To be frank, my favorite notification method implemented on any mobile OS is the status bar on Android, mainly because it's easily accessible and navigable the vast majority of the time (it gets hidden in certain apps).
Even the Bar Council, which represents barristers, believes that the current secret method of appointment of silks is unsustainable and that in future they should be selected by a small panel chaired by a retired High Court judge.
It's unclear whether Google intends to integrate the Meebo Bar into its own online properties, or whether the Mountain View giant simply views it as a method to increase its advertising reach.
The bar here is actually pretty low: rather than a slam-dunk act of persuasion, the Brooks method need simply not scare away voters weary of historic politics.