Is another costly IT scheme to bite the dust?
 

Well it's starting to look that way:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8397854.stm

Good job it's not essential then.... :rolleyes:

I wonder how that other well known IT success story ID cards is going now it's less concerned with putting an end to terrorism and more concerned with allowing students to prove their age in bars....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...anchester.html

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Brown is about to set out in a speech how he proposes to save a lot of money without hurting anyone. I wonder how many times he'll use the 'c' word?...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8398116.stmf

...and they're off....

Forget the 'c' word, it's the 'e' word 'electioneering'... there are two competing visions of the way forward, we're going to empower people and ensure excellence in all the services they need..... :rolleyes: What if those awful Tories get in? What if they undo all the good we've done? What if?... What if?...., What if?...

On the other hand there's New Labour, the people who never make mistakes and never hurt anyone... We only want to help people.... It's all about fair government for everyone.... Others skimped on services but we're different, we've spent loads of your money but been tough on performance.... Now there's going to be a radical shift of power to users... (if we can ever get those damned IT systems to work that is...). We're going to create a fair and decent society with services which respond to the needs of the people.. Yes we need to halve the public defecit so we're going to reform government... Streamlining and efficiency savings are the key.... Simplifying performance management and inidcators. Radical plans for treating people within the health service. Education guarantees in schools and guaranteed college places. We've built the foundations for the third generation of public services in which the public will be in charge and everything in the garden will be rosy... There will be increased tranparency and accountability, it will be a public right.. We'll encourage schools to use technology to keep parents informed. People will be able to present information/feedback on services to just one central body. Lots of data to be released to people. Performance benchmarks to be put in place. Even the OS will be dragged into the 21stC. Early intervention schemes to receive funding. Effective action to help carers. Nobody in Britain to be left behind. High speed BB to be extended to every home. Investment in UK Online to get a further 1m people online by 2012. We will set out how transactions with govt are to move online. This will save us lots of your money.. We will be more efficient, services to go from good to great. Slimmer, more streamlined administration. Every penny must count. Public sector senior pay/perks packages to be reviewed.. Culture of excess to change (so there is/was a culture of excess then?). Radical reforms of public sector pay. Treasury will have to approve higher salaries/bonus payments where they have the power to do so. Naming and shaming of those who don't comply. There will be a spirit of openess, accountability and responsibility. Inefficieny and duplication to be removed. Resource to be switched from back office to front line. Review of assets HMG does not need to own. Ministers to be held to account for driving forward efficiencies. Consultancy spending to be halved. Relocating staff outside london and the SE. Working practices to be reviewed. Build on first rate public services. Changes reflect a desire to create a more just society in which people can shape their own lives and destiny. Reconstruct government to meet the needs of society. Restore relationship between people and govt. Public services to be more responsive to the people..

Well that's about it. I counted 2 uses of the 'c' word. Of course a lot seems to depend on those pesky IT schemes actually working...

Same old guff really...

Re: Is another costly IT scheme to bite the dust?
 

Plenty, but every time it'll be preceeded by the word Tory. Remember Labour don't do cuts, only savings. :erm:

Re: Is another costly IT scheme to bite the dust?
 

Yes, it is odd how these 'savings' only just appear to have been identified... Convenient that eh?... :rolleyes:

Anyway this will all save apparently £12billion - not exactly a big dent in this year's borrowing of c. £180billion let alone the rest of the debt...

Do you know, I may be a cynic but I'm not at all sure they're intending to tell us exactly what front line services are going to have to be slashed and to what extent until after the election.... They wouldn't do that though would they?.... :rolleyes: