This is a terrific example of how this medium is incredibly useful. I was looking around for articles covering Le Web 3.0 – largely ‘cos I couldn’t make it and wanted to know if there was much I missed. There was a kerfuffle – especially among the French blogs. They wheeled out Shimon Peres and Nicolas Sarkozy. So it all went political.
David Weinberger wasn’t impressed. Ben Metcalfe catches what seems to me to be the mood of many there: And Tom Morris wraps it all up with a collection of snippets from highly pissed off people. If you read French, then Loique Jemeur is a hoot. My favourite:
…nous avons 1000 blogueurs et autant de magnums de muscadets dans la salle. En outre ma bite est énorme. Cet événement est considéré par l’AFP comme le “Davos” français du Web, c’est dire si on va se regarder le nombril en se gavant de petits fours. [you can always hit the Google translation button if you use Google Toolbar]
Personally? Full marks to Loic LeMeur for having the bravery to show 1,000+ attendees that they have a voice and power to pull in senior politicians. And complain about it if they don’t like what they see. That’s innovation and sometimes, it doesn’t work. That’s the risk Loic took and I applaude him. Now LeWeb can evolve. Which is how it should be. Mousing around took me to Sam Sethi’s TechCrunch UK where he references the gobsmackingly excellent: TheyWorkForYou. To quote the blurb:
TheyWorkForYou is a non-partisan, partly volunteer-run website which aims to make it easy for people to keep tabs on their elected and unelected representatives in Parliament, and other assemblies.
Apart from being one of the best assembled information websites I’ve ever seen, it is packed to the digital rafters with great information about MPs, what they do, how they ‘perform,’ their expense records, questions asked etc etc. It really is a goldmine for those with agendas requiring MPs assistance. One of the beauties is you can send in a question and your MP will probably answer online.
It is how I found the letter which formed the basis for the previous post. It’s also how I can tell you that a search for ‘tax avoidance‘ reveals Parliamentary discussions going back to 1999 and the LLP debates. There are 252 references.
So thanks Loic. I’ve learned so much – because you invited me, I could not be there but a person I trust told a story about the future of politics. It’s innovation at the grass roots in action. That surely must tell any businessman something about this medium.
Technorati Tags: government, leweb3
