What lacks in Irish politics is the passion of conviction and grass roots activism at the local level. We google our opponants names and names of their associates for opposition research.

In the USA politics is a full contact sport where the Internet bloggers U Tube and facebook are just additional tools we use together with the tried and tested methods of old shoe leather door to door retail.

In Ireland, speaking to people in college and outside college I have come to realize that there is still a disconnect between the politicans and the young adults. Part of this relates to Ireland not having a politician who is as charasmatic as Senator Obama is and the other part is indifference. Ireland is doing well politically but eventually they will reach a period of history like America has achieved where if the right person comes along with the right tools, they can achieve significant change.

Firstly, we’re not used to contributing actively to politics in Ireland, so the idea that a politician would use their website as a major hook for that kind of thing wouldn’t go down at all well here. There’s an obvious stigma in Ireland, that contributing towards politics is only done by those with inappropriate intentions.

Obama and Howard Dean made great use out of the Net as a fundraising tool and as an organising tool. It’s alot easier to invest a substantial amount of money in something that can generate cash, as well as engaging supporters, than something without the financial benefit.

This also means that there is less money being spent on politics in Ireland. Yes, parties spend a fortune on campaigns, but much of this goes on media buying in papers, posters and printing. We don’t have political consultants selling online engagement, we don’t have companies specialising in campaigning and we don’t see parties investing substantial amounts of time, effort and cash in newer, unproven avenues.

Politics in Ireland is still trapped in the conservative, traditional structure of the last fifty years. It is changing, but slowly. I’ve seen the massive gains that come from even minimal engagement online (through national media contacts I’d never have made as a simple town councillor), and I’ve also seen how reticent other politicians are to open up to these opportunities.

Campaigns (and parties) are run by the elder statesmen, who are more than happy to continue with the same methods that got them elected in the seventies, eighties and nineties. We saw that last week with Lisbon (although there was a single glimmer of hope from FF in that campaign - http://url.ie/gmq )

Apologies for the rambling comment!