Recent Posts

Technology

The case for a pro account for Twitter users

Adrian Short has written an excellent and widely-tweeted piece entitled What Makes Twitter Twitter? that looks at the future of the social network. The crucial line in the piece is “Twitter used to be where people talked. Now it’s where money talks.” – very true. But Twitter likewise needs to […]

Technology

Liquid Democracy at NetrootsUK

I made an ‘Ignite’ timed 5 minute presentation yesterday at Netroots UK about Liquid Democracy and the German Pirate Party, and what UK political parties can learn from them. My slides are below, and the recording of the live stream is below that. Press play on the live stream and […]

EU Politics

The counterfactual

A month ago I announced publicly that I no longer had any intention of putting my name forward for the European Parliament election list for Labour. I made the right call, and nothing that has happened since then makes me in any way question my decision. But now, a month […]

Observations

Dare to dream again

I think these last few days I’ve started to realise what’s been so wrong with me for the last few months. I’ve ceased to dream, to have hopes for the future. “Something has happened to you these last six months” a dear colleague of mine said to me yesterday. “You […]

EU Politics

Who coordinates internet politics for Labour?

Labour’s website lists 115 MPs and Lords* in the Shadow Cabinet and shadow teams that assist them. Yet which of those people is responsible for internet politics for the party? I ask this because the SPD in Germany has such a person – Lars Klingbeil, profiled (in German) by Cicero […]

Technology

A framework for understanding online privacy

Privacy, and the need to protect it, is one of the most common calls of those who fear the rise and importance of social networks. It was the issue that was behind a panel I attended at World Economic Forum in Istanbul entitled “The Security-Privacy-Freedom Nexus”, with panellists dropping the word […]