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The website, which was devised and designed by the Labour Party's new media agency Tangent One, plays out an instant messaging conversation between leader of the opposition and frontbenchers George Osborne, Oliver Letwin and William Hague.
Cameron opens the meeting writing "Hi all. this is our 1st online shadow cabinet meeting -- the PR guys say its a gr8 way to show we r totally modern. Anyway, we need a plan on this economy stuff."
During the conversation, the Tories discuss ways in which to deal with the economic downturn.
They fail to suggest any valid solution and end up agreeing to blame everything on Gordon Brown.
The conversation dialogue was drafted by the Labour Party.
At the bottom of the website, the Labour Party goes on to slate Cameron and his "schoolboy errors".
The site has been designed to be linked to websites and Facebook profiles.
Greg Jackson, chief executive of Tangent One, said: "It's great to work with the Labour Party because they are so open to using the web creatively to communicate their messages.
"They realise that people increasingly live their lives online, and this is a highly effective way to communicate with an audience they might have struggled to target in the past.
"While these campaigns are beginning to make a real splash in the world of online politics, we're really only scratching the surface of bringing mass participation politics online and we're tremendously excited about the opportunities to be realised in the very near future."
This spoof follows another that ran on Labour's website in November 2008, which featured the imagined policy ramblings of Cameron in his schoolboy exercise book.
Comments
Not a fan of this kind of politics. Schoolboy tactics from Labour, I'm sorry to say as I've always voted Labour, and still will but grow up boys, haven't you got more important things to be spending your time, and money, on?
I'd like to know that we have a mature and balanced Party in charge that don't sink to sniping at others. Aren't you supposed to be above all this behaviour? Not impressed.
And politicians wonder why people don't take them seriously! It's only taken a couple of decades for politicians on The Muppet Show to become muppets in real life. What next? Gordon Brown parachutes into Big Brother? Ed Balls appears on Celebrity Come Dancing? Politicians are politicians and need to stick to serious agendas. Slagging off the opposition in this way is the sign of a tired old government that knows it's going to lose the next election. It further demeans all politicians and makes their own jobs harder for the future. It also says that Brits don't listen to any message unless it's humorous and soaked in cynicism. I find that both sad and condescending. Farcebook!!
This pretty much sums it up for me- the Tories are useless snipers and Labour are so arrogant they believe blaming Gordon Brown- whose policies on banking regulation actively contributed to the current economic woe- as a school boy error by the Conservatives.
I'll never vote for either on the basis of this type of positioning.
Muppets indeed!
I agree with Susan. This is puerile stuff, depressingly reminiscent of the failed 'toff' tactics in one of last year's by-elections. It does nothing for the reputation of politicians. The spoof is a self indulgent exercise, featuring in-jokes, to be savoured by the Westminster village. No-one else. Pathetic.
It isn't hard to see why the Labour Party is so badly in debt, if they waste their money on this kind of thing. The idea is dreadful...using teenage-speak to criticise the Tories in areas of complex and serious economics simply demeans the intelligence of those who will be voting at the next election...and almost certainly not for Gordon Brown.
This says more about the Labour Party than it does about the Tories
Money well spent at a time like this.
How boring...
It's funny how the Guardian thinks this is the best political use of new media in the UK, whilst Brand Republic readers are less impressed. The Labour, LibDem and Tory blogospheres have also been pretty receptive - this suggests that the divide is not between left and right but between political people and brand people. Personally, I think it's great to see some life being kicked into online campaigning. It's really like a digital version of traditional political cartooning - lampooning combined with a serious message \(and, in the Osborne/Clarke comments really twisting a political knife).
Sure, the script is mixed \(but in places really very funny and insightful), and the creative execution is excellent- tidy and witty. Also, you can't argue with the amount of coverage online. The key thing now is to see if they can continue to up the campaigns and bring them evermore into the mainstream.
So, how is the job at Tangent One progressing Karl?
