The Steamie: Welcome to the virtual by-election
The Steamie today brings you a first in Scottish politics and Scottish journalism.
Over the coming week candidates in the Glasgow North-East by-election, in adddition to fighting the contest on the doorsteps and on the hustings, will be taking the fight online.
Candidates for the main Scottish parliamentary parties will be be guest bloggers here on The Steamie for the duration of the by-election.
They'll be announcing their policies and their plans here, and taking on their opponents' arguments as well, making The Steamie a major forum for the by-election debate.
And of course, there will be the chance for readers of The Steamie to comment on their contributions.
The internet, one of the most influential tools in the US presidential election last year, is still an untested forum in Scottish and UK politics. But it is certain to be an important part of the forthcoming general election.
This virtual by-election on The Steamie is a chance for all sides to get a taste of that future.
Kenny Farquharson
Deputy Editor
Scotland on Sunday
Over the coming week candidates in the Glasgow North-East by-election, in adddition to fighting the contest on the doorsteps and on the hustings, will be taking the fight online.
Candidates for the main Scottish parliamentary parties will be be guest bloggers here on The Steamie for the duration of the by-election.
They'll be announcing their policies and their plans here, and taking on their opponents' arguments as well, making The Steamie a major forum for the by-election debate.
And of course, there will be the chance for readers of The Steamie to comment on their contributions.
The internet, one of the most influential tools in the US presidential election last year, is still an untested forum in Scottish and UK politics. But it is certain to be an important part of the forthcoming general election.
This virtual by-election on The Steamie is a chance for all sides to get a taste of that future.
Kenny Farquharson
Deputy Editor
Scotland on Sunday
Labels: general election, Glasgow North East, internet, Kenny Farquharson, The Steamie
posted by Administrator at
12:27
13 Comments:
By the "main parties", do you include those that are likely to finish behind John Smeaton? He's a comfortable third in the betting and miles ahead of the Tories and the LibDems - will you be inviting him to put his case?
Or will this "first in Scottish politics and Scottish journalism." just be more of the same old same-o that we see in the print media?
This is the internet - why are you limiting access and silencing candidates?
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What do you mean by the main parties? There is no clarification of this in your post. Are we going to be seeing posts from John Smeaton who's third in the bookies odds list? Or how about Mikey Hughes? He's got the same odds as the Tories, Lib Dem and the Greens. Or is it going to be the same old parties? If so it's no wonder newspaper circulation is going down year on year. In the interests of fairness surely independents shouldn't be silenced.
ok... so the top candidates are invited this is an interesting statement to make? So not the candidates who are polling in top then? so no John Smeaton, no Greens no Mickey Hughes, Tommy Sheridan? just the usual Labour/Tory bickering with the SNP thrown in just because this is Scotland? give more candidates a voice! this is a democratic country after all, or at least we purport to be one!
ok... so the top candidates are invited this is an interesting statement to make? So not the candidates who are polling in top then? so no John Smeaton, no Greens no Mickey Hughes, Tommy Sheridan? just the usual Labour/Tory bickering with the SNP thrown in just because this is Scotland? give more candidates a voice! this is a democratic country after all, or at least we purport to be one!
"Virtual By-Election" - virtually true. This is a sham and the Scotland on Sunday should be ashamed to have their name linked to it. It's disgusting that the Scotland on Sunday seeks to silence democracy in such a way.
Invite all the candidates or admit that this is just another form of party political broadcast by the rich parties (who no doubt spend a fortune advertising in your paper).
What are you scared of?
Typical media bias, inviting tired old party hacks with their tired old party message. Not an original thought between the four of them. In fact, the four combined could barely form a personality.
Thank goodness there are many other sites on the Scottish Political Blogging scene that recognise that there are more than four candidates in Glasgow North East. The Steamie once again displays it's blinkered and narrow-minded.
Come off it.
What does Smeaton know about politics? If he wants to blog let him do it in the Record.
He's nothing but a publicity seeking treble wide boy who is only famous for kicking a man who had already set himself on fire and was dying.
Not all of us are daft enough to have bought the media hype you know.
Oh - so we're selecting candidates here on the basis of political knowledge are we?
Two tv presenters, a law teacher and a social worker have more political knowledge than Tommy Sheridan then?
Smeaton publicity seeking? Of course, we could never accuse any politician of that now could we?
Tommy Sheridan has been involved in politics for the past twenty five years or thereabouts.
Don't put him in the same post as Smeaton.
And if you don't select candidates for political Office on the basis of political knowledge then how do you suggest they are selected?
That was a rhetorical question.
To be fair to The Steamie the guest contributors do contain a Green Party representative, but other than that it's just helping perpetuate the incumbent party political oligarchy.
Stuart, I appreciate your fairness, but in Glasgow we are one of the incumbent parties. We've got five Cooncillors, including one for part of this constituency, and we came third here in the Euros.
I think the Scotsman have adopted a policy of "if you've got someone elected in Glasgow you're in", which is fairer than the Beeb's "if you've got someone anywhere in Westminster you're in".
Went to see the real Steamie yesterday. Great!
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