The Conservative technology manifesto, launched yesterday, seems to present an exciting and refreshing approach to the utility of digital technology in British politics. It demonstrates a thorough appreciation of the way in which digital technology can be incorporated into viable practices.
It states that the proposals will establish "the British government the most technology-friendly in the world to create new jobs and kick-start the recovery". It is interesting to find a strong reference to the expenses scandal in the manifesto, with emphasis on greater transparency of government expenditure. It suggests that such transparency should ultimately create more jobs, by enabling businesses and social entrepreneurs to draw upon formerly unavailable information. Similarly the environment is to become a great benefactor of digital technology, according to the Conservatives.
The Conservative’s seem to have moved several steps forward from the common, and somewhat naive, notion of digital political involvement as the mere usage of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, to increase communications with voters in a direct and swift manner. However, there is still room for improvement.
The manifesto neglects to outline the costs and deadlines for its ideas, and is scarce on the visions it provides for the timely issue of intellectual property rights online. One would expect to see more detail on how a future Conservative government would tackle this area in dire need of reform. Also, it would be interesting to see more of how the digital realm can be used as a tool to improve social equality among the hardest hit in society. Currently, there is little for those that wish to climb the technological social ladder.