How many sides has a dodecadecadecadecahedron? The answer (in case you really want to know) is 428. There’s that and more in the visual presentation of UKLabour’s manifesto that was launched at a spanking new hospital in Edgbaston a few minutes ago. This is it. The first real European election to properly breach the internet barricades. The French have successfully dabbled with a version of it and mastered the blogging side to a T. What could potentially happen in the UK though is a breakthrough of the interactive. You still cannot provide enough feedback to change a manifesto but you are roped in to the campaigning.
A young labour activist speaking before Gordon Brown described this election as “word of mouth”. Funny words to use in the age of the digital. You’d have expected more byte than mouth but there you are. Politics meets Web 2.0. That means that the parties will be harnessing social networks for their campaign needs. Labour has adopted two tools in this struggle: Facebook and Twitter. You almost forget that these are privately run enterprises (both Facebook and Twitter). Fwitter are both dot coms and useful tools. Embracing Facebook and Twitter would not be the same thing as embracing Canon printers or HP computers for a campaign. That goes to show how extensive the spread and reliance of these two behemoths of Web 2.0 communicating actually is. We do not even question the commercial element.
Commerce aside, early tweet reactions to the “intercative” manifesto are not exactly glowing. Geeks are rarely appreciative in that sense. They HAVE to criticise in a sort of “I would have done that better” kind of way. Wait for the public reaction. See whether this video you are about to watch becomes a viral and effective means of spreading the word. And once you get over the hype ask yourself one question: Did you evaluate the policies presented therein in a critical way or was it just as glittery as the last mailshot that you received in the post? Maltese parties might be gearing to ape the pros at the Tory and Labour and LibDem centers but do they have the policies that need wrapping up in this new medium? Who is preparing them for 21st century politics?
From the presentation we learnt that the last time Labour issued a manifesto Youtube was 3 months old and Facebook and Twitter did not exist. Those times, they are a-changing. PLPN are warned. The new demos awaits (better not hold your breath).
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addendum: The spoof is already out. Blogger Red Dragon tweaked a few of the text parts on the official Labour Manifesto vid:
