E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the US?

TimSwift Thu Aug 31, 2006 at 03:36:47 AM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

LabourHome is one of a number of initiatives to try to improve the use of blogging and the internet to strengthen Labour campaigning. In this area, as in many other areas of campaigning, we are running behind the US.



The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is trying to apply some of the techniques developed by the Howard Dean campaign and other parts of the liberal blogosphere. There's an interesting new set of tools on their site called Partybuilder which could be worth checking out.

Obviously British politics is different. I'm interested in how open their approaches are - from both the DNC and the Republican sites you can get a pretty clear idea of what they are doing, and can join forums and take part in debates without any real check on your political allegiance. It suggests a very different approach to party ties and central control.

I've got to be honest, I have not really had the time to think about how far these tools and techniques could be transferable - and that's one reason for flagging them up here, to see if anyone else has the time to look in more detail and consider what we could adapt or modify.


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E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the US? | 7 comments (7 topical)

Re: E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the U (#1)

by andrewkbrown on Thu Aug 31, 2006 at 05:07:12 PM GMT

The Partybuilder site looks good to me; I like the networking potential it shows.

The question will be whether if employed here anyone using it would be talking to those beyond a committed audience.

Andrew Brown Someday I Will Treat You Good

Re: E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the U (#4)

by Omar on Fri Sep 01, 2006 at 01:20:26 AM GMT

I agree this is a great resource and hope that the Labour Party will develop something similar in the future.


[ Parent ]

Re: E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the U (#2)

by turnleft on Thu Aug 31, 2006 at 11:07:14 PM GMT

The problem with the current siutation is that as the Government in power for 10 years we have lots of  problems that have built up. The Tories on the other hand have ditched their past, and won't say much about their future, so there is nothing like as much to blog about.

The Labour Party is a fish in a blogging-barrel at the moment. Any attempt to out blog the Tories would have 2 chances (1) no chance (2) fat chance.

It would be tactically wrong, fighting uphill on a boggy field. Any blog would simply have to wait for the Tories to be in power for 6 months before it would be effective.

The only way for a Government to present the same energy as the Opposition would be to invent a "members-chamber" - giving them more of a say. The long term consequences of this could be party would have to constantly re-inventing itself. Managerially I don't see that ever happening from inside the Party. An "outside" group could however generate enough energy and members to have a real effect on the future of the Party and the Opposition, but it would have to act dialectically to the Party (i.e. supportive or unsupportive) - and that would create conflict.


Re: E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the U (#3)

by Chris Gale on Thu Aug 31, 2006 at 11:44:16 PM GMT

E campaigning has its place but what matters more is connecting with people in the 'real' world, in their communities,tackling their local issues, being engaged with the real day to day lives of people for whom life is often a daily struggle.
If Labour is to rebuild it has to get back into communities and engage with those who have never heard of blogs or even used a computer.
Thats where we need to be.


[ Parent ]

Re: E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the U (#5)

by turnleft on Fri Sep 01, 2006 at 01:40:15 AM GMT

Unless our policies are received by over 40% of voters in key marginal seats we will end up with Labour MPs with large majorities in Opposition rather than a Labour majority of MPs in Government. Where I do agree with you is that it is better to work hard with voters to develop broadly liked policies rather than being lazy and just candy bombing the marginals.


[ Parent ]

Re: E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the U (#6)

by alexhilton on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 09:45:31 PM GMT

two hopes? No hope and Bob Hope. - I thought that was the quote.

Out-blogging the Tories? I see where you're coming from but no election will be won or lost on the power of blogging. However, LabourHome or any other site that facilkitates discussion between members, supporters and anyone else stopping by could be a source of ideas that could feed into the renewal of our party - and that would be a good thing.


[ Parent ]

Re: E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the U (#7)

by tommo on Mon Sep 04, 2006 at 03:23:10 PM GMT

I agree with you about learning from the US and not just the Democrats. On the Republican website GOP.com you can watch a video of George Dubya giving a speech about the role of US soldiers abroad and what the Republicans are doing for veterans. Even if you don't agree with the rhetoric etc you have to admit that it is an effective way of campaigning and another example of how the Republicans are clever at representing their individual policies as part of a wider narrative (something Labour needs to do more of as Douglas Alexander has pointed out). I know Progress have toyed with video streaming on their website (in support of the Education Bill) but that was more to do with the internal debate within the party and the  labour movement itself. It would be good to see Labour use video streaming on their website. Speeches by Blair and Brown etc. Always might be a good way to give exposure to young, up-and-coming ministers (the Milibands, Balls, Cooper, Byrne, Purnell, etc).

I think that as well as being by nature very internal/inward-looking (the equivalent of a long, drawn out meeting), blogging is also problematic for the left which is too often divided amongst itself. Look at what's happened with Leiberman and Lamont in the Democrats. Whilst blogging has benefited the right in Britain, in America it seems to have made the Democrats less likely to be the governing party after the next US election..


E-Campaigning - Could We Learn More from the US? | 7 comments (7 topical)