Foot and mouth disease may have been a disaster for Tony Blair, forcing him to move the election date from his initial plan of May to an alternate date of June 7; but it's been a boon to the dozens of Web sites launched to cover the campaign. They've had more time to capture hits and build up user loyalty that they hope will persist beyond polling day.

And for much of the UK electorate the delay brings only the depressing thought of enduring campaign politics for two months instead of one. With the election campaign effectively extended, sites that make people laugh first, and hopefully think about the issues later, are proving even more effective at attracting and retaining readers.

Looking Back at 1997

The UK election of 1997 prompted a slew of sites that covered the campaign; and a few of them are still around to give you a flavor of what happened four years ago.

The first port of call has to be the BBC's election '97 site. Although it looks outdated now, three years ago the BBC offered cutting edge coverage, including plenty of analysis, polls and graphics.

Or try the excellent not-for-profit, independently run UKpolitics site. The other major player was GE97, run by Web services firm Online Magic. Its success is unlikely to be repeated -- Online Magic has since been taken over by Agency.com and there is no sign of an election 2001 site.

Only one of the sites included a section devoted to election humor. Online Magic's Mock the Vote section included a 'dress the politician' Shockwave game, commentary and cartoons. The BBC did offer a somewhat dry 'How to be an MP' game, but it was high on information and low on laughs.

The Election, 2001-Style

Four years on, games, cartoons and jokes are an integral part of almost all the sites covering the election. Why? In 1997, voter turnout was 71.5 percent. That may be better than in the US, but it was still the lowest since 1935. And, worse than that, 44 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds did not vote. That's where the Internet comes in - 85 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds have used the Internet compared to 51 percent of the population as a whole. It is these disaffected twenty-somethings who are using humorous sites about the election. The other reason comes from across the pond. Many sites have drawn inspiration from the US elections, which produced many sites ridiculing the farce of the vote count and kept voters entertained during the long days of the recounts.

But Britain has its own long history of political satire, which manifests itself in contemporary cartoonists like Steve Bell, comedians like Rory Bremner, and the long-running TV news quiz, 'Have I Got News For You.' You'd expect, and rightly so, that some of this tradition has migrated to the Internet. Popular satirical magazines such as Punch and Private Eye, which have long histories of producing political satire in hard copy, do have Web versions. Unfortunately they offer little more than a virtual version of the magazine. It has been US-inspired, Web-based humour, rather than ideas imported from other media, that has really taken off on the Internet.

An online magazine called The Brains Trust takes the prize for cutting edge Web-based satire. Its biweekly dose of spoof stories and satire has earned it the title of the 'British Onion.'

'The site grew out of a mailing list set up to discuss the US election farce, between a group of university friends and friends of friends,' the editor in chief, known only as Carroll, explains. Its staff is a shadowy lot, known only by their nicknames, because some of them have jobs in high places, according to Carroll.

The Brains Trust launched its election coverage last Friday. Its killer application is the 'You are Tony Blair' game, where users get to stand in the shoes of Britain's prime minister, dealing with a series of election campaign scenarios and deciding how to respond to crises. Choose the wrong move, and Blair's poll rating plummets. A cartoon accompanies each page, and high-scoring players earn themselves a place on the leader board. This game is highly addictive, cunningly schemed, and bound to be a hit. The only comparable offering -- the BBC's 'Be a Party Leader' game -- isn't live yet.

Are such games mere fripperies amid the serious business of an election? Chris Quigley thinks not; but he would say that. Games are the backbone of his site, Spinon.

'Most e-games are pretty pointless, and lose their interest after about five seconds,' Quigley says. 'What we wanted to do was create games that actually had a point behind them, and were more than just a quick bit of fun.'

Chris cites his influences as American satirical Web sites like Bonrop and Indecision2000.

