The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Dave loves Twitter. Dave hates Twitter

Compare and contrast.

By Jon Bernstein Published 13 August 2011 11:59

Here's David Cameron on 22 February in Kuwait, talking up the power of social media in the wake of the nascent Arab Spring:

[The movement] belongs to a new generation for whom technology - the internet and social media - is a powerful tool in the hands of citizens, not a means of repression.

And here's Cameron on Thursday 11 August talking up the perils of social media in the wake of the English riots:

Mr Speaker, everyone watching these horrific actions will be stuck by how they were organised via social media.

Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill.

And when people are using social media for violence we need to stop them.

(Hat-tip: @wblau)

Tags: David Cameron social media twitter

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13 comments

Sat, 2011-08-13 12:22 — matthew fox (not verified)

Planet of the Apes escapee Louise Mensch nee Hagshawe, wants facebook and twitter shutdown when there is a riot.

What a brilliant idea, espically when people use twitter and facebook to warn others about disorder.

Sat, 2011-08-13 12:30 — swatantra

At last our politicians are waking up to the dangers of the internet, blogs google twitter, and social media.
Users are a complete waste of space.
Rather than shutting it all down, lets have censorship, and all anonymity barred.

Sat, 2011-08-13 13:15 — Ricardo (not verified)

@Matthew

But it's only in national emergncies (we can trust the government to decide what a national emergency is, right?) for 30 minutes at a time! (for up to 48 times a day presumably)

Sat, 2011-08-13 13:15 — Gary (not verified)

If they restrict the freedom of social media then people will have more reason to feel angry.
Twitter was actually used to organise a clean up after the riots. I think it's the tories we need to get rid of.

Sat, 2011-08-13 13:45 — Kershan (not verified)

I don't see any contradiction in those two quotes.

Sat, 2011-08-13 14:07 — mcquade

Sawantra, if users of the internet "are a complete waste of space", then why are you clogging it up?

Sat, 2011-08-13 14:55 — Mike Barnes (not verified)

An MP being a hypocrite, has this ever happened before? What should we do, phone the police? No they are hypocrites too. Alert the media? No they are hypocrites too.

Go on Dave, try controlling the internet and next time I'll be on the streets too.

Sat, 2011-08-13 15:13 — swatantra

Good point.

Sat, 2011-08-13 15:42 — ACMJ

Gary wrote"Twitter was actually used to organise a clean up after the riots. I think it's the tories we need to get rid of."
Well the right wing would certainly not want to mention that twitter was used to clean up after the riots . It wouldn't do their case for trying to stop twitter any good . Censoring Twitter would be no different to what Rupert Murdoch and News International have been up to , except for legalising hacking for the Government to use .

Sat, 2011-08-13 18:40 — MarchHare (not verified)

Kershan

"I don't see any contradiction in those two quotes."

Nope. There isn't one. Much as I like to see Mr Cameron trip up over his own words, he hasn't done so here. A silly post. Let's try addressing the issue of whether it's right to turn off social media or not instead of looking for hypocrisy where it isn't there.