Web "fuelling crisis in politics"

There's an interesting article on the BBC News site (see here) about how the Internet is undermining the relationship between politicians and voters. As a blogger I suppose I should be outraged by it, but it speaks a lot of sense. Certainly voters are more demanding these days, wanting their cake and eating it, and the Internet certainly ups the ante. It does feel as if this government is under more pressure than previous administrations, and I wonder if that's why they feel especially incompetent (example: Ruth Kelly has overruled Colchester Borough Council's decision not to allow a load of houses to be built on marshland in the city centre. Do you think she'll take responsibility when they all flood in the years to come?).

On the other hand, shouldn't this "crisis" be the cue for Blair and co to show real leadership? Instead of pandering to our selfish whims, why not take a more long-term view and make some really tough decisions for the good of the country? The irony is, while Labour is increasingly authoritarian and interventionist when it comes to telling people how to live their lives, it continues to turn a blind eye to corrupt and immoral business practices. So while we're expected to cut our energy consumption on the one hand, no one stops car manufacturers producing grossly inefficient 4x4s, or electronic manufacturers churning out wattage-hungry plasma TVs on the other.

And don't get me started on ministers' foibles - Web pressures or not, corruption is still corruption, and this government makes Major's rabble look like saints in comparison...