The three main political party leaders in the UK, Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg and David Cameron have agreed to take part in digital debates on Facebook and YouTube which has caused some commentators to suggest we are seeing the beginning of a new era in digital democracy. Users of YouTube and Facebook will be able to suggest questions on the sites which will then be voted on by the public for the part leaders to answer.
You will be able to post the questions in text of video for selected categories, economy, health and education, law and order, foreign policy and miscellaneous with the party leaders pledging to post video responses 10 days before Election Day.
Peter Barron, Google’s Director of Communications said, “Although the televised debates will be a historic first, we feel that that there is an opportunity for a different type of platform that allows voters to be in charge of the questions. By collaborating with Facebook to put together one initiative we hope to enable as many voters as possible from across the UK to take part.”
Adding to that, Facebook’s Director of Policy Richard Allan said, “The dawn of the digital election this year is a transformative moment for democracy in Britain. By allowing voters to cross-examine their leaders, these digital debates will put the voters firmly in charge. This marks a decisive shift away from the constraints of top-down traditional media and will take full advantage of unique scale and reach of Facebook, thus changing the way that politicians campaign for good.”
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