This won't work.

What we'll end up with is hundreds of disparate systems, hosting the same data, in incompatible formats, with changes being impossible to replicate across the systems.

Spend less, and you get nothing.

As in so many things . . .

the devil is in the detail. Although I broadly welcome a de-centralised approach I do wonder how such pesky topics as data integrity, backups and access control will be implemented and managed.

But it is about time that the government approach to IT of huge, monolithic projects was given a good slap and sent on its way. I know people who have worked on Government projects and a couple that have walked away in disbelief (no names, no pack drill).

Ok, who's playing silly buggers?

This sounds positively sensible.

From a politician.

And I haven't been drinking.

??

At first glance it sounds ok...

I actually found myself happy about the fact that this seemed a sensible approach. However, when it got to the 'lights on lights off' bit my interpretation is:

We'll honour contracts (presumably because cancelling them would cost pretty much the same anyway) and so spend the money allocated for them

We'll shut down systems and build more for no really good reason other than:

a) the public thinks IT spending is silly

b) the public thinks that all government IT projects are bad and doomed to fail

I have to agree with AC 11:39. This is going to end up with a clutter of small systems that aren't much use to anybody. Also, if people are allowed to fill in their own details can you imagine what would happen in terms of identity theft? As soon as the government says "you're going to have to fill out your details on systems X, Y and Z" you know how many passwords Joe Public is going to use.

Ah, the eternal IT flip-flop bandwagon rolls on.

We've just been through a period where big, centralised systems with big, centralised databases are "in". It now looks like we're entering a period where small, distributed systems with tightly scoped local datasets are "in".

Exit "big iron" boys stage left, muttering "we'll be back".

Nothing to see here. Move on.

@ AC 11:39

The solution to that is to insist for Open Standards, and for government departments to be given the full Source Code and modification rights over any software they use.

Oh, hang on .....

Remember what happened with GP systems

In the good old days of Maggie T and her successors the Tory govt presided over the chaotic adoption of local surgery IT systems. There were no common standards and little compatibility giving us the mess that is now NHS IT. Cost a bundle, there were local benefits but a whole bundle of problems. Not to worry, loads of Tory lobbyists and backers made a heap of money.

I for one welcome the election of our 'Let's Look After Our Mates' - Oriented Future Overlords

Cloudy forecast

"He spoke favourably of the Amazon approach, in which a service provider set up a structure, and allowed individuals to populate that structure directly: he liked the flexibility of the private sector applied to the public one

Hmm, I don't look forward to an inbox filled with 'suggestions' from HM.Gov

Common sense at last

"...which he characterised as "Soviet-style" and "Stalinist"... He argued for reversing the present practice of building up larger and larger silos of central aggregated information..."

Thank goodness somebody has seen sense at last and will create IT systems on the basis of what works and without huge databases of information about individuals, their browsing habits, indexed details of all their email etc. After all, you don't get successful Internet based companies like Google doing things like that do you? Oh...

Paris - 'cos she knows that *sometimes* one big one *IS* better than lots of little one.

"Not to worry, loads of Tory lobbyists and backers made a heap of money."

PROOF!!

I demand Proof of that! Scally Wag!

This noble venture is a good thing.

More of the same: Up the Blues, Down the Reds!

When the Tories get elected...

... will the last person in Britain please turn off the lights?

(Sorry, couldn't resist the lure of historical headlines. I for one welcome our will-do-anything-for-a-vote Dave-shaped overload, er, overlord.)

@AC 11:39

What we've got now is hundreds of disparate systems, hosting the same data, in incompatible formats, with changes being impossible to replicate across the systems."

@AC 00:51

Exactly.

Spend Less, Get Nothing.

You can either sort it out, or paper over the cracks with even more systems.

Ivor Kintold-Uso

When the Tories get elected... #

By Graham Bartlett Posted Wednesday 4th November 2009 17:14 GMT

... will the last person in Britain please turn off the lights?

By the time the Tories get elected, we'll all be lucky if there are any lights left to turn off. There certainly won't be enough electricity to actually run them, thanks to the technologically illiterate, mendacious, hypocritical, corrupt & criminally incompetent bunch of Stalinist troughers we've had to endure since the Bliar blitz on Britain began.