How we can use Twitter to help defeat the BNP

By Kerry McCarthy MP / @KerryMP

You may have seen this letter in today’s Guardian, urging people to get out and vote on Thursday to stop the BNP making gains.

It would be great if as many MPs, PPCs and activists could circulate the letter as widely as possible. Can I particularly urge those on Twitter to send it to all their followers? Here’s the tiny url: http://tinyurl.com/mygk6b.

Going forward, I’d encourage you all to consider using Twitter as part of your communcations strategy. It’s a great way of starting a dialogue with those who should be Labour supporters but perhaps need a little convincing, or to spread the word amongst supporters about what’s going on, in local or national politics.

For those of you who haven’t yet embraced Twitter, it’s really easy to set up an account by visiting www.twitter.com, and while you’re at it, join the Labour Twibe at www.twibes.com/group/Labour. You will soon find you pick up followers – I’ve got more than 1,000 (@KerryMP), Tom Watson is on 3,655 (@TomWatsonMP), Sarah Brown is on 103,800 (@SarahBrown10), and Number 10 is on 687,405 (@DowningStreet). Ashton Kutcher is heading for 2 million but that’s probably a bit beyond most of us! He has actually been surprisingly good at using Twitter as a campaign tool, for example in backing the malaria campaign.

I know some of you are a bit nervous about using new media – and some have dipped a toe in the water but not got any further than that. I actually find Twitter very low maintenance, far less hassle than Facebook, and not anywhere near as time-consuming as a blog. It’s also a good way to link into local networks, and it’s growing every day. You can also access it from your mobile using Tinytwitter.com, or other similar applications, and thus Tweet while you’re on the move or even in the Chamber.

Anyone who wants Twitter lessons – just ask!

Kerry