Blair takes part in live text messaging exercise
Tony Blair joined the text messaging revolution yesterday in a live sms initiative with thousands of mobile phone users.
Downing Street billed the event as a way for politicians to communicate with disenfranchised youngsters in the 18-24 year old group.
The Prime Minister – the first British politician to use sms to speak with the public in a mass consultation exercise – admitted his texting skills were “under-developed” and had to rely on a team of aides to input messages during the 35-minute chat, broadcast live from a webcam to a chatroom on O2’s website.
Some 6000 questions were texted in to Downing Street by O2 mobile-users.
The top five issues covered Iraq, fox-hunting, pensions, immigration and community issues.
Mr Blair told texters he hoped Iraq would become democratic and US President George Bush would redouble diplomatic efforts with Middle East leaders.
The Prime Minister pledged to crackdown on drug-abuse and anti-social behaviour, and do more to help first-time home-buyers.
Gordon Brown was described as “a brilliant chancellor” who had overseen robust economy growth and a man who would make an excellent prime minister, one day.
Fears over illegal immigration levels were “exaggerated”, he said, adding: “I’m not saying there haven’t been abuses of the immigration and asylum systems, but it is possible for people to get these issues out of perspective.”
Mr Blair said he had tried sms messaging for the first time only a few days ago and received advice then from his 16-year-old daughter Kathryn.
“My texting talents are poor, let’s say under-developed,” he told Margherita Taylor, a DJ on London’s Capital FM radio station, an independent judge who picked the top questions and forwarded them to Mr Blair.
“My children are texters. My daughter took me through it the other night. The predictive one I wasn’t too bad on, but the other way – let’s just say it would have taken me a very long time to send a very short message.”
Mr Blair told one texter that Nelson Mandela was the person, dead or alive, he would most like to meet.
On his legacy, he said he wanted “a more just society, with greater opportunity for people here and abroad.”
On a personal, lighter note, the prime minister was asked: “Are you a beer or spirits man?”, “Do you watch The Simpsons?” and “Have you ever considered packing it all in for a simpler life and running away to Scotland with Cherie to run a chip shop?”
O2 said the average age of texters who contacted Mr Blair was 25, with 65 per cent male and 35 per cent female.
Some 4320 people sent in questions via wap and 2406 by sms.
