Last October Demos launched a report tracking the explosion of audio-visual creativity online, the emerging 'Video Republic'. We looked at some of the consequences for politics and democracy as we know it, arguing that politicians need to find meaningful ways of connecting to this new public sphere of debate and comment.

But I'm not quite sure that this was what we had in mind... Gordon Brown has taken shaky steps into the Video Republic before (check out Ask the PM) but this is the first time he has used the medium for a major announcement. In a video on the Number 10 website an unnervingly smiley Brown lays out the plans for an overhaul of MP's expenses. Meanwhile Alistair Darling's offering provides us with a 'behind the scenes' glimpse of Budget preparation on Youtube.

Somewhat predictably both efforts have been mauled on the blogosphere. They share one major shortcoming - the sense of a staged, over-spun message. This is a medium where authenticity is mandatory (and so, actually, is humour), the most successful vloggers we met had both of these things in spades.

Televised debates between JFK and Nixon in the 60s famously cemented the central position of TV in politics, as Nixon turned off millions of voters with a wooden and edgy performance. Will Youtube end playing a similarly central role? Politicians such as Obama have already reaped the rewards of mastering online video, but it seems British politicians have yet to get the picture. 

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