Tony Blair famously admitted that he did not know how to work a computer, and relied on his children to show him around the internet. Yet his ignorance has not prevented Blair from overseeing radical changes in IT-enabled public services.
When he came to power in 1997, IT was an administrative tool, automating the huge processing tasks of government, such as tax collection and benefit payments.
But Blair realised – or was advised of the fact – that technology was central to overhauling public service delivery. Today, most government services are available online. Local authorities have spent billions e-enabling their activities, and the NHS is in the midst of an IT-led revolution.
Critical government policies are dependent on IT. The identity cards scheme – putting aside all its political controversy – is basically a big IT project. Shared services – a key factor in reducing Whitehall’s running costs – is all about making more efficient use of IT systems.
So Gordon Brown inherits a government more dependent than ever on the success of IT and the ability of its IT professionals. And he has a greater opportunity than any of his predecessors to revolutionise the relationship between citizen and state through technology.
If Brown lasts as long as Blair in power, then how different will government be in 2017? Most of our dealings with government will be electronic. E-democracy could be a reality – look at the response recently to Number 10’s e-petitions web site. MPs and ministers will be able to receive instant feedback from voters online. The web will be used as tool for interest groups to mobilise opinion like never before. Our success as a nation will be built on a knowledge-based economy.
And all that doesn’t even mention the comparatively simple need to implement and operate IT successfully to run government cost-effectively on a daily basis.
If a week is a long time in politics, 10 years is a lifetime in technology terms. Blair’s IT legacy is Brown’s opportunity.
