It's not often I will criticise my party in public but we have really got to pull our finger out over our presence on the web, especially as it is estimated that we only have four active bloggers (and I am one of those!).
This despite having a significant presence by individual Welsh conservatives on networking sites such as Facebook.
It is disappointing that only Nick Bourne has a blog presence amongst our AMs and that Glyn Davies (who started his blog when down in Cardiff Bay) is the sole parliamentary candidate with an active blog. As far as I know, not one of our councillors is currently blogging.
Many will say that they don't have the time to do this but we are all busy people and one of our hardest working shadow ministers, David Jones MP, makes the effort to blog nearly every day.
Others will say that there is nothing to write about, so why do I get at least ten press releases every day from the Welsh party?
Some have told me that it is a waste of time because the blogosphere is not read by locals i.e. voters and yet blogs such as Oscar's Thoughts in Conwy are regularly commented upon by local Tories.
More importantly, the press - both local and national - will do regular trawls of blogs to look for new stories.
It is time for every councillor, candidate, AM and MP to reconsider their presence on the web in Wales.
David Cameron has led the way with innovations such as webcameron and I would argue that, at a UK level, we are the best advocate of the use of the web as a communications tool and there is no reason not to do the same in Wales.
C'mon, Welsh Conservatives, we can do better than this!
Update: My better half pointed out to me that I forgot to mention Stephen Crabb's excellent website - apologies!
This despite having a significant presence by individual Welsh conservatives on networking sites such as Facebook.
It is disappointing that only Nick Bourne has a blog presence amongst our AMs and that Glyn Davies (who started his blog when down in Cardiff Bay) is the sole parliamentary candidate with an active blog. As far as I know, not one of our councillors is currently blogging.
Many will say that they don't have the time to do this but we are all busy people and one of our hardest working shadow ministers, David Jones MP, makes the effort to blog nearly every day.
Others will say that there is nothing to write about, so why do I get at least ten press releases every day from the Welsh party?
Some have told me that it is a waste of time because the blogosphere is not read by locals i.e. voters and yet blogs such as Oscar's Thoughts in Conwy are regularly commented upon by local Tories.
More importantly, the press - both local and national - will do regular trawls of blogs to look for new stories.
It is time for every councillor, candidate, AM and MP to reconsider their presence on the web in Wales.
David Cameron has led the way with innovations such as webcameron and I would argue that, at a UK level, we are the best advocate of the use of the web as a communications tool and there is no reason not to do the same in Wales.
C'mon, Welsh Conservatives, we can do better than this!
Update: My better half pointed out to me that I forgot to mention Stephen Crabb's excellent website - apologies!
Comments
I think they radically undersetimate the power of the blogs. Ordinary people do read them and write them.
Its a very real way of connecting with the electorate, media and each other.
This is the new communication channel ,kust look at the hits that the blogs get.
As you said make time , we are all busy people, but surely half an hour a day can be found. Come on you Blues :>)
Not sure if that is good or bad??
On balance i would say bad!!
come back Dylan, we need you out and about!!
As to having more Tory bloggers...well I'm not really with you on that. I prefer those with something less 'on message' to say. Blue as in the sense of pornographic? I don't think so ... though I might have a look!
Its all really confusing - you see you have so many hats, don't you?
One day you are writing as a "serious" economist with no political agenda in the Western Mail.
The next day you are speaking as a "serious" Tory with a MASSIVE political agenda in the Daily Post.
So to help me with my confusion, could you answer me this please?
Are you an economist who happens to be a Tory, or a Tory who happens to be an economist?
The reason why this is important is, when you make speeches like the guff you spouted at the Eisteddfod recently as the Chair of the Welsh Conservatives’ Economic Development Commission (an oxymoron if ever there was one), its important that readers of the newspapers you write for, understand FULLY where you are coming from.
Currently, you not being exactly transparent are you?
I would have thought you of all people, would have learnt the lessons your Thatcherite idols like Minford, Congdon and Walters - all of whom slipped into total obscurity once the cycle moved on.
As you know all too well, in a couple of years time your views too will become completely irrelevant and proved utterly wrong - so come clean - will the REAL DJ-E please stand up!
What about individuals such as Prof Kevin Morgan (Labour), Prof. Brian Morgan (Labour), Prof Mervyn Jones (Labour), Prof Phil Cook (Plaid), Prof Richard Wyn Jones (Plaid) Prof Laura Macalister (Plaid), I could go on...
None of these are ever mentioned by their party links so you may be obsessing a bit here with DJE who, like any other individual in this country, is allowed to be a member of any political party.
Political academics are the norm, not the exception, although not many are members of the Conservatives!
Finally, everyone knows that the prof is a Tory, although you seem to be the only sad bastard who is obsessed with it.
Get over it and get a life.
I, for one, am looking forward to the economic commission's report as they couldn't do any worse than the current shower.
The fact remains, you Tories are still not trusted on the economy nor economics. It doesn't matter whether you call yourselves Professors, Prospective Parliamentary Candidates or columnists - the voters STILL don't trust you.
Your analysis was flawed in the nineties and it remains flawed today :-)
Read this bit slowly, so you understand it fully.....
Your sums don't add up and the moment you start fleshing out your policies, the calculators will start to smash large black holes in your spending plans.
That's what won it for Labour in 2001 and 2005 and it will in 2010 also :-)
If you disagree - don't fire back abuse - tell us how much you intend to cut tax rates by and how you intend to pay for it???? :-)
The silence is already deafening.....
Obviously it is a bit quiet in the Labour Office down in Cardiff Bay if they've got time to post comments on blogs instead of giving advice to their masters on how to stop the Welsh economy from declining even further.
As Milton Freidman says, there aren't many people in Wales who read my articles who don't know my political affiliations. As for my politics in the press, the editors of the Daily Post and the Western Mail seem ok with it too. It just seems that you have an issue and I wonder why? You don’t have to read my articles, although you seem a bit of a fan :)
Anon is right as well, Labour seems to be doing their best to have undermine anybody who disagrees with them but not through any rational debate but with innuendo, anonymous blogging and complaints to networking sites. It's sad when a once great party actually employs people who seem determined to drag their reputation through the gutter. I suppose you should expect nothing less from a party that had a 82 year old thrown out of their annual conference for disagreeing with the Iraq War.
Dr Hayek – I am happy to bet £100 on the outcome of the next election if you want to, and anytime you want a debate on the economy and your party’s record here in Wales, name the time and the place. But don't do it under the cloud of anonymity, it just makes you look like bit of a gutless prick.
What do I get? Political dialogue? No - just abuse? Same old Tories!
You tell me your policies and then explain how you will pay for it Prof!
Want a bet, I would rather trust Dylan, David Melding and their colleagues than the labour shower and their advisors. Just look at what they are doing to Business Support, its disgrace and will kill off any enterprise if it dares raise its head.
I am no Tory in fact I am a dyed in the wool socialist, but I can see where the experience knowledge and favour for the Welsh Economy and its not from the Labour Plaid lot.
Are you paid to rant at Dylan?
Dylan is undertaking a review for the WELSH Conservatives regarding ASSEMBLY policies.
The Tories will pay for policies in exactly the same way as Labour or Plaid - from the block grant. The Welsh Assembly can't cut or raise taxes. Their decision, which I am sure they will point out before the next election in 2011, is where and how they spend the money.
Ironically, it is the same challenge now facing Andrew Davies due to the lower settlement from Westminster.
Gutless prick is a tad unfair - stupid ignorant prick is a bit more accurate.
The Welsh blogs salute you!