The UK’s Liberal Democrats have begun a web-based campaign against a recent proposal within parliament that would exempt MPs and Peers from the provisions of the 2000 Freedom of Information Act. The campaign is one of the first non-partisan campaigns to be advertised and promoted heavily on the internet in the UK, a testament to the growing reach and influence wielded by new-media/blog sites.

Mark Pack, the LibDems web-campaign coordinator, argues that “The real effect of the Bill would be to (a) prevent the disclosure of detailed information about MPs’ expenses claims and Parliament’s spending and (b) allow MPs to lobby public authorities in secret, in the knowledge that what they write could not be disclosed under the Act.”

He added, “one of the attractions of Messagespace… is the good onscreen location of the ads.”

The campaign will run on NHSBlogDoc, Guido Fawkes’s Diary, Wat Tyler’s Burning our Money blog, and PoliticalBetting.com