There's a new government across the pond with Tory leader David Cameron as Prime Minister. Worth noting is that our friend Tom Steinberg (mySociety) signed on as an adviser to the Tories last year. Tom is a brilliant open government innovator and some of his ideas can be seen in the "Technology Manifesto" presented by the Tories a few months ago. One of the items in the manifesto is very similar to both the Open Government Initiative begun by President Barack Obama and the yet-to-be-enacted Public Online Information Act (POIA):

Legislating to enshrine the freedom of government data and create a powerful new ‘Right to Government Data’, enabling the public to request – and receive – government datasets. This will radically increase the amount of government data released – and will provide a multi-billion pound boost to the UK economy. President Obama’s administration has already implemented a ‘Right to Data’ policy.

Legislating this "Right to Data" is vital for those who support an open government. That's why we support the passage into law of the POIA bill that has been introduced in both chambers of Congress here in the United States. Another proposal offered in the manifesto is also excellent:

Publishing online every item of central government and Quango^[1] spending over £25,000 – including every contract in full. This will create new jobs by opening up government procurement to more SMEs. We will also publish online every item of local government spending over £500 – including every contract in full. In addition, detailed information on the salaries of senior civil servants and local council officials will be published online.

The Tories have also promised to use open source software "as much as possible." Another proposal is to allow the public to comment on all legislation before it is debated. This includes the ability to rewrite and reject parts of the legislation.

Hague will say: "A public reading stage for new legislation will throw open the doors of parliament and enable the public to play a role in the legislative process." The party leadership believes its plan is an example of the "post-bureaucratic age" – a phrase first used by supporters of Bill Clinton, suggesting that in the age of the internet voters can exercise a greater influence on figures in authority.

I'm not sure how much the public input will be taken into consideration once a bill reaches the debating stage in Parliament or whether there is any binding nature to the revisions made by the public. While I'm supportive of providing time and space for people to give their input on legislation there are numerous problems with requiring that input to be adopted in the legislation. In general, there ought to be more input from the broader public in the legislative process. Depending on how this policy is structured it could be a very useful tool or an obstacle in the legislative process.

All of the other proposals are outstanding just as they are. Hopefully the new government follows through on their promises.

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¹ Quango is an acronym for a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization. For more information, click here.

Yesterday, I blogged about WriteToReply.org, a brand new site built by two smart and enterprising fellows to research online and comment publicly on a new report released by the U.K. government’s Ministry of Communications, Technology and Broadcasting on what the government should to enhance digital capacity and enterprise in the UK. The agency came under criticism for not including a means for citizens to comment and make suggestions online. Thus, earlier this week, WriteToReplay.org site was born and went live.

Another important Internet-related report in the U.K. has emerged, the Power of Information Task Force Report. And the principals of this report have taken a very different approach than the Ministry of Communications, they’ve placed it online and are asking interested citizens to read and comment on it.

Last March, U.K. Cabinet Office Minister and Member of Parliament Tom Watson established the Power of Information Task Force to advise and assist the government on how it can better serve its citizens through information technology and digital media. And from the beginning, they were mandated to operate in an open and transparent manner using modern media. The process all started back in 2007 when the government asked Ed Mayo, CEO of Britain’s Consumer Focus, and Tom Steinberg, founder of MySociety.org and Sunlight friend, to investigate the growing popularity of social media and what implications it has for government. Mayo and Steinberg produced a report, which profiled the social and economic benefits of government using its information better. Watson commissioned the task force to advise and assist the government on delivering the benefits outlined in the Mayo/Steinberg review. And he asked them to answer these three questions: How can government further catalyze more beneficial creation and sharing of knowledge, and mutual support, between citizens? What more can and should be done to improve the way government and its agencies publish and share non-personal information? Are there any further notable information opportunities or shortfalls in sectors outside government that those sectors could work to rectify?’ Earlier today, Michael Cross, a technology write at The Guardian, profiled the task force and the 25 actions the report advises government to take. Included in the suggestions are government’s embrace of social networking, blogging and other Web 2.0 tools. “Top of the list is a relaxation about civil servants accessing - gasp - social media at work,” Cross writes. He notes that today, 90% of departments either ban browsing entirely or place restrictions on staff wanting to use social media or other Web-based tools. He quotes the report, "Public sector workers cannot be expected to be up to date with the power of information to transform public services if they cannot access the Internet at work." Last year, as many of our blog readers know, Sunlight sponsored the “Let Our Congress Tweet” campaign, where we helped convince Congress to change it’s antiquated rules on Internet use, allowing lawmakers to fully embrace communication technologies. Minister Watson and his task force are acting in a similar spirit.

Five ideas for better electronic government from MySociety.org

Tom Steinberg, Sunlight friend and director of the UK's MySociety.org, has some advice for anyone thinking of running any reasonably technologically savvy country. He lists the top five actions any country's government should take in relation to use of the Internet. 1. Hire people who understand the Internet and the potential it has for government. And then fund a university to teach more people to understand the potential. 2. Open up non-personal government data and introduce a "presumption of innovation." 3. Give external parties the right to interface electronically with any government or mainly public system unless it can be shown to create substantial, irrevocable harm. 4. Set up a system capable of a nationwide deliberation process on policy issues where decisions are pending, and legislate it into the democratic process like elections and referendums. 5. Give people using the state's electronic systems on any task the option to collaborate with other citizens going through the same process.

Thought-provoking ideas as usual. More details in his post.