A YouTube kicking might help Brown
Fraser Nelson 11:28am
I took part in an LBC radio debate this morning about Gordon Brown’s YouTube initiative with Nick Ferrari, radio’s equivalent to a morning Bloody Mary. A LBC reporter has sent in her own question via video phone - was Blair right to think you have no chance against David Cameron? It won’t get past the censors, of course – party political content. So far 20 videos have, and I surveyed them this morning. Some literally start with Young People thanking the Dear Leader for “this brilliant opportunity” to question him on YouTube with all the authenticity of a backbencher reading a planted question at PMQs. None were about tax or immigration, the two top subjects in Britain today – but almost all were from under-35s, so perhaps this explains it. So Ferrari invited his listeners to submit real questions, and it was more like it. “Why don’t you cut taxes to stimulate the economy?” “Why do we have two Scottish governments” “Why did Blair give £7bn of our rebate away to Europe”, “Do you wear boxers or a thong?”.
In fairness to Brown, I actually do see some potential here. Cameron was pilloried when he did his WebCameron initially, which now has a respectable following. He answers questions all the time, but from paper. No10 has videos of people asking questions, which is perhaps more effective. It makes you think there’s a neverending supply of them, when in fact there’s no more than two dozen when I checked. Also, the censors have allowed more awkward questions such as “why does English tax allow your constituents free university tuition” and “why don’t you allow comments on any of your 180 YouTube adverts”. Blair adopted a “masochism strategy” in the run-up to the 2005 election, allowing himself to get beaten up by studio audiences so the public would think they’ve had their pound of flesh and feel sorry for him on polling day. Blair saw a choice: get beaten up now, on TV, or get beaten up on polling day. Despite the ridicule in this morning’s press (Ann Treneman is particularly good), Brown should heed his forerunner's approach.
Previous
Comments
Chuck Unsworth
May 20th, 2008 11:46amFraser: 'Ann Trenaman'?
Guido Fawkes
May 20th, 2008 11:53amAll No 10 webchats so far have been Soviet style, one to Yvette Cooper even involved planted questions. Guido's co-conspirators questions never get through.
Chuck Unsworth
May 20th, 2008 12:05pmLet's not kid ourselves. This is not audience participation. It is State theatre for the masses.
Mark
May 20th, 2008 12:21pmSomeone with the technical ability should ask:
What is this costing the taxpayer?
How much of your time is being spent on this?
Pete Hoskin
May 20th, 2008 12:23pmChuck, 11:46am: thanks for spotting that. Corrected now.
Water
May 20th, 2008 12:47pmFilter, filter, filter.
John
May 20th, 2008 1:05pmAs someone has said: This is beyond parody. It must be a wind-up. It must, mustn't it? Or does this demented loon actually believe that it's doing him any good, instead of exposing him to even more well-deserved ridicule?
Where are the men in the white coats when you need them?
Water
May 20th, 2008 1:13pmI find myself asking the same question.
Perry
May 20th, 2008 2:04pmAh, - very nearly the last recourse of the Politburo. When all else fails, entertain the masses. Fill their tedious time. A bit like blogs perhaps? But seriously, the Romans knew how to do it, - and of it’s importance. Time for another dumbed down Al-ja-Beeba channel perhaps? Prudence’s Powerful Hour of Puff? Creaticos could really get to work. I’m sure there’s plenty of money in the kitty for yoof enhancement.
Liz
May 20th, 2008 2:25pmJohn - I think it's men in grey suits, not white coats, that are needed at the moment.
Perry
May 20th, 2008 2:40pm[re a noo yoof entertainment channel : Of course, advert time could be filled by Mz. Prudence of Noo-Lie-Bore with her jangling jingles or jingling jangles.]
Danvers Baillieu
May 20th, 2008 2:58pmMark @ 12.21pm - LOL.
I thought he was "getting on with the job" not farting about on YouTube!
Travis Bickle
May 20th, 2008 4:32pmIf the internet had been invented by the Romans would Nero have fiddled on Web-Cam?
John
May 20th, 2008 5:30pmLiz, sorry to disagree. I have always understood them to be wearing white coats when deploying the straitjackets. And that is the territory this bunch of lunatics are inhabiting. And I am being quite serious.
Nicholas
May 21st, 2008 8:14amThe whole thing is off the wall. This is what happens when celebrity, politics, the "new" media and spin inhabit the same bed. Chairman Brown is responding to some very dodgy advice from people whose marketing strategies are not entirely appropriate for politics. And if he is accepting questions from the under-35's only is that not age discrimination, which his government supposedly banned?
Still, they have managed to dumb down everything else here so why not the office of No.10? Perhaps they could combine it with the detestable Big Brother, put all the cabinet inside No.10 under 24 hour surveillance (now that would be poetic justice) and let the public vote one out each week until the last one remaining becomes PM?