Labour and the thorny issue of communication

What is it with the Labour party and its elected members in this area that they seem so reluctant to engage with the public or even to pass on their views – unless through the pages of the taxpayer funded council website or newspaper?

It has never been easier to communicate with people than it is now.  Social media makes it instant –you can express opinions and ask questions via websites, twitter, Facebook.   So why don’t they?

Maybe they have no valid opinions to express, or they think their opinions will be too unpopular. Perhaps they are afraid to engage because they do not like taking the flak for any decisions?  After all a number of Cabinet members flatly refused to attend public meetings to discuss the nursery education and other cuts.

RCT Labour took down their website some months ago – the one with all the Council manifesto promises they have since broken.  Their new one has been under construction for months.

Twitter seems to be an unknown phenomenon as far as the vast majority of Labour councillors are concerned, and none appear to run open Facebook pages.

 

The MPs and AMs websites are lacking in any useful information, and certainly any opinion on local matters.  Leighton Andrews tweets more about Cardiff City and football than he does about the Rhondda, whilst Mike Antoniw’s is distinctly lacking in any news of the Pontypridd constituency he purports to represent.  Chris Chapman doesn’t even appear to have one.

Maybe in their arrogance they don’t think they need to communicate too much with their public – after all they will surely continue to blindly vote Labour.  The Councillors can rely on the ‘Outlook’ magazine to force their propaganda down people’s throats.  They don’t actually want to go telling people what they really think now do they?  If that is they really are capable of any independent thought.