When I set up Planet Westminster in 2006 I thought it would be a relatively simple project to maintain. Over the years, more and more MPs would start blogs. Every couple of months I’d add the new ones and everything would be great. It hasn’t worked out like that at all. MPs’ web sites have… Continue reading MPs’ Web Sites
Tag: mps
MPs on Twitter
Did you ever make a chance remark that plants a seed of an idea which then grabs hold of you and refuses to let you go until you’ve done something about it? That happened to me on Sunday. I was cleaning up some broken feeds on Planet Westminster when I tweeted: Cleaning up some broken… Continue reading MPs on Twitter
Not A Broadcast Medium
How do you use Twitter? Do you see it as a tool for interacting with people, or do you simply use it as a broadcast medium? Is it a place for dialogue or monologue? I started thinking about this over the weekend whilst thinking about Nadine Dorries, the MP for Middle England. Back in May,… Continue reading Not A Broadcast Medium
Unsaying Things on the Internet
I think that one of the reasons that a certain type of politician is wary of the internet is that once you’ve said something on the internet, it becomes very hard to unsay it. If you’re used to dealing with the world of newpapers and broadcast media where everything is ephemeral then it must be… Continue reading Unsaying Things on the Internet
A Missing Blog
Looks like Nadine Dorries might have gone too far this time. She’s been on extremely dodgy ground for the last week, since the Daily Telegraph’s investigation into MPs’ expenses started looking at her. Over the last week she’s been posting an increasing bizarre stream of consciousness on her blog. She tried to explain what was… Continue reading A Missing Blog
Overcomplicating Matters
It is, of course, a truism that the larger and more complex a project is, the less likely it is to come in on budget, on spec or in time. When the project in question involves IT, the chances of any of the original targets being met approach zero. This is why one of the… Continue reading Overcomplicating Matters
Ministers Want To Conceal MPs’ Expenses
The government are seriously considering moves that will remove MPs’ expenses from the list of items that the public can demand to see under the Freedom of Information Act. I hope it’s obvious why that’s a terrible idea, but if you need convincing, please read Matt Wardman’s blog post on the subject. Writing on the… Continue reading Ministers Want To Conceal MPs’ Expenses
Missing MPs’ Blogs
A while ago, I set up Planet Westminster – a pretty simple site that simply aggregates all of the MPs’ blogs that I could find. It was largely created to scratch a personal itch. I wanted a simple way to subscribe to all MPs’ blogs in my feed reader. And that’s really how I use… Continue reading Missing MPs’ Blogs
Nadine Dorries is Confused Again
You have to feel sorry for the electorate in Mid Bedfordshire. When they elected Nadine Dorries in 2005, I’m sure they couldn’t have know what a huge mistake they had made. You might recall how she accused Ben Goldacre of publishing parliamentary secrets. When Goldacre pointed out that the facts he had published were in… Continue reading Nadine Dorries is Confused Again
Nadine Dorries’ “Blog”
Nadine Dorries is the MP for Mid Bedfordshire. On her web site she has something that she calls a blog, although it only really resembles one superficially. Up until a couple of days ago, the biggest problem with it was that it didn’t allow linking to a particular entry, you could only link to a… Continue reading Nadine Dorries’ “Blog”