A party for independent candidates?

I was very intrigued to come across a meeting last month of the Independent Network, organised by PR firm Parker, Wayne & Kent.

The day was designed to help provide advice on media relations (would Esther Rantzen, Terry Waite and Martin Bell need this?), and on the use of ICT technologies such as social networking sites. Effectively this PR agency, presumably funded by someone, is playing one of the roles that central party organisations provide of supporting individual candidates. This outsourcing model is very interesting, and in theory suggests that party's are not as importnat as we might think. Obviously, this approach draws heavily from the US model, and i am not sure whether it will work here or not, but it does make you think.

What it does suggest, however, is that as with 2005 during the 2010 General Election campaign, we might find some of the more innovative and interactive uses of the Internet from smaller parties, who have limited opportunities to reach the electorate.