The challenge – in terms of Labour messaging in the run-up to any election – is to find a way for individual constituent MPs to hit their individual constituents; the playground mums community that have long ago given up buying their local evening paper and will ‘source’ their news via FaceBook pals, the MumsNet messageboards etc… none of whom, I suspect, will ever stumble across LabourList.

The kit, the theory and the people are there to do it. Charlie Clarke videoboos his postcode-tagged ‘message’ once a week into http://www.mylocalwriter.com/norwich/nr2 – puts his face, his thoughts and his election hopes right in the midst of that playground electorate… and his Tory rival for Norwich South videoboos the same… as does every other Labour MP into his own constituency. That’s the kind of digital reaching out that, IMHO, took Obama to the White House, more than a LabourList might.

LL really is just for the choir and obviously partisan with a touch of elitist.

How is this going to help win against the Tories? I don’t get it. I don’t get the proposition.

And was the Huffpost comparison suggested by them? Now a UK version of that would be a good idea …

This community would be more resilient to that kind of thing if enough bloggers stood against it, regardless of side.

The alternative is to spend most of the next general election campaign all yelling ‘sock puppet’ at each other. That’s a playing field where true bastards flourish, Tom. I fret about that sometimes.

Just to clarify, the “dubious means” quote wasn’t about you. It was about a small number of people who went ballistic online when I resigned. Long story, best forgotten.

3&4. First day at work? He’s been embarrassing himself and your party since he first started sniffing around Staines. And he’s had plenty of chances.

If I’m ever responsible for “dubious means of online engagement” in future, please do speak up and object to any specifics that alarm you. Ditto if you find yourself the victim of same, and I’m not there to help.

And the prospect of David Cameron winning the next election has been a factor for at least a year. I still question the timing of this latest charm offensive.

I also reserve the right to be offended by it.

What little Draper knows, he learned from watching a neighbourhood full of blog-cheats in action. He’s playing a rigged game, while claiming to be a representative of all that is right and good about blogging.

The impact of this goes beyond the private property under his control, especially if his intention is to become a major channel… and it becomes something of a priority to me personally when he and his ‘professional’ associates decide to address my concerns by bad-mouthing me online or around the village.

If that’s the way he’s going to play ball, I’m going to be playing against him no matter which side he claims to be on.

I don’t know you but so far you’ve done nothing but winge and say you are voting Lib Dem.

Morrisons was a a generalisation that included the playing of Super Mario Galaxy, castles and dinosaurs and then extended to a union conference and lunch in Birmingham. It’s a two kids/busy job thing.

1. At the end of the day it’s his site. The terms of debate are down to him to set, and from experience, it is hard to be precise about how you deal with comments. He’s new to this stuff though and it’s going to take time for the site to settle down.

2. Agreed.

3 & 4. Yes, I saw that, though you did kind of grab him by the lapels on his first day at work. You usually give the bad people a bit of friendly advice and then a warning before they get the ‘treatment’. His response was to dismiss you, which under the circumstances, was a mistake.

As you know, I have on occasion, been the subject of online attack from some of the “New Labour warriors” you identify. Some of those New Labour warriors have in the past, vented their anger with me using the comment section of this site, their blogs, as well as more dubious means of online engagement. In fact, I’ve been told that one new media specialist was organising the “blogs of war” at one point in recent history.

So I don’t think it’s a new “morally defensible position” that established a loose alliance of Labour bloggers now. I think it is the prospect of David Cameron winning the next election.

I know you don’t really want David Cameron to win the next election.

So as George Mitchell famously said, there is no conflict that cannot be ended. Why not help him get the site right?

He did, and as far as I can tell, still does call it a blog – I’m with Tim, if it isn’t a blog stop calling it one.

I know that I am critical of this Labour government, and that is because I don’t see them as a Labour government – yet it is true that Miliband has refurbished the old site to make it anew. And still you see that you cannot be critical of this government on either site – how is that ‘engaging’ the population, Tom?

OK – YOU have to follow the party line, that is understandable, though not what I would expect. You have a constituency that you should be representing – not the party line, but that is another debate.

LabourList and sites like that are no more than a place to slap the governments/party members back. Is that how you really want to engage the public, Tom?

At least I have to give credit where credit is due – you eventually publish comments on here. Time withstanding.

Draper does not – and that is his “blogs” failing – and his.