5 years ago... Politicians warned to watch out for the web

18.01.99: 1999 will be the year that the internet radically changes the face of politics, according to a report published this week by Irish internet consultancy Nua.

Researchers predict the political landscape of Europe and the US will be most heavily affected. A notable example of this from 1997 was the screening of Clinton's testimony over the internet, which reached millions of viewers within minutes and put extra pressure on the crisis.

Nua are warning politicians to brush up on their understanding of the net and change voting campaigns to fit in with the new medium.

16.01.04: Politics and the internet have become inextricably linked during the past five years.

The next stage will be widespread deployment of online voting, which has already been trialled as a way to overcome apathy and low voter turn out.