I understand that the Tory party has an iPhone app in the offing. I have no idea what that]s about, other than being a way to keep in touch with the party faithful during the election campaign. No doubt the other parties will have similar offerings.

Personally, I feel that the parties are starting to distance themselves from real people. After all, you can choose not to listen to an electronic communication. I think we have all experienced this in the past when a company, entity etc. have just ignored your important messages by email, phone, letter or even on one of the new social media sites. You can’t duck the awkward question when dealing with someone face to face.

No doubt we will have friend requests on FaceBook from various parties, we’ll be encouraged to “follow” our candidates on Twitter and even download the wretched iPhone apps. All of which rely on information being pushed in your direction, but none of them being responsive to questions going back. If you think you have the chance to set the agenda using the electronic media then I suspect that you are very, very much mistaken. These will be little more than electronic leaflets.

In the last two general elections where I live, I got no contact from the candidates, no canvassing on the door. Just a few paper leaflets. I feel that the same will apply this time.

I do expect a lot of spam from them. I will no react kindly to it either.

I don't really understand the problem. You speak like parties and politicians have nothing to do with you. I talk to politics back home, if something goes wrong you go and complain during their open hour office. They are not a different specie.
Also you can very easily ignore requests, apps from the different parties. I'm rather happy with the idea of politicians getting fb pages. that way it's a lot easier to get in touch and report an issue

I don’t think they do now. Back in the 1980s, my dad was a member of the Labour party and he was a candidate for the local council elections. He spent a LOT of time working his campaign, and he went out every night to pound the beat trying to get support. He didn’t win, but he was given a safe Tory seat to contest.

These days, this door to door canvassing doesn’t seem to happen any more. It’s the one time of the life in an MP’s existence where they are likely to meet everyone in their constituency. However this no longer happens. I live in an area which is apparently a “safe” Tory seat. That means that the majority of people in the area are likely to vote Tory. All the parties know this, so they don]t bother to do any ground work.

Instead, they are happy to use passive forms of communication - leaflets, TV and online tricks. When they don’t want to do is actually TALK to the people directly. Why? Because they all have to be “on message”. Each party will have worked out a few key points they want to talk about. Their campaigns will be about this. IF someone throws an email type curve ball at them, they can deflect it or ignore it. IF someone on the street talks to them about the curve ball subject, they can’t wriggle out of it as easily.

The main parties are treating us in the same way that proctor and Gamble treat us when they try to sell us toilet paper. We are passive consumers of the message. This is not politics - this is marketing. This is telling us what to think, and that is so damn wrong.

Paul's right. Marketing is the correct term. However, what are you gonna do about it? It will work for the existing faithful. It may work for quite a few "Labour are [LIFTED], I fancy a change" people. It is a symptom of our times. If somebody has an idea for genuine change - I'm there. But I don't see it.....

I’ve asked Prezza on Twitter. He’s banging on about Ashcroft this morning, but I asked him this:



and



That’s less that 280 characters to ask a question that should take far longer to ask. If he answers, I’ll post it here. I should dig out some of the other parties’ Twitter accounts and do the same.

Now that's some action I can approve of and get behind. Very interested to see if you get anything and I'll even suspend my cynicism for a day or so.

I’m talking to Pressa on Twitter!

He replied:



So I asked him about the marketing/campaign differentiation.



I’ll be asking Vince Cable the same, and hopefully a Tory if I can get a Twitter name.

They probably have twat as part of their name.

OMFG! C'est incroyable! Impressive, very impressive. Keep us informed.

Nothing more from Prezza, and nothing from Vince Cable, through a Vince Cable supporting bot picked up on my tweet.

Prezza did reply to my first question very quickly, but he seems more interested in badgering Lord Ashcroft today. I have no idea what Cable is up to to ignore my question. Maybe his PA has filtered it.

In other news, Nick Clegg is the first to spam me through my letter box. I'm not sure whether to show my disinterest in his lazy [LIFTED] by ignoring it, or writing to him......

Crikey, can they stoop no lower?! I wonder what it'll do, give you a new motivational tory message every few hours?

"The holocaust didn't happen" Clicky
"Screw the poor and working class" Clicky
"We're bank-rolled by a tax-evader" Clicky
"We don't understand the economy, but we intend to stay rich" Clicky
We don't do "substance" Clicky

They certainly seem to be churning out a lot of very little. I’ve heard nothing from Vince Cable. I can only assume that my question wasn’t important enough.

can you find Nick Clegg and ask him what he thinks his mailer is going to acheive?