Case Study: Damien Green, MP

Damian Green, MP

Damian Green is the sitting member of the House of Commons for the constituency of Ashford. He has been representing that constituency since 1997. Currently, he is serving as the Shadow Minister for Immigration. Here is the link to his website (pops up in a new window).

You must be wondering “what case study is this?“

If you notice the tags and the category, you would realise what the idea is all about. Basically, I’m conducting a market research to offer my copywriting/corporate writing services to members of Parliament (either the Dewan Rakyat or the Dewan Negara) and the respective State Assemblies. Now this case study on Damian Green, MP is actually a case study on his presence in Cyberspace. The findings will enter my proposal paper on the proper services and packages which I can offer these public figures and other who require the same.

The Website, Blog

Damian’s website, if you notice on the left hand column, is arrange for an easy navigation. The pages in this website includes the homepage, the About Damian, About Ashford, Local Issues, Local News, Events, Views, Parliament, Links and, last but not least, the Contact page. Simple layout. Again, I am a corporate writer, design - though influences the final outcome -  is not my area. I deal with web content, its development and maintenance. What becomes my concern is the words employed. Its arrangement and layout.

Remember, Damian’s website is targets his constituents as well as others who would be interested in his work. For example, his performance as Shadow Minister for Immigration. What policies is he promoting and what are the ones he oppose. If you notice, he also has a blog (Link). Again, this is one way how constituents can monitor the progress of their MP, in this case Mr. Green.

Post-March 8, 2008

Now let us relate to the scenario in Malaysia. Today, we have 222 MPs and over half a thousand State Assembly Members. We know that the Internet played a role during the last General Elections. Some MPs had their own blog since back then. Some are just registering their own. At least one, Abdul Kadir Jasin (though not an MP), published parts of his blog and sold them for RM15.00! Talk about making money. Clearly, a web presence for MPs and ADUNs, especially, are necessary.

Some MPs barely get coverage in the national media. Others have their face on the telly for the wrong reasons. Reasons which, eventually, cloud their past contributions. Other than the Hansard, there is no way of keeping a tab on these public figures. Yes, they have their ‘report cards’ which is published ever so often. But the public certainly needs more information on how to contact their representatives.

Electorate Communication

To say that websites are the is-all and end-all form of communicating with the public is misleading. The Members of Parliament and their State counterparts still need to communicate with their electorate and constituents. After all, not all MPs are from the urban areas. Not all constituents have Internet access.

Snail mail and emails have to be drafted. Brochures and pamphlets needs to be written. In certain instances, booklets and books need to be written! Not to mention the reports… Strictly speaking, an MP’s writing task is like a goldmine. Have we forgotten the speeches?

Though they have their staff, unfortunately each of them have just two hands. They can only do so much. If the Representative is to spend his time on the writing tasks, what about time for his family and the community? What about debates in Parliament?

Case Study Continued

I will conduct further study. Damian’s website is not sufficient. I will be examining British 3 MPs and 3 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The findings and data collected would be used to draw up relevant services and packages tailored to the needs of each client-MP or ADUN.