Just in time for the government’s new youth crime plan, comes fascinating research from Manchester University, who’ve taken the trouble to work closely with young people involved in gangs. What they’ve found challenges the picture normally painted of gangs and suggests that the police approach is ‘fatally flawed’ and risks pushing young people into the arms of gangs.
Sokwanele, a Civic Action Support Group in Zimbabwe, has used Twitter to bring a Flickr group of pictures to the attention of the Prime Minister via his Web team at 10 Downing Street. The pictures are powerful. Sokwanele are using lots of Web2.0 tools to bring their message to a Read more…
According to the LGA’s FirstOnline site: Councils would have a new duty to promote democracy, under government plans announced this week. Communities secretary Hazel Blears said she wanted every council to run lively campaigns to explain the voting system and encourage first time voters. I’m glad that democracy is going Read more…
Plain English, £20,000 prize fund for development, minimal rules, transparency. Surely this can’t be government? But it is. The Power of Information Task Force has launched a competition to get good ideas from the public on how best to reuse public information. Brilliant. Well Done. Click on the button and Read more…
[political disengagement] is a symptom of a deep-seated feeling that everything in the world is basically safe and that life will more or less carry on as usual whatever party is in power. Baroness Murphy has sparked some debate over at the very excellent Lords of the Blog. Read the Read more…
Lord Darzi is hitting the headlines today as he announces the NHS Next Stage Review on the 60th birthday of the service. He has been using a blog for the last six months as part of the massive consultation exercise he has been conducting. Using a blog as an important Read more…
The Local Government Association has launched, my council, a new campaign to help people understand the range of services that local councils provide. The first poster appeals to me. A positive image that isn’t the most obvious service. The posters include a drunk woman vomiting on the street, a close-up Read more…
Steven Clift has written an essay outlining his wish-list for redesigning online democracy. The central idea is: "The typical e-government experience is like walking into a barren room with a small glass window, a singular experience to the exclusion of other community members.” I agree. You’re looking at something online Read more…
I like voting on a Thursday. The reason for voting on a Thursday isn’t very obvious, but I can’t think of a better day. The Ministry of Justice though are looking for reasons to move elections to the weekend or not. They’ve opened a consultation today on weekend voting and Read more…
Steve Webb MP, writes about how he will be breaking new ground in the next few weeks by being allowed to use laptops in committee discussion on the Climate Change Bill. Although the traditionalists will be turning in their graves – and we’ve already been warned not to use our Read more…