Its also both ethno- and geo-centric of you to suggest that blogging to some extent remedies this ‘problem’. What about people wishing to keep up to date with how the Labour Party are taking a hand in foreign affairs? Many people abroad, in the very countries directly impacted by Labour Politics (Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel etc), may not be able to afford a computer, may have to rely on paper (amazing, I know). These are just a few of the many glaringly obvious problems with your proposal. And these problems are inherent to the culture of blogging.

Blogging is simply an extension of the ‘pub philosopher’, seen literally in the case of the Euston manifesto. It has positive aspects, allowing people to communicate from diverse backgrounds and cultures, share information easily, meet friends etc. but of late is running counter to many of these positive attributes through the establishment of myopic, predetermined and culturally limited cliques. Some people reductively refer to this as ‘geekery’ but I disagree, it’s much more dangerous than that. You have eloquently identified the very reason for this danger in your post. ‘Bloggers’, as a culture, work from second hand information. I’m not talking about people who blog as a residual activity of work that is directly political, scholastic, theoretical, e.g. scholars. I’m referring to the person who - not because of laziness - but because of time, cannot do the necessary work required to speak with any authority on infinitely complex political debates.

Manifestos died with Modernism for the very reason that they didn’t take into account views beyond a very esoteric and elitist group. Pound’s disregard for pulp literature of the day and anything seen as formally incorrect etc. were ligated from the avant garde and depried of a voice amongst the people who made decisions. Today we have the reverse. Blogging has become such an alternative, pulpy, sub-cultural stodge that it is beginning to assume an identity which it considers above the populous. Your post supports this when you speak so egotistically of bloggers being better ‘equipped’. The ironic thing is that people who didn’t read blogs wouldn’t be subjected to that asinine assertion and you could feel justified in it on account of fellow bloggers praise.

I do not intend to attack you personally. Its the logic of your assertions perpetrated from a miniscule and inherently self-righteous platform. I care if you can’t be bothered to read the government documents and policies from scratch as this is the only way you’ll ever be able to comment on these issues. The information is out there, believe me, it’s the internet for goodness sake…use it properly!

As you probably know, I tried to defend ID cards (and failed). It was very difficult to get hold of the information. It may well be that the technical concerns and cost problems are over-exagerated by NO2ID but with the government being so secretive about the figures it is impossible to know.