Forget “the former audience”, we’re in the age of the “former electorate”.
The statutory instrument that the British Government was hoping to introduce that would allow all sorts of quangos to read your email and mobile-phone records has been postponed indefinately in a major climbdown by the Home Secretary (who’s son reportedly told him personally what a bad idea it was…)
Those mobilised by STAND and empowered by FaxyourMP.com had a lot to do with it.
‘Co-operative relationships between strangers’ or SmartMobs as Howard Rheingold puts it; yielding fantastic results in a short amount of time. The BBC interviewed James last night [about halfway through this 2′ 21″ realvideo stream] about the part that e-activism played, and the Political Editor Andrew Marr’s quote afterwards is telling:
“…it’s been thanks in the end people armed with nothing more than internet connections and a bit of savvy, who have overturned the considered view of the political establishment.”
But I’ll leave the last word to the folks from STAND. Well done everyone!!!
“…we thought it was worth saying that you won. And the next time you’re talking to someone about these issues, and someone says “what’s the point?” – well, you now may now point at yourself, and mention how you got the government to blink.”
Petafloptimism 