Apparently, it’s the Mamamia Election. Plus, who would you vote for today?

Flipping through trade journal AdNews recently, my eye was caught by the following headline:  It’s a Mamamia Election. Underneath was a column written by the most powerful man in the advertising industry Harold Mitchell on the way social network users are changing the way politicians interact with voters and how political parties can’t afford to ignore the online world.

In particular, he mentioned Mamamia and how you all are going to be hugely influential come election time. Did you hear that? More about you in a moment.

Keep reading even though this is about politics. I promise it’s interesting.

Harold Mitchell is the executive chairman at Mitchell Communication Group and he noted that in the recent UK election, political parties have their ad budgets capped at $29m per party (WHAT A GREAT IDEA THAT IS). And – wait for it – the conservatives (our version of Liberal) spend half of that, Labour only half and the Liberal Democrats almost nothing. Instead, much of the capmpaigning activity was directed towards digital media, notably social media.

Of the UK election, Harold Mitchell writes….

“ In the UK, one of the biggest social networking arenas for this group is the online forum this election was called the Mumsnet election. Mumsnet has 1.5 million monthly unique users. All major political spokespeople took the opportunity to participate in live web chats with the Mumsnet audience including the three main leaders, other minor parties, as well as shadow and serving ministers.

The Mums net live web chats are known to be gruelling affairs. They are unmoderated and unstructured. Importantly, the speaking politician does not get to set the agenda. Rhetoric and hyperbole just don’t cut it on Mumsnet. In one session, Labour leader Gordon Brown had to respond to nearly 40 questions – ranging across defence, education, health, swine flu, women in politics, parking fines, unemployment, breastfeeding, tax, climate change, banking and childcare policy; all in one session.

A glutton for punishment, Tory leader David Cameron fronted up for three sessions. He’s the PM now. Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg was eventually declared the Mumsnet favourite. He’s now deputy PM after seeing his party win its greatest share of votes in nearly 30 years.

The fact is, this kind of engagement is not optional. Voters demand it. They want to see their politicians candid and unrehearsed.

In Australia, we have the phenomenon of blogger Mia Freedman – a former magazine editor and mother of three – whose Mama Mia blog attracts nearly 140, 000 users a month. What Freedman’s blog has in common with Mumsnet is that the content is not restricted to narrowly defined “mums” issues.

Her current blog included an analysis of the budget, and a disgruntled post on the subject of Labor dropping the ETS. Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott and Bob Brown, need to pay attention to what goes on in these kind of forums – where real voters discuss the issues that matter most in their lives.

Deft use of social media makes a level playing field for all candidates, as long as they understand that sincerity is the only currency.”

Things are certainly hotting up and Australian politics is certainly getting interesting even if you don’t usually care.

With an election due to be called any time, a possible leadership challenge to the Prime Minister by the enormously popular Julia Gillard fueling the wet dreams of political journalists everywhere and an opposition leader who has FINALLY been persuaded to put his clothes back on (perhaps that’s just a winter thing), I find myself more and more drawn to the spectacle of it all.

Did you see Kevin Rudd’s interview on 60 Minutes last night? A tough one. Tara Brown pulled not a single punch. The PM looked understandably uncomfortable but what I remember most is Therese Rein. Isn’t she lovely, the warmest and friendliest political wife I can remember.

Every time I see her I just want to give her a cuddle and tell her about my day. She is an enormous political asset and should be used far more to humanise the PM and make him seem less robotic. More 3D.

Today’s opinion polls suggest Therese might have to get busy. The gap between Kevin Rudd (36% – down 3%) and Tony Abbott (38% – up 1%) in the approval ratings has halved in the past 3 weeks. That’s huge.

Personally, I’m feeling pretty unhappy with both parties. I am a swinging voter – I think everyone should be – and I’m yet to be won over by either political party. I am deeply disappointed by both parties’ attitudes to the ETS and to asylum seekers and frankly, I wish Natasha Stott Despoja was around leading the Democrats so I could vote for her. What a bloody shame they imploded.

So if an election was being held today, who would you vote for? And what is most likely to sway the way you vote later this year?

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