Hmm, interesting stuff. I was in agreement with all comments up until I read Karl's, and now I'm not so sure. It does seem like the online equivalent of the paper waving and jeering you see in the commons \(which i hate), but during these times of economic doom and gloom isn't it good to have a little bit of fun? On the flip side we still need out country's leaders to be serious to guide us through. Therefore I'm undecided on this. It's certainly raised an interesting debate among the online community, so Tangent One would probably argue that it's a job well done.
Political satire is nothing new - we've seen it for centuries and often it is the tart jibe that hits home harder and gets to the truth of an issue or target better than all the debates and policy papers. All political hues have dabbled in this kind of stuff. It only really works \(as with any form of attack / negative campaigning, if the focus of the attack message has a) a basis of truth in it and b) plays to a target audiences existing assumptions/views, thereby reinforcing them. Oh, and it actually has to have a punch \(either an emotive or genuinely humorous one).
What Tangent and Labour seem to have done is apply a well-trodden formula; and they done it rather well - certainly better than past attempts. I think this is mainly due to the fact that Labour has got better in the last 6 months at honing the right attack message and because it/Tangent has come up with some clever ideas/online techniques for brining them to life
I think the important thing to retain here is a sense of perspective, which seems to have been discarded by some of those who have commented. It is hardly the case that some light hearted satire spells the end of serious political dialogue in this country, nor does it indicate that leading politicians are moronic.
As Ghassan points out, satire is not new, and whether or not one finds the jokes funny, the liberty of all those involved in our political system to mercilessly mock each other is exactly what keeps people on their toes and aids the prevention of policy blunders. Not only that but it provides an important safeguard against the encroaching development of a humourless police state.
Pathetic. Grow up, boys! This might be light-hearted satire, but there are more important things to get set straight at the moment. I think I speak for many of joe public out there - we don't care about your insular internal mentality and scoolboy jibes... our democracy is worth far more than the sum of the politicians put together and you would do well to take yourselves down a peg or two and remember this! Get in touch with the public's feelings for real - we are sick of seeing our hard-earned cash thrown away on your huge expense bills & ridiculous campaigns like this so please for once reassure us that you are spending your time thinking about what we are paying you to do.
Was this supposed to go viral?
While it's good to see that new labour are embracing new media, I'm sure they could be spending money better elsewhere - nothing new there then!
same old same old strategy that probably has them giggling in the House of Commons bars
Comments
Susan Billinge - 08/01/2009
Not a fan of this kind of politics. Schoolboy tactics from Labour, I'm sorry to say as I've always voted Labour, and still will but grow up boys, haven't you got more important things to be spending your time, and money, on? I'd like to know that we have a mature and balanced Party in charge that don't sink to sniping at others. Aren't you supposed to be above all this behaviour? Not impressed.
Mark Griffiths - 08/01/2009
And politicians wonder why people don't take them seriously! It's only taken a couple of decades for politicians on The Muppet Show to become muppets in real life. What next? Gordon Brown parachutes into Big Brother? Ed Balls appears on Celebrity Come Dancing? Politicians are politicians and need to stick to serious agendas. Slagging off the opposition in this way is the sign of a tired old government that knows it's going to lose the next election. It further demeans all politicians and makes their own jobs harder for the future. It also says that Brits don't listen to any message unless it's humorous and soaked in cynicism. I find that both sad and condescending. Farcebook!!
David Pearce - 08/01/2009
This pretty much sums it up for me- the Tories are useless snipers and Labour are so arrogant they believe blaming Gordon Brown- whose policies on banking regulation actively contributed to the current economic woe- as a school boy error by the Conservatives. I'll never vote for either on the basis of this type of positioning. Muppets indeed!
CHRIS BARRACLOUGH - 08/01/2009
I agree with Susan. This is puerile stuff, depressingly reminiscent of the failed 'toff' tactics in one of last year's by-elections. It does nothing for the reputation of politicians. The spoof is a self indulgent exercise, featuring in-jokes, to be savoured by the Westminster village. No-one else. Pathetic.
