A new social networking website has been set up to encourage people to lobby their local politicians online and propose new ideas.
Digital Democracy automatically puts users in touch with others in the same area, letting them band together to vote on issues and get their voices heard.
Following a pilot trial in the North East of England, the website has now opened today nationwide. John Elmer, founder of the website told the PRSD: “I started digital democracy because I was fed up with how little say our communities have over the decisions that affect our everyday lives.
“Digital Democracy lets you put your ideas directly to the people who make the decisions and challenges them to respond to the issues that you decide are the most important.”
To begin with, only MPs will be able to be lobbied, however, there are plans to expand this to councillors and Euro-MPs. South West MEP Graham Watson has already requested a profile on the site and is encouraging people to visit.
He said: “The recent uprisings in the Arab world were able to grow in part down to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in order for demonstrators to organise gatherings.
“And whilst these networks are good for sharing pictures and bringing people together, to have a site that links citizens directly to their politicians can only be a good thing for democracy. From an EU perspective, I also hope this will encourage debate on Britain’s role in Europe and help raise awareness.
“Liberty and freedom work best when people regularly use them and I hope politicians and constituents will make the most of this opportunity.”
(from a press release)
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