20 March 2006

David Miliband MP has become the first minister to launch his very own blog in an attempt to get the public interested in politics.

The minister for communities and local government has finally put his blog live where he will attempt to outline what he's doing politically and what is currently shaping and influencing his ideas.

He is hoping the blog will help bridge the "growing and potentially dangerous gap between politicians and the public".

The site is being hosted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which reserves the right to either edit or not publish comments posted on the stories.

It will also be monitored by the Hansard Society as part of a Department for Constitutional Affairs investigation into how ICT is being used by central government to reach the public.

Mr Miliband has been working on the blog for a few months within his department, but it has only now been deemed ready to go live.

However, some of the early comments posted on the online journal suggest that some are sceptical about how much Mr Miliband is expressing his personal opinions, given that a central government body supports the blog.

His efforts to get the public talking about politics come just as a new report reveals the extent of political apathy and exclusion in society.

A report by the Electoral Commission and the Hansard Society has revealed that 14 per cent of the UK population have no interest in politics, while almost 20 per cent said they had no desire to have their say about the way the country is being run.

© Adfero Ltd

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