A year ago I blogged about this, hoping that it might enable us in the Labour blogosphere to get a little party backing. Unfortunately, what became of it was predictably pap, owing to the fact that our great over-centralised and borderline bankrupt party simply continues its old ways. As a Compass colleague of mine pointed out yesterday, it seems to only be Tom Watson who has any actual awareness of the direness this situation entails.
Internet campaigns are great for organising people at the lowest levels, and for planting the seeds of mainstream media narratives; something to which Guido's successes for the patron's party are a testament. But Labour doesn't get the new attitudes of pluralist, solidaristic spontaneity in which we live. The 'we say, you do' attitude so pertinent to the mid 1980s still persists.
Not for Thatcher's children, mate.
As I'm sure most of us have concluded, independent, bottom up e-campaigns have long been a missing necessity among Labour people. So has the enabling trust that goes with them. Perhaps the reason that Iain Dale and Sunny's truisms regarding the poor following of the left wing blogosphere are an actuality is that tax avoidance idol Lord Ashcroft (wasn't he in the Verve?) has followed similar obvious thinking... ending up with Iain Dale and Guido Fawkes sitting with several paid, full time researchers in CCHQ. Bet you didn't know that one.
News reaches me via a frustrated Labour Party bystander that all this could be about to change. It would appear from this unearthed information that moves are being made to pump LabourHome, (an independent venture handled largely between e-campaigns guru Jag Singh and Recess Monkey) full to the brim with cash.
Rumour has it among comrades that the person LabourHome has managed to financially seduce is none other than Mr Mike Danson, the new proprietor of the New Statesman, who has offered a high five figure sum for the site's funds... with some of the existing editors, like Alex Hilton, one of the foremost Labour bloggers and co-founder, Jag Singh, staying on board. Views from the bottom, cash and editorial from the top. Excellent.
With that kind of backing, who knows what could be achieved? Perhaps we'll see something that looks like a lefty cross between ConservativeHome and the Spectator Coffee House blog.
The other interesting bit is about Singh. He came to this country having carried out US Democrat web campaigns, and tends to shun limelight; but seems to be doing a lot of work on using tools and techniques devloped in the US to potentially mobilise Labour's grassroots. He's built an interesting business that helps campaigners reach blog audiences and track influence online.
Combined with the unfortunate possibility of Labour playing the rebel in opposition, I'd say Tory internet commissars have a lot to look out for. Particularly as Stephan Shakespeare's Doughty Street was crap... you can't disguise partisanship from British people. They're too smart. It will also be interesting to see if this has any bearing on Mark McDonald's bid for the position of Labour Treasurer.
I have to wonder why the rest of the party hacks at Victoria Street are happy to let the Labour independents get on with all of this stuff themselves. My source is bloody furious...
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Exclusive - New money for Labourhome: new future for Labour's e-activists?
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20 rants:
This looks like an exciting development. But whether or not Hilton can get it together and make this work is a different matter. Labourhome isn't as good as Labour Outlook. And why do we have all these different things anyway?
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, eh?
Meh.
So it would seem.
Can you imagine a future where B4L and some of the other Labour blog aggregator/editor sites merge?
B4L in my view provides a more useful (at least, from a blogger's point of view) service than any of them, but (absolutely no offence intended) looks due a visual. As you've made us all aware, it also costs you a pissload of money and demand volunteers who refuse to... well, volunteer.
demands, even.
Generally, I think this approach sounds vastly preferable to Labour blogs using having researchers paid for and based at Victoria Street.
It'll be interest to see how it develops and also if there are broader links with the New Statesman.
Sell-out! Danson is a capitalist pig, and whilst I appreciate that the Hilton/Singh duo have been self funded (they're also aligned with nasty alcoholic Mr. GuF but that's another story) - they should not have sold it. This will be the end of Hilton - just like RecessMonkey!
"Guido Fawkes sitting with several paid, full time researchers in CCHQ. Bet you didn't know that one."
No, I didn't.
You do have rather an over active imagination.
There is the occasional intern, they don't come from CCHQ and I am not in Millbank. If only I had gone to Eton...
I know you're not in Millbank.
