Reply
Very kind! I suspect that my relatively strong showing (compared with my Labour colleagues) may have had something to do with my name being higher on the ballot paper than theirs as much as my personal qualities as a candidate.
As for my new blog I see the Ladywell Pool people are saying that they can't tell the difference between my views as a councillor and those I hold as a regular citizen. But then I suspect that is just because I still disagree with the aims of their campaign!
June 1, 2006 10:24 AM | Reply
Ah, that view on your showing is purely your new cyncial edge showing.
The Ladywell Pool group are almost the archetypical "one issue" campaign group. I presume that they assumed that you would immediately swing to their view, once you were freed from the baleful influence of Darth Bullock, or something along those lines.
Clearly the idea of someone who passionately belived a range of views some they agree with, some they don't is hard for them...
June 1, 2006 11:33 AM | Reply
Actually the comment of not seeing the difference between this and the previous blog was referring to the style - not the content.
I didn't expect him to change his mind, not at least because he didn't get re-elected.
I know he's got strong opinions and I was expecting him actually to become more radical, more edgy and take more advantage of his new found freedom.
There were quite a number of posts on his old blog on the subject of leadership blogging as opposed to party political blogging.
As a councillor and especially as Cabinet member Andrew was to some extent expected to represent all residents regardeless of their opinions and that include the position of contituents and residents of the borough that disagree with him and I imagine that that can be quite a limitation at times.
Now that he doesn't need to do this he still takes balanced views and I'm glad to register this.
On the other hand he was openly an advocate of New Labour policies before and still is now - no difference there either.
June 1, 2006 11:37 AM | Reply
Fair enough. To be honest, my comment was mainly an excuse to type "Darth Bullock", because it makes me laugh.
I'm so shallow sometimes.