Should we doubt Doughty Street?

Whilst I'm writing this post, some of my fellow students are still discussing what Iain Dale had to say in his speech. His name should rather be Mr Iain ‘controversial’ Dale. He’s a passionate Conservative and expresses his views openly.

But should we be wary of 18 Doughty Street? Is it only a propaganda tool for the Conservatives? A great deal of students disliked what he had to say because they say his views were bias. Personally, I think it's healthy for people to have opinions and to use current technologies to share those opinions with others. I'm sure it won't be long until other political parties create their own online political programmes. Competition is a positive thing.

But I am doubtful about something. Mr Dale stated that due to the development of new media, the world is becoming an uncontrollable place. We could create a programme here and now to be broadcast online – and there’d be no regulations to stop us. That’s a scary thought. When asked if the European Union’s plans to regulate internet-use would be successful, Mr Dale reacted by saying that it would be impossible to apply. To which extent will the internet be used to spread messages and videos across the world? What kind of messages will these be? Mr Dale made me realise that even though new media is a stimulating area, it can be extremely dangerous. As Mr Dale said himself about blogging - it can be destructive and constructive.