Messaging has replaced pagers as the way spin doctors keep in touch. But for the internet to count in the way that print journalism and television already does, political sensations will have to be played out on the web in their full interactive glory. This requires sites to cut through the cocoon of spin which protects politicians, offering voters information which other, older, media cannot. With its limitless capacity the web is ideal for storing data - on how MPs voted in parliament, or how much they have earned. Whitehall now has a remarkable internal database, the Knowledge Network.
Freedom of information means the public ought to plug in to it too.
T actical voting is one thing the internet might just make work. And because of its flexibility and immediacy the web can catch and control political sparks - whether the price of petrol, resentment of global capitalism or even the impact of foot and mouth. The likelihood is that this election will be safe, predictable and massively ignored by voters. But there is a chance that some person, event or issue might set things on a different course. It's too early to say what the issue might be.