[Air-l] UK Government's Major E-Democracy Push - Articles, Releases, Key Speech (A BIG DEAL)

[Steven Clift]

I am on the look out for other government-led "e-democracy" efforts (at any
level) similiar to the recent UK announcements (see below).  If you are
interested in this issue, join my 2200 person Democracies Online Newswire
e-mail annoucement list <http://www.e-democracy.org/do> for updates on this
new e-government trend.

Thanks,
Steven Clift
Democeracies Online Newswire



*** Democracies Online Newswire - http://www.e-democracy.org/do ***


The "e-democracy" shot heard around the world.

The UK government has just announced a major e-democracy policy.
Yes, a government-led e-democracy agenda.

In my opinion, e-government will succeed only if it stands on two
equal legs - service and democracy.  I expect that many leading
governments around the world will take up the UK's call and launch
their own e-democracy initiatives to build a more balanced and
successful approach to e-government.

This is a completely new phase in the evolution of thought about
government's democratic role in the information age - that of an
initiator and actor and not simply a reactor to political and civic
uses of the Internet that wash over their old forms of decision-
making while elected and appointed officials feel helpless without
the online tools required to be better representatives.

Think of this new movement as "Representative E-Government," where
the two-way Internet is integrated into the governance and
representation process on par with the provision of online
transaction services.  The alternative is a services first approach
that automates the government services that people no longer want in
a way the increases the power of administration over elective
representatives and citizens.  What the UK government has done is
break through the narrow notion that e-democracy is about outsiders
pushing for online voting about everything.  Instead, building
e-democracy is a fundamental responsibility of a legitimate
democratic nation in the information age.

Hooray.

Below are links to some news coverage, a press release from the UK
Prime Minister's office, the major speech given by Douglas Alexander
the Minister for E-commerce and Competitiveness, and another more
detailed press release from the Department of Trade and Industry.

Steven Clift
Democracies Online
http://www.e-democracy.org/do


Press coverage about the e-democracy policies announced by the UK
government:

E-democracy moves up the agenda
  http://www.ukauthority.com/articles/story378.asp
UK Govt calls for e-democracy
  http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/22477.html

Some semi-related coverage:

Blair 'big bang' theory to delay freedom act (Not all rosey)
 http://politics.guardian.co.uk/whitehall/story/0,9061,581045,00.html
Labour MP calls for e-mail democracy (Oct 22, related)
  http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001364829,00.html