16-Yr-Old Canadian Spearheads 'Liquid Democracy' on Facebook

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Liquid Democracy Facebook Group

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16-year-old Riley Whitelock, a grade 11 high school student in rural Killarney, Manitoba, launched a 'liquid democracy' Facebook group Canadians Against a Liberal/NDP Coalition Government, 'for all Canadians against a Liberal/NDP Coalition propped up by the Bloc Quebecois' attracting 90,000 in members in just a few days following its launch 28 November 2008. As of today Whitelock's cyber-model for future 'interactive representation' in government numbers 159,815 members.

In Canadian Prairie political tradition, this budding future politician represents a Conservative platform with Reform Party overtones, which, as the Facebook group's popularity reflects,  resonates with a large online Canadian public. Stunned by the reception  his Facebook group received, and noting that mos members are died-in-the-wool Canadian Conservatives, he was quoted by CBC as quipping:

"I'm overwhelmed,. I thought a thousand [members] would be great — but this is ridiculous."

Time will tell, if the Greens, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Liberals, pick up on the surprisingly successful early prototype for direct democracy and interactive representation as advocated by Riley Whitelock, his Facebook Group Admins from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and their enormous block of supporters on Facebook.

Should the leading Canadian political parties and youth parties follow Whitelock's lead and embrace Web2.0 in this issue-engaging way, it would no doubt enliven and inform Canadian political debate, as well as shift the current US Web2.0 vector from fund-raising  innovations that financially enriched the Obama campaign to an unprecedented level toward citizen debate on real time political issues, complimenting Citizen Journalism activity such as NowPublic.com with what may lead to a much needed revamping of the democratic process. It is entirely possible that future Canadian liquid democracy may sprout from nearby the wheat fields of Southwestern Manitoba.

Stay tuned... to see if Whitelock's Conservative Facebook Group, which gained mainstream Canadian TV coverage on both CBC and CTV late last year, eggs on the opposition to enter the debate in the Web2.0 world of Canadian politics.