At time of writing the Twitter debate between Kristina Keneally, Barry O’Farrell and Lee Rhiannon had finished a little over ten minutes ago – while I’m still catching my breath after attempting to follow the lines of questioning and responses, and under no illusions that this was the ideal political debate, I’m left with the impression that this DOES have the potential to be a useful communication tool for politicians moving forward.

I disagree with @Joe_Hildebrand – while confusing at times, this wasn’t an entirely nonsensical and unproductive exercise.  For clarity, I’d like to see a logical transcript produced after the event to make the exchanges more easily digestible but it’s worth asking the question how many of the participants tweeting their views would have attended the debate if it had taken place at Penrith City Council Chambers?  Half an hour of succinct debate followed from my desk is far more appealing to me than a three-hour round trip for 30 mins of pollies flinging insults at each other, and the 140 character limit, while not the stuff of hard-hitting analysis, was a breath of fresh air in the long-winded world of your average politician.

This isn’t a medium for the purists, nor should it be the only way we judge the suitability or commitment of the people we elect to serve us.  But as a way of engaging with a wider audience and embracing today’s technology, it’s served its purpose well.  As @leerhiannon says, “Not perfect, but its [sic] real”.