Dan Jellinek is co-founder of Headstar, a publishing house specialising in technology and social issues including the effect of the internet on democracy, and access to technology by disabled people. In his early career Dan covered both Westminster and Brussels for Local Government Chronicle, the UK's leading news publication for local councils. He then went freelance, writing for the Guardian and working for BBC Online as an early contributor to BBC WebWise, an online and TV resource for internet beginners. In 2001 he co-founded VoxPolitics, the UK's first think-tank tracking the use of new technologies in political campaigning. This work led to Dan being voted among the top 10 people worldwide having an impact on the way the internet is changing politics. In recent years Dan has worked for the Parliamentary IT Committee (PITCOM - now PICTFOR, the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum), briefing MPs and Peers on key policy issues such as the role of the Internet in pro-democracy struggles in the Middle East. Between 2006-09 he was on the international board of E-Democracy.Org, a pioneering charity which aims to improve participation in democracy using information networks. Dan is married with two children and lives in Brighton, East Sussex. www.danjellinek.com
Highly readable and fascinating... an enjoyable narrative... These and many more revelations transform what sounds like an unpromising subject into an unexpected page-turner. Jellinek deserves huge credit for this. -- Chris Moncrieff * Northern Echo * This book is well-informed and clearly written - read it for an accurate and empowering understanding of how our democracy works, or could work. * Professor Gerry Stoker, Director of the Centre for Citizenship, Globalization and Governance, University of Southampton * A ground-up account of the democratic process in the UK... identifies some of the problems with the dream of digital democracy, arguing that the power is still ours -- Philip Maughan * New Statesman - NS Recommends * The more we know how to change things, the more we know how to make things better. And this book is an important tool in the toolbox. * Caroline Lucas MP * An excellent introduction. * Tam Dalyell, Father of the House, 2001-2005 *