“I offer him embarrassment and my usual excuses”
~ Apologies to Billy Bragg.

As a response to the Digital Fundraising Democracy Teach-In at EtCon, and in particular the ludicrous 45 minutes in granted to “Emerging Democracy Worldwide”; Tom Steinberg is staging a UK-flavoured Digital Democracy session at ConConUK:

“Tom mySociety Steinberg is organising a UK digital democracy teach-in (think My Society, iCan, Fax Your MP, Vox Politics and Up My Street).”

Hopefully, Rod/the YourParty folk and some of those blogging MPs might also show up…?

I wish that someone from Estonia had been invited to the fun in San Diego.

“President Meri — who answers his own e-mail and can be reached at www.president.ee — has even grander plans for Estonia.com. In 1997, he helped establish the Tiger Leap Foundation, an organization that united the Ministry of Education with Estonia’s computer sector in an effort to have one computer in place for every 20 pupils in Estonian schools. That goal was reached this year, and now Meri wants to create ‘a virtual government’ that would greatly downsize the state apparatus, replacing bureaucrats with online government services.”

Perhaps if there had been more than 45 minutes for the rest of the world.

Moreover – where was Dr. Gøtze, or the UK’s own professor of digital democracy, Stephen Coleman, from The Oxford Internet Institute??!??!? They are joint-authors, of Bowlingtogether.net, a spin on Puttnam’s “Bowling Alone” cited famously as an influence by the founder of Meetup.com.

At a time where wars are being fought in the cause of “installing democracy” worldwide, one might think digital democracy – somewhat advanced in places other than just the USA – might be afforded a worldwide examination by O’Reilly.

Ah well… Thank goodness for ConConUK.

It’s like Billy says:

“If no one seems to understand
Start your own revolution and cut out the middlemaaan

Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

In a perfect world we’d all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some roooom

Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

So join the struggle while you may
The Revolution is just a T-shirt awaaaay

Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards“