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
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How a dentist and a corrupt French Commissioner are responsible for weird science and Kill Bill videos
Another day, another European Commission web communications mess. Today it’s “Science: It’s A Girl Thing” and this video. The website for the initiative is here, and reactions that range from The New Statesman to the very rude tweets. This is
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A small footnote about Miliband, the EU and immigration
So Ed Miliband today weighs into the UK debate on immigration. Others are better placed to express the overall problems with this. I am instead going to focus on one small aspect of Miliband’s comments, namely this point at the
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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
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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”
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The difference between the politics OF the internet, and politics ON the internet
At the end of last week, a piece I wrote on Labour’s internet politics was published on LabourList. My intention in the piece, although not explicitly stated in these terms, was to debate the politics OF the internet, and Labour’s
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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
Continue reading LabourList | 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
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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
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The space between Alexander Stubb and Giorgos Papakonstantinou
An old article in Helsingin Sanomat about Alexander Stubb was entitled “Alex Stubb is too smart to make trouble”. That was in 2008 when he was appointed as Finland’s Foreign Minister. Now in his guise as Minister for Europe and
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A rhetorical flourish and a stern expression cannot hide the lack of solutions for the EU’s future
The main reason I am at WEF Istanbul is to contribute to and learn from the sessions on the future of the European Union. The first such session was at the start of Tuesday afternoon – a panel entitled “The
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Taxing public servants (nationally and internationally)
Scandal! Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, pays no tax! How can this be when she’s lecturing more Greeks to pay tax!?! Story from The Guardian here. Sony Kapoor, so often the voice of reason throughout the Eurozone crisis
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