Twitter in the House of Commons

Brian Thomas Humek

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The Politicians Vote

In America, there have been recent votes on an economic stimulus plan, abortion restrictions and miscellaneous budget resolutions. That’s America for you. But in England, they recently voted on something very important. They voted on using Twitter in the House of Commons, to legalize tweeting during House of Commons debates. While their MPs are now allowed to tweet while the House of Commons is in session, they still aren’t allowed to use their laptops.

The vote wasn’t even close. Those in favor of using Twitter in the House of Commons were 206 and those opposed 63. Maybe someone needs to find those 63 MPs and make sure they’re relegated to using Xanga and MySpace. One MP even said his opposition to using Twitter in the House of Commons would probably make him a candidate for the “Dinosaur of the Year Award.” I think he’s right.

Less Decorum? I Don’t Think So

The biggest reason against the use of Twitter in the House of Commons on handheld devices was their concern that debates in the House of Commons could become less orderly. Wait a minute! Less orderly? Let’s look at this video below. I doubt Twitter will make things less orderly in the House of Commons. What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.