UK POLITICAL-PARTIES AND THE INTERNET - POLITICS AS USUAL IN THE NEW MEDIA

This article reports the results of a study that examined the effects of U.K. political parties' use of the Internet on intraparty democracy and interparty competition. Using party official questionnaire data a nd content analysis of party Web sites, the study explored the extent to which parties are using the World Wide Web (WWW) and email to promo te their members' views and examined whether the Internet provides min or parties with more equal access to the electorate compared with the traditional media.The findings indicate that parties do recognize the Internet's potential for increasing internal party debate; however, it is used primarily as a tool for downward information dissemination. I n terms of interparty competition, minor parties are leveling the comm unications field in the quality of their WWW sites, although limited I nternet use by the electorate prevents the medium from being exploited to its fullest extent.