Bl-Agora Update

 

Have you spotted any new blogs by politicians? They do not seem to be as prolific as one suspected. At least not all of them. Over the last week George Pullicino tops the bloggers list with 5 posts, FZD turns in two posts, while AD candidates Ralph Cassar and Harry Vassallo failed to turn up. I have noticed and been invited to a number of Facebook groups relating to individual persons’ campaigns with either PN or MLP. On such sites these people get their campaign “managed” and even have a sort of blog. I am thinking that once the election date gets announced we might as well open two lists – one of blogs (Bl-agora) and the other of websites (W-agora) for comparison. In the meantime Mark (ex-Xifer) has suggested the setting up of a Werld Kapp type blog where multiple contributors could comment on the electoral campaign. It’s on the drawing board – suggestions welcome.

Finally, having mentioned individual campaigns I wish good luck to ex-KSU President Karl Gouder who will be contesting the next elections with the Nationalist Party. He has adopted the theme “energija”  for his personal campaign – which brings back the slogan I had chosen for the SDM campaign for KSU elections. I don’t mind my ideas being rehashed – it means that it was good… I do hope that Gouder turns out to be a much better politician than the candidate previously elected under that slogan.

Politicians’ Blogs – Project Bl-Agora

In “Blogging in the Name Of” J’accuse had alluded to the possibility that the next election could be an eye-opener in Malta for the usefulness of blogs. Incidentally, in answer to Andre’s comments on the same post, I never said that blogs would play an important part in the next election but rather that we will see the first blogs and that these would be misused – simply an extension of the propaganda arm. My hope is on the post-election scenario when time will be taken to assess the proper use of the net as a democratic tool.

As days go by (and as the election approaches) we can expect the birth of more and more politicians blogs. We will keep an eye on them and see how they develop. I know I may be biased but Harry Vassallo’s new blog seems to be taking an interesting direction. (Thanks once again to Mark for the pointer) There are probably more politicians already blogging out there. We know of Lorna Vassallo and her exploits – but have we discovered them all?

So I have a job for you accusers out there. If, like Mark, you come across a blog by a candidate/potential candidate please notify J’accuse immediately. We will shortly be posting a set of blog links to each of the politicians’ blogs and use this as a sort of running monitor up to the election. Occasionally we will comment on the content and level of interaction the blogs are garnering. Let’s call this Project Bl-Agora – a wankellectual way of combining “blogs” and “agora“.

So it begins.