By Steve Ranger, 31 August 2006 15:50
NEWS
MPs are trying to get young people interested in politics by using photo, text and video messages and posting on YouTube.
The Citizen Calling project has been developed by the Hansard Society to help parliament explore ways in which mobile phones might support consultations.
Messages can be sent to the project's phone number - 07786 201247 - and are hosted on the project's website.
MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee are using the trial to get views from young people about the criminal justice system. Its chairman John Denham MP has recorded a message - on a mobile phone - and posted it on YouTube and the Citizen Calling site.
The committee wants young people to comment on their experiences of crime, and the factors that lead young people to break the law.
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The Hansard Society's director of e-democracy Ross Ferguson said many projects are created from the top down, whereas this one will allow young people to choose the best way to communicate.
The "evidence-giving" session will start next week and run for four weeks. The society, which aims to promote effective parliamentary democracy, will then compare the usefulness of mobile routes to other web-based platforms and conventional, offline methods.Governments are increasingly looking at using new channels such as YouTube to get their message out - but not always with the best results. Earlier this week the Cabinet Office was forced to pull one of the public service videos it published on YouTube due to copyright violation.
Comments
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1. Karen Challinor
Politicians want to stop people being apathetic about politics do they ?
Right here's how to do it in 10 simple steps
1 - Stop using 400 words when 4 will do
2 - Answer questions as they are put and not as you want them to be asked
3 - If you have no knowledge in an area do not volunteer an opinion as you are not qualified
4 - Stop using one way channels of information to pass on your edicts, if we don't like your edicts we want to be able to tell you quickly and easily
5 - Listen to the electorate and act according to their wishes, not your own
6 - If an issue affects the nation then it needs to be openly debated in public, stop being secretive about things you want but think will be unpopular
7 - Stop treating us like children and start treating us like the people who pay your wages and put food on your table, you work for us not the other way around
8 - Being a minister and serving the electorate is a privilege not a photo opportunity, politics should not be a popularity contest to see who has the nicest smile it is a serious job where the country is run for the best interests of it's population
9 - Being a minister is a full time job you shouldn't have time for a second job or a seat on anyone's board
10 - If at any time more than say 40% of the electorate chooses to hold an election then one should be held rather that when the current party in power feels it is time to do so.
This might get the electorate interested again instead of super whizzy all show and no substance schemes like using text messaging or youtube to show you are down with the youth posse of today