Jon Bright (London, OK): I don't need to repeat any of the analysis of Ealing Southall (as Dizzy amusingly demonstrates, it can be written without knowing what actually happened). But one of the things that is worth commenting on is how well it was covered by online media.
I followed the usual suspects. Plaudits to Iain Dale, who strikes a balance between being partisan and offering analysis - right to call Grant Shapps' (the Tories election manager) silly speech clutching at straws. Sunny Hundal at Pickled Politics offered a very interesting slant on the defection of the five councillors - was it even a good thing for Labour? Meanwhile webcameron gave its usual revealing insights into how the leader of the opposition operates: gladhanding youngsters at campaign central before beaming at two old women walking down the streets. "It's crime - and the drugs" he says, smoothly changing gears.
Hundreds more I could mention of course. The £4,800 donations, the allegations of electoral fraud, all picked up and mulled over online. What Ealing Southall showcased most of all was the incredible range of opinion and analysis the web brings directly to my desk on local politics - something that would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. Big media can't afford to cover a by-election in depth - new media can. If local democracy is going to function in a meaningful way (and a democracy always needs a healthy sphere of public debate) then local blogs and sites will play a huge part.