Spinon's team of more than 30 writers, cartoonists and animators have created a site that pokes delicious fun at the candidates via games, audio, cartoons and text. For instance there's the tasteless 'Put Your MP in a Blender' and the even-more-tasteless 'Hague Goes Trucking Simulator' (drawing on recent rows about the rights and wrongs of Britain's immigration policy). Chris explains that such games 'use inane fun to publicize a deeper political idea or problem.' Quite.

But Bristol-based multimedia firm Rubberductions' underlying motivation for creating Spinon is just as much a desire to showcase its talents in the hope of attracting new clients as it is to challenge voters' complacency.

Whizzing up your most hated party leader in a blender is all very well, but isn't likely to hold users' attention for more than a few seconds. Of course, that's all Spinon wants.

For those who prefer their gaming to be less ephemeral and more tactical, the left-wing current affairs magazine New Statesman has the answer. It has translated the popular fantasy football format to the world of politics. Players pick their own fantasy cabinet from a selection of politicians and celebrities, and a judging panel scores them, depending on whether they have made a gaffe or pulled off a PR coup. Or there's Guardian Unlimited Politics' 'Turncoat of Turncoats' competition, where readers can vote for the Labor MP who has made the most impressive ideological volte face since their party grasped power in 1997.

'Mylittletony' -- a half Tony Blair, half lavender-shaded My Little Pony character -- manages to be addictive, funny and clever. Chris Ezekiel, UK managing director of its creators, Kiwilogic, says the site's raison d'etre is not political or journalistic. This virtual version of Tony Blair is designed to showcase Kiwilogic's technology to potential customers, using the election as a hook to draw in users.

Mylittletony answers questions typed in by visitors to the site with uncanny wit and accuracy. It's quite shocking to realize you've spent the last 20 minutes holding a conversation with a Lingubot -- an interactive, virtual assistant. But Chris warns serious types to take Mylittletony with pinch of salt. 'Making Mylittletony into a half-man, half-horse character was a good way of showing that although its creators have given a lot of thought to what the prime minister might be saying, it's a bit of fun.'

Like Spinon, Mylittletony harnesses the power of viral marketing. Chris says he came up with the idea when the now-infamous Claire Swires e-mail spread around the world. Mylittletony has a contest element too. Hundreds have sent in amusing answers to add to Tony's repertoire in the hope of getting a mention on the site -- and a free T-shirt.

None of the Above

It isn't just those covering the election who have resorted to humor. Several political campaign sites are mixing humor with a serious political message. Nun of the Above is clearly inspired by the US Voters for None of the Above organization. The British version, however, is spiced up with a nun theme; hence the site features photos of its founders wearing habits and a logo of a cross and a nun's head, in addition to serious information about its cause -- getting a 'none of the above' category added to ballot papers.

Apathy has turned to disillusionment for a British band called Coldcut. Their site also supports the 'none of the above' movement in an amusing way that's bound to appeal to the young people who form their fan base -- many of whom feel similarly disenfranchised. Coldcut members claim they are so fed up with UK politics that they have formed their own party, the Guilty Party, and are due to release a single called Re:Volution three days before the vote. The site includes a spoof Labor poster and a manifesto that includes a pledge to keep 7' vinyl records. But there's a serious message at its heart. As Coldcut's Matt Black put it, 'we think it's a fault in the system that people aren't allowed to express their dissatisfaction with all the political parties when they vote. There should be an option whereby one can vote for none of the above.'

21st Century Satire

The question remains whether any of the sites reviewed here will make apathetic voters head for the polling booth. It is unlikely. (As the New Statesman's deputy editor, Cristina Odone, once said, 'Humour feeds on the gap between great expectations and sorry reality.') But it might help those who are already interested enough to log on to politics sites make their mind up about whom to vote for -- or against -- without having to trawl through dull manifestos and watch endless party political broadcasts.

And it might help to keep political activism alive. As James Crabtree put it, 'much as Punch cartoons defined the satire of the 19th century, so the Internet has boosted and defined the ability of citizens to ridicule their leaders.'