There has been much comment in the Welsh blogosphere over last few weeks about what I have called the Holy Grail of blogging in these islands – making political blogs as influential here as they are in the USA.
Clive Betts has added his tuppenceworth here and here.
The new political journal, Total Politics, has an interesting contribution to the debate by Mark Pack , head of innovations for the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Pack argues that in comparing size ('Merica is a lot bigger than the UK), the number of parties competing for support (two across the pond lots and lots this side) and the fact that Brit Blogs are permanent party political campaigns, rather than here-today-gone-tomorrow individual campaigns of US candidates who fall by the wayside, that we are really doing much better than than them! - Interesting - and worth a gander!
Showing posts with label Clive Betts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clive Betts. Show all posts
24/06/2008
20/06/2008
LOL
Being miserable by nature, there isn't much that makes me laugh. But this post by Normal got very close!
27/05/2008
Blogging Welsh Poltics #2
Clive Betts is the grandfather of Welsh political commentary. He has been around the Welsh political scene for so long that I wouldn't be surprised if his first political interview was with the newly elected Lloyd George.
He's been blogging for just over a month though, but he has really caught the bug. He has made two posts in two days about how important the Welsh blogosphere will prove to be in the future.
His latest offering includes the statement:
At pesent the political blogs are made up of silver-bloggers, such as myself who no longer have any political ambition to sacrifice. People who did politics before they did blogging, like Iain Dale, Martin Eaglestone, Peter Black, Adam Price, etc who had political copy books that they knew couldn't be blotted when they started blogging; and people like Paul Flynn who were an established part of the awkward squad before blogging began.
The blogging problem is going to exist for potential politicians such as Southpaw Grammar, or New Welsh Right who have started blogging in anticipation of greater things. It will be even worse for those who may gain an interest in politics later in life, but have already made themselves look like prats on Bebo or Facebook.
He's been blogging for just over a month though, but he has really caught the bug. He has made two posts in two days about how important the Welsh blogosphere will prove to be in the future.
His latest offering includes the statement:
People will start to evaluate the political candidates of tomorrow by the quality of their websites, their social networking (Facebook) profile and by their blogging ability.I'm not so sure. An enthusiastic web presence could also be an impediment to a political career, as I have said in response to his post:
My blog, which has been going for some 14 months or so, basically contains the thoughts that I would previously have shared with family members, close friends and drinking buddies. It is basically an online pub rant.Last year's Dave Collins affair is a case in point.
If I fancied throwing my hat into the ring for the next election, at any level, what I may have told my wife or my friends or the lads down the Dog & Duck wouldn’t stop me from being nominated.
The fact that I have told a wider audience that Ieuan Wyn is a wimp, Mike German is a waste of space, Rhodri Morgan is a prat and Nick Bourne is a bore means that I have peed on my chips as far as being nominated by any party is concerned. The parties know that if I was selected my words would be used against me by the opposition.
The down side of the web is that many potentially good young people with an interest in politics may find themselves disbarred from the political process because of over-enthusiastic comments that they have made will be cached forever.
At pesent the political blogs are made up of silver-bloggers, such as myself who no longer have any political ambition to sacrifice. People who did politics before they did blogging, like Iain Dale, Martin Eaglestone, Peter Black, Adam Price, etc who had political copy books that they knew couldn't be blotted when they started blogging; and people like Paul Flynn who were an established part of the awkward squad before blogging began.
The blogging problem is going to exist for potential politicians such as Southpaw Grammar, or New Welsh Right who have started blogging in anticipation of greater things. It will be even worse for those who may gain an interest in politics later in life, but have already made themselves look like prats on Bebo or Facebook.
25/05/2008
Blogging Welsh Politics
Clive Betts' latest post mentions the Holy Grail of blogging in these islands – making political blogs as influential here as they are in the USA.
Evidently chikentown takes up the theme by noting how bloggers are being invited to be part of the “press corps” in the presidential conventions.
There are some signs that British blogs are moving in the same direction. Some of the major blogs, such as Iain Dale's Diary and Guido Fawkes have a large daily readership.
But what about Welsh blogs?
One of the problems with the MSM in Wales is that we don't have a national newspaper. The Western Mail may call its self the National Newspaper of Wales, but the only way that I can obtain a copy in my local newsagent is by placing a regular order. The Manchester Evening News can be bought off the shelf!
The same problem exists with broadcast media. Aerials are turned towards England rather than Wales. I recently asked for a FreeSat card from Sky, and I had problems trying to persuade them that I wanted Welsh channels in the top four spots – rather than the default north west of England channels that they gave me as "appropriate for my postcode".
So sod the American experience. How do we make sure that the Welsh blogosphere doesn't suffer from the same difficulties as the Welsh press and Welsh broadcasting?
I suspect that the core of my Welsh readership is incestuous, made up of other Welsh poli-bloggers reading my posts in the hope that I will read theirs. I also suspect that more Welsh readers read Iain Dale than read any individual Welsh blog .
If blogs are going to play a part in the politics of the future, then Welsh bloggers need to work out how at least a few of us are going to reach out to thousands, rather than dozens, of Welsh reader. Otherwise we will suffer the same fate as the traditional media, where people remain ignorant of what is going on in Wales, because they only get news and views from English blogs.
I ask the question. But I haven't got a clue about the answer!
Evidently chikentown takes up the theme by noting how bloggers are being invited to be part of the “press corps” in the presidential conventions.
There are some signs that British blogs are moving in the same direction. Some of the major blogs, such as Iain Dale's Diary and Guido Fawkes have a large daily readership.
But what about Welsh blogs?
One of the problems with the MSM in Wales is that we don't have a national newspaper. The Western Mail may call its self the National Newspaper of Wales, but the only way that I can obtain a copy in my local newsagent is by placing a regular order. The Manchester Evening News can be bought off the shelf!
The same problem exists with broadcast media. Aerials are turned towards England rather than Wales. I recently asked for a FreeSat card from Sky, and I had problems trying to persuade them that I wanted Welsh channels in the top four spots – rather than the default north west of England channels that they gave me as "appropriate for my postcode".
So sod the American experience. How do we make sure that the Welsh blogosphere doesn't suffer from the same difficulties as the Welsh press and Welsh broadcasting?
I suspect that the core of my Welsh readership is incestuous, made up of other Welsh poli-bloggers reading my posts in the hope that I will read theirs. I also suspect that more Welsh readers read Iain Dale than read any individual Welsh blog .
If blogs are going to play a part in the politics of the future, then Welsh bloggers need to work out how at least a few of us are going to reach out to thousands, rather than dozens, of Welsh reader. Otherwise we will suffer the same fate as the traditional media, where people remain ignorant of what is going on in Wales, because they only get news and views from English blogs.
I ask the question. But I haven't got a clue about the answer!
Cambria Politico #2
Clive Betts, the Archdruid of Welsh Political commentary, has moved house. His pearls of wisdom can now be found here
27/04/2008
Cambriapolitico
I have only just realised that the high priest of Welsh political reporting, Clive Betts, has been blogging for the past fortnight. His blog Cambriapolitico can be found here.
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