Richard Webster - 08/01/2009
It isn't hard to see why the Labour Party is so badly in debt, if they waste their money on this kind of thing. The idea is dreadful...using teenage-speak to criticise the Tories in areas of complex and serious economics simply demeans the intelligence of those who will be voting at the next election...and almost certainly not for Gordon Brown.
Rushna Waseem - 08/01/2009
This says more about the Labour Party than it does about the Tories
Fiona Berry - 08/01/2009
Money well spent at a time like this. How boring...
Karl Maxwell - 08/01/2009
It's funny how the Guardian thinks this is the best political use of new media in the UK, whilst Brand Republic readers are less impressed. The Labour, LibDem and Tory blogospheres have also been pretty receptive - this suggests that the divide is not between left and right but between political people and brand people. Personally, I think it's great to see some life being kicked into online campaigning. It's really like a digital version of traditional political cartooning - lampooning combined with a serious message \(and, in the Osborne/Clarke comments really twisting a political knife). Sure, the script is mixed \(but in places really very funny and insightful), and the creative execution is excellent- tidy and witty. Also, you can't argue with the amount of coverage online. The key thing now is to see if they can continue to up the campaigns and bring them evermore into the mainstream.
Andrew Nicholson - 08/01/2009
So, how is the job at Tangent One progressing Karl?
Greg Felgate - 08/01/2009
Hmm, interesting stuff. I was in agreement with all comments up until I read Karl's, and now I'm not so sure. It does seem like the online equivalent of the paper waving and jeering you see in the commons \(which i hate), but during these times of economic doom and gloom isn't it good to have a little bit of fun? On the flip side we still need out country's leaders to be serious to guide us through. Therefore I'm undecided on this. It's certainly raised an interesting debate among the online community, so Tangent One would probably argue that it's a job well done.
GHASSAN KARIAN - 08/01/2009
Political satire is nothing new - we've seen it for centuries and often it is the tart jibe that hits home harder and gets to the truth of an issue or target better than all the debates and policy papers. All political hues have dabbled in this kind of stuff. It only really works \(as with any form of attack / negative campaigning, if the focus of the attack message has a) a basis of truth in it and b) plays to a target audiences existing assumptions/views, thereby reinforcing them. Oh, and it actually has to have a punch \(either an emotive or genuinely humorous one). What Tangent and Labour seem to have done is apply a well-trodden formula; and they done it rather well - certainly better than past attempts. I think this is mainly due to the fact that Labour has got better in the last 6 months at honing the right attack message and because it/Tangent has come up with some clever ideas/online techniques for brining them to life
Leonard Castle - 08/01/2009
I think the important thing to retain here is a sense of perspective, which seems to have been discarded by some of those who have commented. It is hardly the case that some light hearted satire spells the end of serious political dialogue in this country, nor does it indicate that leading politicians are moronic. As Ghassan points out, satire is not new, and whether or not one finds the jokes funny, the liberty of all those involved in our political system to mercilessly mock each other is exactly what keeps people on their toes and aids the prevention of policy blunders. Not only that but it provides an important safeguard against the encroaching development of a humourless police state.
Helen Coult - 12/01/2009
Pathetic. Grow up, boys! This might be light-hearted satire, but there are more important things to get set straight at the moment. I think I speak for many of joe public out there - we don't care about your insular internal mentality and scoolboy jibes... our democracy is worth far more than the sum of the politicians put together and you would do well to take yourselves down a peg or two and remember this! Get in touch with the public's feelings for real - we are sick of seeing our hard-earned cash thrown away on your huge expense bills & ridiculous campaigns like this so please for once reassure us that you are spending your time thinking about what we are paying you to do.
james vanderzee - 13/01/2009
Was this supposed to go viral?
While it's good to see that new labour are embracing new media, I'm sure they could be spending money better elsewhere - nothing new there then!
charlie robertson - 30/01/2009
same old same old strategy that probably has them giggling in the House of Commons bars