I shall be contacting all our MPs who are blogging shortly and questioning them about the reasons why they started and their personal experiences, if thy feel it has helped improve two-way communication. I’m also interested to know whether they feel it could mean the end of political spin.
It is a research project I have chosen for my CIPR diploma in Public Relations. I wondered if you read any MPs’ blogs, which ones you prefer and why.
Do you have any idea the total number who are blogging? Why not hazard a guess, I’ll tell you how close you are.
Out of 198?
80 odd?
I presume you mean throughout all parties. There could be more than we think.
Probably about 125.
I guess the only problem for MPs, is they cannot use blogging for genuine debate.
Get too many irate or rabid people with too much vile bile they want to spill, drowning any real public debate on policy & issues.
But what is an issue nowdays?
The G8 promising two years ago $50 billion by 2010 to combat poverty – and increasing that to $60 yesterday – only to discover they are still far short (by $20 or £30 billion) of meeting their last target?
The NHS overspending on budgets in one place whilst making £800 million savings in another. Who can sort out the chaos of what or who gets treated whilst you have artificial ‘pricing’ and or artificial priorities?
Shouldn’t we first set the target of what we AIM to achieve and then cost it and find the means to fund it – but that’d ne toooo easy!
Q9, yes, I do mean ALL MPs. Neither answers are right. I shall keep you guessing until Sunday.
Ellee, why not jsut have a giant party, [of the celebrating kind] and invite them all to it. They’d jump at the chance. I would.
Ha! We might need to swap unpublished data, Ellee. I’m planning to look at political bloggers influence on the mainstream news agenda! When I get around to starting that is!
Simon, Don’t leave it too long, especially as it runs over the summer hols. I’m really looking forward to researching my project. Good luck with yours.
That should be really interesting research, Ellee. Assuming you mean MPs across all parties, I’ll guess 300.
All parties.
Ah, in that case, I’d say 250-300.
I think the Labour party have been slower in getting to grips with blogging than the other parties.
I wonder if Ian Paisley has a blog?
Or Prescott?
What a fascinating question to come across. I’ve decided to submit a low ball bid of 42.
Ellee thanks for your kind comments.
I might be able to help you with this, if you drop me an email? Archiving is making my shoulders ache and I’m not sure my heads reliable just now, so can you remind me? Many thanks.
I can’t comment on the UK…I know of only one here in Australia, but I must research it, now that you mention it.
Michael, I would be interested to know how many Congressmen/women are currently blogging.
Lee, the same goes for you in Australia.
Philipa, thanks, will do.
Well, we’re clicking on you but I think it needs more. Come on, Ellee readers!
thirty seven?
I write stuff on Boris Johnson’s blog and John Redwoods blog.
Boris’s blog I like being it’s popular, often attracts lots of comments, and teh quality of comments is high. His forum is cool too, with lots of interesting banter between a blog regulars. I also like it because it’s Boris’s and he’s my favourite MP.
John Redwoods blog is more of a blog than Boris’s, which basically just publishes his Telegraph and Spectator articles. He replies to commenters regularly as well. I also like the fact that he doesn’t just talk waffle, but treats his readers like intelligent people and tackles difficult subjects.
Blogging with MP’s is great fun, I’m surprised it isn’t a lot more popular.
According to Iain Dales links list there are 15 blogging MP’s, I wonder if he’s missed a few?
That really famous one comes to mind… but the name totally escapes me. Not Perez Hilton (don’t think so …) this is a Brit MP he gets into all sorts of trouble … I’ve read a few MPs blogs but most of them were too middle of the road and dull. Towing the party line. Ukk.
Have a great weekend!
Its hard to guess 150 or so? How many have websites which they use though? Loads of MPs websites are only updated very 18months…
My blog site is updated almost every day! Anything I can do to help Ellee, let me know – Nadine
Well Ellee, since we all know how much time blogging takes, I would hazard a guess that there can’t be too many. Do you think there are some who have “ghost bloggers” doing it for them?
Sounds like a good topic for a thesis.
Nadine, thank you, I will be in touch.
The answer to my question is: I have found 41, including the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament.
41? is that all there is? My God they’re missing a trick. I would have said it was a couple of hundred for Westminster alone. Blimey.
Ellee
Just so that you are aware. I have been looking at doing some blog interviews for a few weeks, so you may meet an overlap occasionally. There shouldn’t be a problem as our objectives are a little different:
“I would like to do email interviews with pairs of political bloggers – to explore different ways of using blogs in the political process. I’m looking for anyone interested in taking part.
The interviews would consist of about a dozen short questions, and be presented side by side to shows contrasts and similarities between different approaches to political blogging. I’m interested in all varieties of political blogging, but especially in the use of blogging for local politics.”
See page on my link.
There shou
Between 0 and 646 MPs are currently blogging…
> Ellee, why not just have a giant party, [of the celebrating kind]
Now that’s a good idea! I see that the Paris bloggers (q.v. Petite Anglaise) had one recently, I was tempted to go!
BTW: my fave political blog is Boris-Johnson.com, none can compare.
Philipa, I know you have a soft spot for Boris, I can understand why. Thanks for putting me in touch with Melissa.
Ellie,
I’ve just found this post. I know I’m coming to this a bit late, but I thought you might be interested in my web site Planet Westminster (http://mp.theplanetarium.org/) which aggregates all of the MP blogs that I can find. If you know of any that I am missing, then please let me know.
Thanks Dave, Nice to hear from you. It would have been useful to know of your site when starting my research. I have just completed my assignment, hope to have it printed and bound tomorrow. I have added you to my blogroll and will check out your posts.
[…] A thousand thanks to Welshcakes Limoncello, learner drivers and an end to the summer hols By Ellee A thousand thanks to Welshcakes Limoncello for her precise proof reading of the final draft of my research assignment on how MPs write their blogs and engage in two-way communication. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and finally posted it off today to my excellent project leader Heather Yaxley, who writes a great PR blog, and has an expertise in the motoring industry. […]
[…] My PR Diploma By Ellee I heard today that I passed my third paper for my CIPR Diploma in Public Relations. I distinguished myself with a Merit on my personal project which focused on MPs who write blogs, and how it relates to two-way communication and PR theory. […]