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P.S. I'll be speaking to staff from a number parliaments across Europe <http://www.eduskunta.fi/ecprd/> next week. Any last minute suggestions on great things you've seen on parliamentary web sites that I might mention? E-mail me <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. UK e-democracy updates ... The parliamentary e-democracy debate from March 12, 2002: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/ pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/cm020312/debtext/20312-36.htm#20312-36_head1 (cut and paste on one line) E-Democracy Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Pearson.] 10.29 pm Mr. Graham Allen (Nottingham, North): I would like to use this debate as an opportunity for the Minister to update the House on where the UK Government—and its wholly-owned subsidiary, the UK Parliament—are on the exciting but dangerous road of e-democracy. Access is the key to e-participation. Just as the majority of people in the world have never made a telephone call, so the majority of my constituents have never sent an e-mail. They are in the poorest third of our community in the UK, with only one in nine households having access to a personal computer. However, one of the answers to that, and to participation in democracy, is not ownership of a PC but access to one. Involvement through a group is just as valid. Indeed, arguably, in the practice of democracy, it is more effective than one of the atomised. ... many more pages at the URL above ... From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_1867000/1867605.st m Tuesday, 12 March, 2002, 13:48 GMT 'Web can break Whitehall monopoly' Using the internet in new ways can give the public the chance to break Whitehall's monopoly on framing new laws, says a Labour MP. Former whip Graham Allen says neither the public nor MPs are seriously involved in putting together new legislation under the current process. Mr Allen wants the rules changed so the public and MPs can join together to provide an alternative to plans drafted by civil servants and ministers. In a Commons debate on Tuesday, he will press for MPs to examine planned new laws for eight weeks before the proposals formally go before Parliament. ... end clip ... And, an e-voting update from Stephen Coleman (I added the URLs): From: "Stephen Coleman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 22:54:23 Subject: e-voting Elections in the 21st Century: from paper ballot to e-voting by the UK's Independent Commission on Alternative Voting Methods was launched this Tuesday. Copies are available from the Electoral Reform Society; the report's recommendations are online at the ERS web site <http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk>. On the same day a number of voting pilots for this May's local elections were announced by Government Minister, Nick Raynsford, including several involving internet voting. More details from the DTLR web site <http://www.elections.dtlr.gov.uk/pilot/index.htm>. Stephen Coleman Also see: http://www.local-regions.detr.gov.uk/egov/modem/ or http://www.elections.dtlr.gov.uk/modemoc/ (the same???) Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions Modernising Democracy Prospectus for Electoral Pilots - Local Elections 2002 ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - W: http://www.publicus.net Minneapolis - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - - - - ICQ: 13789183 *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To unsubscribe instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please forward this post to others and encourage *** *** them to subscribe to the free DO-WIRE service. ***
