Online democracy

Celia Hannon (London, Demos): In April 2007 charlieissocoollike, a 16 year-old vlogger from Bath joined YouTube. So did the British Prime Minister. Since then Charlie has amassed 70,000 subscribers. The Prime Minister has 5,000. These figures betray a very naked truth - young people are not flocking to listen to their presidents and Prime Ministers when they talk to them via internet videos. Instead, they are seizing power for themselves; taking on roles as reporters, distributors, commentators and artists. It seems that while their parents and grandparents won their freedoms by challenging governments, this generation of young people would rather find their ‘route-around’ existing institutions and forms of media.

Guy Aitchison (Bristol, OK): David Cameron, it seems, can't get enough of the web. His well-staged performances on WebCameron suggested an early enthusiasm for all things ‘Web 2.0', but now it seems he is determined to link its most basic principle, that of user-generated content, to the very core of his political philosophy. A campaign launched by the Tories today, Stand Up, Speak Up, epitomises this approach. It is an online platform aimed at involving the public in drawing up the next Tory manifesto. As a visitor to the site you are invited to take part in a basic three-step process: reading the recommendations of the Policy Reviews; voting for your favourite policy ideas, and debating on the different policy areas. This simple process all takes place against the idyllic pastoral backdrop of the Conservative homepage and the results, we are told, will be given to the shadow cabinet who will use them as the basis for the next manifesto.

James Graham (London, Unlock Democracy): The Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, commented on many times below, is dead. Not a single member of the House of Lords would sponsor it. This clearly shows the importance of having a bicameral Parliament, although the fact that not a single peer would sponsor the bill appears to have rather more to do with the threatening noises emanating from our 'feral' media than the innate good sense of unelected politicians. The Freedom of Information Act is still very young, having only been in force for 30 months. It is not surprising that it is experiencing some growing pains. We may have had a change in the law, but the British government's culture of jealously guarding its secrets has still not been transformed.

Jon Bright (London, OK): How will the internet affect politics? Jonathan Freedland gives his prognosis in the Guardian today taking up the theme if not the wide monitoring of Bill Thompson yesterday. He sees good and bad in his crystal ball. Predicting unpredictable and far-reaching change is par for the course in techno-journalism these days (the only way to spare future blushes) but he does get a bit more specific. Yes, what might seem a harmless joke on Facebook or MySpace can quickly start affecting your employment chances (I found myself dialling down reporting on my social life after misguidedly 'friending' my boss). His scepticism about exactly how 'nice' an all powerful Google might be makes a refreshing and much needed change from the usual blind G-love. And he's is scathing of British politician's current attempts to get 'online' - particularly the bland, stage-managed antics of "webcameron" (this week Dave shadows police officers in Wales, beaming incongrously as people are nicked for speeding).

Jon Bright (London, OK): Tech guru Bill Thompson speculates today on the BBC website about how the internet may change the nature of politics.

What could the internet do for democracy?

A lot, in theory. Thompson muses on the possibilities of direct democracy - people getting more control over the policy making process, for example, by allowing large petitions to form the basis of 'people's bills'. Social networking sites like Facebook are providing simple ways of bringing together large groups of people with shared concerns. And, paradoxically, this truly global network could make a truly local politics again possible, providing influential forums for local issues as well as ways to engage your MP.