Tag: government

A short note for Mr Stott before he comes to see us all…

There’s plenty of discussion going on in Government about putting data out and what to put out and how to put it out and all that nonsense. Especially in local government. It sounds like there’s concern that releasing data isn’t good enough and that government has a responsibility to put that data into a format…

October 1, 2009
Government need to get relaxed about IT procurement

At yesterday’s inaugural Lichfield Social Media Café the conversation turned to local government e-petitions. Will Perrin pointed out that local gov have issues using an open-source system like the Number 10 petitions system because of restrictive IT contracts. The U.S. is again making progress in this area, by launching Apps.gov (hat-tip to Dave Briggs) which…

September 16, 2009
How MPs can use Twitter to their advantage

I’m pleased to say that my local government is pretty good at this whole internet thing. The Lichfield District Council web site should definitely be looked up to by other councils and they’re also on Twitter along with the tourism folks. But as recent talk has shown, some MPs don’t quite get social media and aren’t quite…

March 27, 2009
Does nationalism matter?

I was walking past Lichfield police station today, watching their grubby Union Jack flapping around in the wind and I wondered why the Lichfield District Council building just down the road didn’t also have a Union Jack proudly waving around. In fact, why don’t all Government buildings have a Union Jack? I’m kind of…

February 23, 2009
Ethics and Corporation Tax

One thing that really bugs me is tax avoidance. I used to think it was a great idea until one day, whilst having an inner groan at the constant lack of cash in public services I realised that avoiding tax is, in fact, incredibly unethical and irresponsible. Taxes, whether you like them or not, are…

June 14, 2008
Common Sense Policing

Yesterday I sent off my application to be a Special Constable for Staffordshire Police. I’m really excited about it but have been worried about how much pressure there is with all the paperwork that’s required so I was pleased to hear about this pilot scheme that is under way in four forces, including Staffordshire. It…

May 31, 2008
One Vote Every Four Years is All We Get

A while ago I signed a petition on the Prime Ministers website asking for the government to introduce legislation that would empower ordinary citizens to call a referendum on important matters. According to the petition details a system, called Citizens’ Initiatives, exists in Switzerland, New Zealand, Hungary and 24 states in America. The petition asks…

January 7, 2008