Yesterday Gordon Brown announced plans to provide super-fast broadband for every home by 2020. The Prime Minister says this move will dramatically cut public spending and create around 250,000 jobs.The proposal coincided with the launch of the "MyGov’ initiative that aims to give everyone in the U.K a personalised online dashboard. This will allow members of the public to access all public services in one place- from paying council tax to making a doctor’s appointment.
In today’s class we discussed how organisations are using digital media into campaign plans. Surely the government will have on hell of a job trying to convince people of the need for a ‘paperless society’, especially as only one third of the country’s population currently has broadband connection.
Despite Labour promising that the plans will create new jobs, critics (mainly the Conservatives) have already warned the digitalization of the public sector could also cause the closure of job centres and other physical offices that deal with tax, passports and housing benefits.
I think it’s a lovely idea that everyone could log on to their ‘Govbook’ page and do everything from the comfort of their own home. What’s not so lovely are the rumours that Labour are planning to impose a broadband council tax to help pay for the scheme-we’ve not got it ,yet already Alasdair Darling is dreaming up ways of making the public pay!
What other whoppers will be unveiled in tomorrow’s budget?
Labour seems to forget that it is the older generation that vote and many of them don't know how to turn a computer on or would rather have a chat with someone in an office about issues. It is obvious that they are trying to woo the youngsters to vote. There have been numerous TV programmes about why people are so apathetic and the young ones were again targetted.
ReplyDeleteIf they digitalise everything then a lot of people will be missing out on information, as you mentioned only a third of the UK have broadband. With the constant closures of public libraries this will also the affect the number of people who use libraries as a way and means of getting onto the internet. The Conservatives have a fair point!