Wired conference

This conference has so much gadgetry, it looks more like the Apple store in Regent Street. You can’t move without someone tapping away on a pda or laptop computer. I’ve managed to find a tiny corner of the conference hall to blog my observations of the event.

Today, Ed Miliband will be outlining proposals to completely reform the way the Labour party makes policy. They might not be of huge interest to the outside world, but for Labour activists it marks a big shift in culture.

Power will be decentralised to individual members and our national policy forum. There will be an obligation on local parties to consult community and civiv groups. And our draft manifesto will be put to our members in a one member one vote ballot. Political parties are often held together by tradition and sentiment, so to change the way we do things is always hard, but it will be worth it in the end.

And for bloggers, I suspect the duty to consult will not just be limited to the physical world. Expect to see new ways to participating in policy making in cyber space. That is of course, if the reforms are passed later today.