Abstract
How to realize the potential of the Internet for creating virtual public spheres for democratic dialogue has been widely discussed. It has been argued that government should play a more active role in that process. This paper examines a Danish case sponsored by a local government where citizens and politicians were invited to debate via the Internet. It is concluded that the project was quite a success. The overall tone of the debate was respectful and the levels of argumentation, information and deliberation were generally high. Further, the presence of politicians created a debate space consisting of two dimensions and five relations. Two main processes took place within that space: general debates and consultation processes between citizens and politicians. As such, the project achieved a double purpose. Problematically, the project did not succeed in mobilising new groups for political debate. Further, it was a tendency that the politicians tended to dominate the debate leaving less space for debates among citizens.