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It seems that UK Parliamentary staff are not following in the footsteps of tweeting, blogging MPs, eschewing online resources as they go about their political lives.

New research by Edelman has revealed that, when compared to their counterparts in the US Congress, the European Parliament, the German Bundestag, and the French Assembly, UK Parliamentary staff consider digital communication to be the least effective. Only 47 per cent said that they used blogs for researching policy issues on a weekly basis (compared with 68 per cent in the US Congress and 47 per cent in the EU Parliament).

It appears that Parliamentary staff are wary of more recent forms of digital communication. Whilst 87 per cent considered websites to be effective, only 38 per cent held blogging in the same regard, and a mere 18 per cent considered micro-blogging, using sites like twitter, an effective means of communicating information to constituents.

These findings are surprising, particularly considering the emphasis the parties and MPs themselves are placing on the internet as the election draws near. The recent launch of the MyConservative website and Kerry McCarthy’s promotion to ‘twitter Tsar’ demonstrate an appreciation of the internet as a tremendous campaigning tool. Indeed, Joe Trippi comments in this month’s issue of Total Politics on how this formidable tool should be used.

Surely Parliamentary staff must also consider how they can better use the potential of the internet to reach, engage, and get information from the electorate as they go about their work in Westminster.

(Photo: Getty Images)