Tag Archives: digital britain

Paul Walter

LibLink: David Boyle – The future? We’ve seen it all before

By Paul Walter | Wed 31st December 2014 - 1:10 pm

 

Over on the Guardian’s Comment is Free, former editor of Liberal Democrat News and Liberal Democrat blogger of the year, David Boyle, argues that technological change is slowing and we are increasingly re-embracing old “real” ways:

…we cling to the real world ever more tightly as the virtual world presses its claims, a phenomenon predicted by the American philosopher Robert Nozick. A growing minority of us may not shun tablets or ebooks (I write them, for goodness sake). We might even drink instant coffee sometimes. But we are determined that the unspun, unmanipulated and unmarketed shall not perish from this Earth. Even if we have to wait in line for a hissing coffee machine.

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Posted in LibLink | Also tagged , and | 14 Comments
Richard Rumbelow

The Independent View: a Digital Economy, can the Coalition Government make it a reality?

By Richard Rumbelow | Fri 17th September 2010 - 3:53 pm

Delivering a Digital Economy is a critical test for the new government. A pledge in the Coalition Government Agreement, the Departments of Business and Culture, Media & Sport now face the challenging task of ensuring broadband is rolled out across the UK by end of this Parliament. But why is access to broadband—and next generation broadband– so crucial?

There are two crucial econ-political reasons for the government to support the expansion of broadband. The coalition has emphasised repeatedly that broadband infrastructure and access to services, particularly for the UK’s business community, will drive the UK economy …

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Posted in Conference, Op-eds and The Independent View | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

LDVideo … Mandy, Clegg and Coulson

By Stephen Tall | Sat 28th November 2009 - 10:30 am

Welcome to the latest LDVideo instalment, featuring three of the most memorable video clips doing the rounds on the blogosphere.

First up, is a rather catchy little email ditty in honour of Lord Mandelson’s implausible-but-deadly-serious Digital Econmy Bill, courtesy of Dan Bull:

As Dan would wish me to add: If you disapprove of the Bill, sign the petition, or write your own message to Lord Mandelson.

Second up, here’s Nick Clegg’s second question from this week’s PMQs – and it’s a real barnstormer, which has earned Nick deserved acclaim from across the political spectrum:

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Posted in YouTube | Also tagged , , , , and | Leave a comment
Alex Foster

Daily View 2×2: 18 June 2009

By Alex Foster | Thu 18th June 2009 - 8:00 am

Welcome to Daily View. Happy birthday to Delia Smith CBE. Today is also Autistic Pride Day.

2 Big Stories

And it’s good news for Burnley Liberal Democrats as sub-editors across the spectrum studiously avoid the headline “The Fall of the House of Ussher”

Miss Ussher said that she was leaving the Government “with the greatest regret” but would remain as MP for Burnley until the coming election, when she will stand down from Parliament “for family reasons”.

Burnley PPC Gordon Birtwhistle, who has steered the party through taking outright control of the borough council last year, and gaining five of the six …

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Posted in Daily View | Also tagged , , , , , and | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

Digital Britain: Lib Dems to oppose BBC licence fee top-slicing

By Stephen Tall | Tue 16th June 2009 - 5:00 pm

The Government has just published its Digital Britain report, detailing the UK government’s strategy for broadband and digital content. The Guardian has a quick summary of its conclusions:

• Illegal filesharing is “tantamount to theft”, repeat offenders will have their broadband connection reduced.
• Part of the BBC licence fee will be used to fund universal broadband access
• But also a levy will be placed on all fixed phone lines to help pay for universal broadband
• A small part of the licence fee digital switchover surplus will fund regional news pilots between now and 2013
• Talks between BBC and C4 are

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged and | 11 Comments
Mark Pack

David Lammy demonstrates how not to carry out a public consultation

By Mark Pack | Fri 20th March 2009 - 7:50 am

The Open Rights Group blog has the story, pointing out how the deadline for comments on the Digital Britain Report was followed so swiftly by a press release that it’s hard to believe that the views submitted by people to the consultation were really considered:

Last Thursday the Open Rights Group along with many others made a submission in response to the Digital Britain Report. In that submission, we said:

This action has the potential for much harm. We call on the final Digital Britain report to
reject the idea of a ʻrights agencyʼ.

Less than 12 hours later,

…

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Recent Comments

  • Lorenzo Cherin
    noncomformistradicalism, ideed, in that you differ radically to me on this! I see the BBC, as the only public broacaster to get the licence, as definitely mo...
  • Charley
    At 35 I rather object to having a finger wagged at me because I want to know where candidates and MP's stand on the issues I care about. I thought we were su...
  • Nonconformistradical
    @Lorenszo Cherin "Few countries do as we do on this. It is not Liberal or social democratic to have a flat tax in order to watch something, all the money going...
  • Lorenzo Cherin
    Roland Not Conservative thinking. Liberal thinking! Compulsion to pay what you choose to pay for , is not as now, compulsion without deciding to! Few c...
  • Brad Barrows
    @Nick Baird I suppose it is particularly relevant to this discussion that the two examples you give of what you regard as core values - abortion and equality o...