tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-13456269480706121092008-03-11T14:32:00.007Z2008-03-12T04:51:08.089Z2008-03-12T04:51:08.089ZAnyone paying attention to Tom Watson MP's blog may be aware he was giving a speech called "Government 2.0" about technology and, well... and Government. This is preusmably because, in the words of his friend Sion Simon he is a "proppa blogger".<br /><br />Putting aside the entirely irritating use of "2.0" looking at his <a href="http://www.tom-watson.co.uk/?p=1899#more-1899">speech</a> it would appear Tom Watson has decided to start agreeing with David Cameron and George Osborne. Do we need more evidence of a Government that is really being led by the Opposition? First on 'Crime Mapping'<blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tom Watson – 10 March 2008:</span><br /><i>"Just imagine if every incident of crime could be geographically tagged? It could transform community policing."</i><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">David Cameron – speech at the Google Zeitgeist Conference, October 12 2007:</span><br /><i>"Crime mapping is a great example [of the power of open information]. At one and the same time it enables you to hold your police force to account, get the government to spend money in the right places, and even to help choose where to live."</i></blockquote>Or how about standardising information across Government?<blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tom Watson – 10 March 2008:</span><br /><i>"Embedding data mash-up into thinking across all of government not just the early adopters within departments."</i><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">David Cameron – CCA speech on setting government information free, 29 February 2008:</span><br /><i>"We will require local authorities to publish information online and in a standardised format. That way, it can be collected and used by the public and third party groups…Setting local information free really is the future."</i></blockquote>Or so-called 'Open Source Politics'?<blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tom Watson – 10 March 2008:</span><br /><i>"There are three rules of open source: One, nobody owns it. Two, everybody uses it. And three, anyone can improve it. Our future thinking must view government more like a giant open source community. So far government ticks boxes one and two, no one person owns it and everybody uses it."</i><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">George Osborne – speech to the Royal Society of the Arts on ‘Open Source Politics’, 8 March 2007:</span><br /><i>"Open source politics means rejecting the old monolithic top-down approach to decision-making. It means throwing open the doors and listening to new ideas and new contributors. It means harnessing the power of mass collaboration. And rather than relying on the input of a few trusted experts, it means drawing on the skills and expertise of millions.</i></blockquote>Never let it be said that the Government have run out of ideas, oh no!<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hat Tip: </span><span>To a kind and friendly email correspondent.</span></span>dizzynoreply@blogger.com