(One) Question Time

Repulsed by Nick Griffin and all he and his party stands for... However, what I saw tonight was not Question Time.

Has this programme ever been so dominated by one issue - knocking one panelist? We shouldn't feel bad as Mr Griffin put himself up for ridicule and richly deserved it. Besides, there had to be some time spent on his party's policies but this programme was clearly a set-up and as a democrat I am slightly shocked. I have always enjoyed and respected Question Time, but tonight, the programme descended into a shin-kicking match (though it was a sometimes [read mainly] pleasant kicking match). Unfortunately, there were no questions, but only one question.

Everyone quite rightly ganged up on Griffin, and Griffin himself didn't rise to the challenge and thankfully turned out to be a poor orator with little grasp of the facts.

Let's hope his performance has only impressed the few, and that misguided voters of the past steer clear of voting for the BNP in the future.

Asking Miliband a question!!!

Returned home from a tiring day out with the Wagstaff family and now discover that I'm suffering from the flu. What could be worse? What about receiving a junk email; trying to think of a good question to ask Miliband; posting it on a website, and then waiting for the response. It's at times like this that I hate blogging!

Email

My name is Mr X and I am co-founder of http://www.yoosk.com/ (a platform for the general public to submit and vote on questions for people in the news.) I am writing to bring to your attention a project our website is currently running with the FCO?

Following David Miliband's visit to Wales, he is interested to hear from Welsh people [only Welsh people?] with any questions they may have for him.

This is an extract from the FCO Press release:

"David is visiting Cardiff on 16-17 October. He will meet a wide range of people from different Cardiff communities. He will talk to them about how foreign policy issues such as climate change, migration, trade-investment and international conflicts are not just foreign policy issues, but have an affect on our daily lives. He will hear from these groups what foreign policy means to them and the impact these challenges are having on these communities.

Are you affected by these global issues?- Are you worried about the impact of global trends on your community?- Would you like to know how the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office affects Wales? - Have you always wanted to comment on an aspect of our Foreign policy?

If so, now is your opportunity to ask and comment to David direct!

During the next week, he invites you to put your questions on these and other related foreign policy issues to him via Yoosk. And he will respond to your questions on this site."

Cabinet Members have consulted the public before in similar ways but usually they reserve the right to choose the questions which they will answer – the difference with this interview is that David Miliband will actually answer the questions which people most want answering. If you think this is something which your readers may be interested in contributing to, we would be very happy if you could find time to give it a mention.

What is Yoosk?
Yoosk is an interactive interview magazine which enables you to participate in the news gathering process by putting your questions to politicians & celebrities.

Slugger Political Awards Report: Changing not circling the political process

The Slugger Awards have just taken place in Belfast, described thus

For the last six years, with all its various eyes and ears, Slugger O’Toole has been a particularly avid watcher of the political scene. We have endeavored to pick up and share the best journalism and research and keep a close eye on Northern Ireland’s nascent political process. In our own informal way, we’ve acted more as a critical friend than fawning acolyte or jaded oppositionalist.

At Slugger we think that we have a fantastic opportunity to improve politics in a way that institutional reformers will never be able to. We want to reward better politicians, better politics and better governance. We’d like to reward those that have succeeded in reaching out to the public and involving them more effectively in local governance.

So today, with the support of our launch sponsors, Stratagem NI Ltd, we are announcing The Slugger Awards 2008.

Rather than bloggers patting bloggers on the back, this was an award ceremony where a blog is giving awards to other players in politics for "conversational politics".

The work that Slugger is doing is (as far as I know) unique in this country: a blog having a measure of impact in seeking to strengthen the political process, rather than simply trying to make different things happen using the existing political process. That's what we need for blogs to fulfil their potential.

Slugger Awards Podcast

The Digital Circle podcast from Sims Digital Media reported on the event (and the audio is on my Wardman Wire post).

Other reports of the awards

• Alan in Belfast: The Slugger Awards - for the wee guy and the big names. (Good personal report)
• NALIL - North Antrim Local Interest List: NALIL - Slugger Political Blogger of 2008 (award winner)
• Daithi McKay (Short report)
• Crea8ivity (Good summary. Damn and blast people who use hard to type names for their blogs!)
• Young Unionists (Brief)
• Redemption's Son

Who won the Slugger Awards?
(Reformatted from the Awards site).

• Best MLA: Naomi Long for her speechcraft and fluent (and combative) contributions to Assembly debates. And for getting Alliance noticed!
• Up and coming politician: Daithi McKay for his work on the Giant’s Causeway controversy (his one of three winners whose award related explicitly to that particular issue).
• Local Council: Belfast City Council, for scale and profile and running a tidy fiscal ship but also for its leadership role in the Open Cities initiative.
• Local Councillor: Deirdre Nelson, one of a new generation of outward looking local councillors.
• Journalism: David Gordon by proving that not everyone in the world of mainstream media has succumbed to ‘Churnalism’.
• Best blogger: Mr Nevin Taggart, who by diligence and close attention to local affairs proves that you don’t have to be big to be clever.
• Assembly Committee Chair: Danny Kennedy.
• Local Newspaper: Impartial Reporter (Fermanagh) has stuck to its last and consistently brings real news and strong analysis to its local readership.
• Representatives external to Northern Ireland: Peter Robinson for marshalling his disparate band of troops and leaving Westminster a calling card that he’s now the man back in town.
• Jobsworth Award: Assembly Commission.

Wrapping Up

In my view this is an example for the other countries in the UK. The interesting question is this:

How long will it be before any "mainland" blogs are taken sufficiently seriously to be able to mount such a set of awards in London, Cardiff or Edinburgh (or - I suppose - in Brussels)?

I don't think I have seen any reporting of the Awards in the British press or on British blogs. That is a pity - NI is streets ahead of any other part of the UK in this respect, helped by the fact that politicians in Northern Ireland perhaps haven't realised yet that they are supposed to be an Elite living in a bubble. Long may this ignorance continue.

[Update: formatting tidied.]