Premier Ewart Brown's latest video has received more than 700 hits on YouTube — but he's trailing behind in the popularity stakes when it comes to the Island's most watched clips.

A search on YouTube reveals that top reggae star Collie Buddz's 'Mamacita' video has been watched almost 2.5 million times since it was posted in June 2007, "favourited" 9,592 times and has garnered 1,687 comments.

His is the most popular clip connected to Bermuda on the video sharing website — proving, perhaps, that YouTube's users are more interested in pop music than politics.

Both the Progressive Labour Party and United Bermuda Party began using YouTube last year in the run-up to the General Election.

But their videos have never quite reached the audience politicians may have hoped for. The Premier's announcement of the election got 2,060 hits and a video from the United Bermuda Party entitled 'Hope, Not Hate' got 2,088 — but they were the exceptions.

The first part of A Conversation with Ewart Brown, a taped conversation at the Premier's home last October with interviewer Al Seymour Sr., attracted just 472 views. Part two got 206 views and part three was watched only 183 times.

The Opposition fared no better. A video featuring Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons on the state of the Island's schools posted last December got 135 views. A video of then Deputy Opposition Leader Patricia Gordon-Pamplin speaking on trust was watched 227 times.

The unofficial clips in the run-up to the election found a bigger audience. A clip of former narcotics chief Larry Smith speaking about a drugs case involving employees of then Opposition Leader Michael Dunkley was watched almost 6,000 times.

And PLP candidate Wayne Caines forgetting the word "accountability" and being prompted by a colleague at a party rally got 1,568 views.

But those numbers pale in comparison with the viewing figures for other videos involving Bermuda. A montage of Dwayne Leverock in action at the Cricket World Cup, complete with Fatboy Slim soundtrack, has had 87,624 views since March last year and a clip of motocross racing at Southside posted last April has been watched 25,392 times.

A video featuring two apparently drunk motorcyclists riding naked on the Island hit the headlines in May and has now had 16,231 views.

The Premier's press secretary Glenn Jones did not respond to a question about whether Dr. Brown had hoped to reach a bigger audience so far than 743 with his latest clip on YouTube video entitled "On Our 2008 Accomplishments".

It was posted last Thursday by 105 Front Street — the address of the Cabinet Office — and the Premier said he intended to do more in an "occasional series".

Mr. Jones told The Royal Gazette last week that the videos were great value for money as they cost nothing and allowed viewers to watch on demand.

UBP Deputy Leader Cole Simons said his party welcomed the Premier's use of YouTube in communicating a progress report to the country.

Members of both parties have also embraced the Facebook social networking site. Dr. Brown had 1,320 friends at the last count and regularly posts notes and messages online.

Opposition Leader Kim Swan doesn't appear to have a Facebook account yet but former leaders Michael Dunkley and Wayne Furbert have 565 and 126 friends respectively.