Your denial is on record. :op
"My source is bloody furious..."
Oh, get over yourself.
Since when did anti-leadership Lefties like you ever have sources at party hq?
Name him. Or her.
"Name him. Or her."
Why would I do something like that?
I know a good few people at Vic street, thank you very much. I used to be a constituency organiser, and before that I was a NOLSie.
Why would I do something like that?
To prove you're not lying.
I'm sure you'd be the first to criticise the tabloids for talking about "sources in the cabinet calling Gordon Brown a cock" etc.
You have no right from now on to have a go at the press or to demand they reveal their sources.
Now, how long before you criticise the Daily Mail, which only has a few million more readers than ZaNewer Labaour.
"You have no right from now on to have a go at the press or to demand they reveal their sources."
Generally I prefer to have a go at 'cabinet sources' themselves.
On proving I'm not lying, let's just say that I actually am, if it makes you happy.
Congratulations to Labour Home for getting the cash. I've clicked on their website a few times and it never really got me coming back, maybe the cash will change that, maybe it's just me. The name obviously gives it away, but I wonder what the owner wants to fund this for - i.e. what return is he expecting?
I used to work for Desirs d'Avenir, the group which developed the participative manifesto process in France and I remember a seminar we had with Move On on fundraising, anyway conclusion was big backers can threaten the process. I regularly check out Bloggers4Labour to "listen in" what's going on the labour blogosphere but my ultimate favourite is Liberal Conspiracy which is closest at catching the grassroots and creating a liberal left community.
I have high-level experience from the inside of how Labour online campaigns are run, and it's not pretty. To be honest, at this point they don't have a clue and it's not for lack of ideas/advice etc.
It will take the pain of opposition to realise that there needs to be true, thorough change in the way we communicate and engage.
"I have high-level experience from the inside of how Labour online campaigns are run, and it's not pretty. To be honest, at this point they don't have a clue and it's not for lack of ideas/advice etc."
Yeah, that's generally fairly obvious to anyone on the receiving end.
Most of the stuff from and provided by Labour HQ makes you wonder temporarily whether or not the last five years have actually happened at all.
It's a management rather than political problem - politicians are generally older and typically less exposed to new communication methods. Labour politicians rely on Labour senior management at HQ to tell them what they need to know.
The vacuum here is made by senior management at HQ, who themselves don't have a clue how to do politics this side of the milennium. They trundle through, with a few projects which they can point to, but there's no substantive strategy or even willingess to bring in external help, or hold a review.
My guess (and hope) is that they'll be first to go when we have a new, younger leader within days of losing a 2010 general election. If we've got any sense, we'll have some younger senior management at HQ too, and create a panel of experts to make sure Labour gets it right online.
"The vacuum here is made by senior management at HQ, who themselves don't have a clue how to do politics this side of the milennium. They trundle through, with a few projects which they can point to, but there's no substantive strategy or even willingess to bring in external help, or hold a review.
My guess (and hope) is that they'll be first to go when we have a new, younger leader within days of losing a 2010 general election. If we've got any sense, we'll have some younger senior management at HQ too, and create a panel of experts to make sure Labour gets it right online."
This is the most appealing idea I have heard since half-priced Frankie and Benny's.
The vacuum here is made by senior management at HQ, who themselves don't have a clue how to do politics this side of the milennium. They trundle through, with a few projects which they can point to, but there's no substantive strategy or even willingess to bring in external help, or hold a review.
I'm not sure that's quite fair. "Senior management" it a bit vague, but the people we met with last Easter would fall into that category, and seemed keen enough to discuss and absorb advice. Remember the "Blogger Breakfast Briefings"? Still, my overall impression from the last few years of discussions is that HQ has to try very hard to do these things, rather than knowing instinctively, or from proven experience, and that the coordination isn't there.
Yes, absolutely. I remember the bloggers breakfast and it seemed very much to be something to do in order to tick a box and be seen to be doing something for bloggers.
Now real blogger engagement would be to organise a larger blogger summit, invite bloggers from across the political spectrum and open up access to the party leaders.
John McCain has been quite successful in engaging with leftist bloggers - it's not just the choir we should be preaching to.
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