International Law

No 10 is all a Twitter

In the UK Gordon Brown is using the internet to reach out to the electorate:

When Tony Blair wanted to get his message across without having to rely on lobby journalists to pass it on undiluted, he went over their heads to talk to the public from the GMTV sofa or by begging to be allowed in the pages of Take A Break, the 1m-selling women's magazine. Now that Gordon Brown's honeymoon period is so long gone that any memory of it is disappearing like a fading Polaroid, he needs a way to reach the electorate without going through any recalcitrant third party who might make him look like an idiot.

In the new digital age, it appears Brown has found his own outlet for getting straight to real people: the internet.

Perhaps mindful of a need to regain the lead in cyberspace from David Cameron - who revealed in his conference speech last year that there was a Facebook group called "David Cameron is a hottie" - the Brown digital offensive started with the arrival last month at No 10 of Mark Flanagan, former head of LBC radio, as head of digital communications. A user called DowningStreet joined Twitter, a surprisingly addictive social networking site that allows you to tell people exactly what you are doing, as you are doing it. For example, "trying to stop a Cabinet Office punch-up" or "wishing I had never taken this damned job anyway".

Alas, DowningStreet's updates have been rather less illuminating - the first was a yawny thing gazetting the Sarkozy visit: "Entente Cordiale to enter 'new era'". Thankfully, it got better: at 3:32pm on April 8, they (various members of the digital communications unit at No 10, it has been confirmed) reported: "George Clooney came to No 10 for talks with the PM this morning ... The visit caused quite a stir with the staff, as you can imagine."

Interesting, too, was what other Twitterers were twittering in about: "Does Gordon Brown know what Twitter is? Just wondering)" asked one sceptic. "Yes he does. He knows exactly what's going on ...!" came the rapid response from DowningStreet. And it has all got very chatty on the current trip to the US. Someone Twittered in to recommend a particular meatball sandwich in New York, to the jealousy of Brown's minion, who replied there was only time for coffee and muffins. And yesterday we learned that "Gordon" (they're getting very casual) had met Barack Obama in "beautiful gardens". We also learned that Gordon Brown's people can't spell: "the minor whirlwhind continues", apparently.

...

Brownites who want to keep up with his movements in real time can follow updates on the No 10 website, with a Google map to follow him around the east coast.

Read more here (from The Guardian).

Full post as published by Freedom to Differ on April 18, 2008 (boomark / email).