LabourWomen: even if you build it, they don't come...

I have, in the past, remarked on the relative lack of women in the blogosphere. Of course, there are a number of potential solutions, and Labour have contributed LabourWomen, which is: 

"A space for Labour women to blog to their hearts' content and increase women's representation on the internet."

Unfortunately, it appears to have failed, in that there hasn't been an entry from any of its purported fifty-seven contributors since 19 November.


Now I sense that, whilst some of the contributors enjoy blogging, and I note that two of them (Antonia Bance and Kezia Dugdale) have impinged on my consciousness in the past - they must be pretty good then. However, creating a space and inviting people to play only really works if they want to be there, they have something to say and there is an intention to attract an audience.


Clearly, there was initial enthusiasm, with forty-five postings in March, when it was launched. However, just six postings were added in April, six more in May, and only ten since then, with none in September at all. And now, all is quiet, tumbleweed swirling through town.


I suspect that those who were initially intrigued have now given up on the site, which is a pity really. As a means to spot Labour talent of the future, it had some potential, and as a platform for some beginners on the road to public office, it might have provided a valuable training ground for the cut and thrust of debate.