Huh?

Political columnist Chris Trotter has used his Internet blog to dismiss the Internet as a useful tool for engaging in political discussion.

No, I am not making this up.

Trotter's been writing a lot about Labour lately. He appears disillusioned with the party, and I suspect part of his problem is that innovations such as OpenLabourNZ are threatening the non-inclusive style of left-wing politicking he is used to. Clearly, the hoi polloi can't be trusted to come up with anything useful, so they must be ignored in favour of appointed elites who know better.

The Internet is a wonderful tool for getting people engaged in politics. Red Alert is a good example of a site where the punter can engage the politician directly, without having to go to a public meeting (to be fair, I'm not sure how well Red Alert would work if Labour were the party in power).

And the irony of someone who uses the media to pedal his views of the world will be lost on few. If Chris Trotter can use the Internet to explore and exchange ideas, why can't a political party?

If Trotter wants to be consistent, he might like to turn his computer off, put the pen down, and stop turning up on the radio. I'm sure everything he has to say can be said in person.