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A tale of two politicians
29-04-2009
by Ralph Averbuch
Brown v Obama - an object lesson in abject failure to use the web.
Ireland's politicians might do well to heed the different approaches of both the US President Obama and UK Prime Minster Gordon Brown on the web. Two more contrasting approaches this week could not be found. On the one hand, the Obama team takes its message (or image) directly to the public by exploiting the same technology as the rest of us -- in this case Flickr. It's also ENN's current web pick. These are all feelgood images which suggest a man on top of his portfolio and leading from the front. By contrast it's been a truly awful week for the UK Prime Minister who, caught up in an MP's expenses scandal, decided to unilaterally announce his plans to force through a new payments regime via YouTube. Oops. Just a few days after the YouTube release, it became clear that his plan wasn't going to fly with MPs of any political hue... but now this embarrassing climbdown is out there for all to watch, again and again, thus diminishing his stature and authority. And this symbolises the great conundrum for all politicians. With the opportunity to communicate directly with the electorate, over the heads of traditional media, it's possible to make more people than ever feel part of the political process. Unfortunately it's a double-edged sword as Gordon Brown's most recently discovered. Try to be too smart and you might just cut yourself.
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