*** Democracies Online Newswire - http://www.e-democracy.org/do *** Below are three clips .... The first is the text of the CitizenSpace page on on the new UK government portal. The second a political indication that interactivity has shifted from Number 10 to the general government site. The third is today's press release on the official launch of the UK e-government site. When you compare the availability of online interactivity from the U.S. government <http://www.firstgov.gov> with the UK, the lack of U.S. government interest stands out. No real chance to be an E-Citizen on the government's online turf here (yet?), for now we can only participate in commercial and non-profit online spaces. Not that a government should promote online interactivity or consultations just for the sake of it, but feedback can be more than just one-way <http://www.firstgov.gov/feedback/FeedbackForm.jsp> (although, this looks like a great FirstGov feature). Steven Clift Democracies Online From: http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/online/citizenspace/default.asp Get more involved in the democratic process. You can take part in government consultations and discuss views with other users. You can find your elected representatives and get information on elections, or find out how to vote and how to make complaints about public services. Contribute to government policy-making through official consultations, and discuss your views with other users. Find out about elections, your elected representatives, voting and making complaints about public services. Explore CitizenSpace to see what else you can do. Say so Contribute to government policy-making through official consultations, and discuss your views with other citizens. Know how Find out about elections, your elected representatives, voting and making complaints about public services. From: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/default.asp?pageid=7 THIS SECTION MOVED TO THE UK CITIZEN PORTAL ON 4 DECEMBER The discussion forums moved to the Citizen Portal. on 4 December. You will find the current discussion topics in the Say So part of the CitizenSpace section of the site. Click here for the Citizen Portal terms of use. You need to register at the Portal to take part in the discussion forums. Click here to register. A message from the Prime Minister Over the last year, the discussion forums on the No 10 website have proved a fascinating insight into the issues that concern you most. The discussions have always been lively and the range of subjects explored extremely wide. I hope now that the discussion forums are being moved to a new home on the Citizen Portal, that you'll continue to use the opportunity to make your views known and to enter into debate. It isn't possible to transfer the large volume of old postings but my office is investigating depositing the archive in the Public Records Office. From: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/news.asp?NewsId=1823&SectionId=30 Cradle to Grave internet services unveiled [19 February 2001] "Cradle to Grave" internet services unveiled The Government has formally unveiled ukonline.gov.uk - a groundbreaking website which puts convenient, 24-hour access to Government at people's fingertips. The UKonline website heralds a major step forward in co-ordination across government. Support for businesses, computer access and training opportunities for the public as well as transactional opportunities are all part of the government's overall programme for UK online and will become accessible in the coming weeks. Developed in partnership with BT, the site has several distinctive features: The search engine - Quick Find - guides users directly to the right information allowing people to cut through the maze of more than 1,000 government websites. In the "LifeEvents" area of ukonline.gov.uk, information and services are packaged around key points in people's lives. This cuts hassle and trauma, when dealing with issues like bereavement, crime, having a baby and moving house. The "Citizen Space" makes it easy for people to find out about government's plans. This is the single place where people can find out about current issues and contribute to the formulation of new policies on which the public are being invited to have their say. You can also personalise ukonline.gov.uk - for example choosing to read the site in Welsh, or get information specifically about how services are delivered in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Cabinet Office Minister Ian McCartney said: "This website is a key part of our £1billion UK online drive to get all Government services online. It's turning Government on its head - ensuring convenient and accessible services organised around people's needs." Transactional services, such as registering a birth or ordering road tax online, are to be rolled out over time. The first of these new online services include: VAT returns from HM Customs & Excise, Aid applications for farmers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food PAYE year end returns from Inland Revenue. LINKS AND FURTHER INFORMATION: Factfiles: E-commerce UK online citizens portal UK online for business UK online centres Public Libraries online ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. 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