Greens embrace web in Obama-style campaign

The Greens have embraced Barack Obama-style technology to woo tech-savvy voters in June’s local and European elections.

Candidates are using live blogs and interactive micro-sites as well as streaming campaign data onto YouTube and social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

European Parliament hopeful Deirdre de Burca is using a mobile vox-pop video booth where people can record their views on topical issues.

Proceedings from this weekend’s three-day convention in Co Wexford are being streamed live onto the party’s website so people can watch and listen from their laptops or 3G mobile phones.

A dedicated election micro-site is being hosted on the party’s main website.

The Greens are also the first Irish political party to sign up to MiCandidate - an EU-wide online database for hopefuls running in the local and European elections.

Party strategists also run viral video competitions on eco issues to attract further engagement from members of the public.

The party’s new media advisor Martin Leathem was hired by the Greens in December to boost the hi-tech know-how of candidates ahead of the elections.

The Greens have embraced the internet from its early days. Leader John Gormley had the first email address in Leinster House in the 1990s while TD Ciaran Cuffe is a long-time blogger.

Mr Leathem, who has worked with UK government agencies, has closely followed the success of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in the US.

“Obama used the internet to assemble a huge team of volunteers who raised donations, knocked on doors or cold-called potential voters,” he said.

“The internet is a very effective aid to campaigning. It is free, has limit-less potential and it cuts down on the time and money used in producing flyers and posters.”

He added: “But of course it doesn’t replace the physical act of candidates engaging in person with potential voters.”

The Greens have raised €13,000 in the past six months in online donations alone.

Co Leitrim local election candidate Garreth McDaid, who works as a web developer, has embraced all forms of internet technology to boost his own campaign.

Mr McDaid, 37, is also registered on Google Adword, which displays his campaign ad when somebody searches for information on Co Leitrim.

“I have had a blog since 2007. Internet tools allow you to connect with hundreds of people, including young people, on an hourly and daily basis,” he said.