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Lord Puttnam: Parliament needs to catch up with the YouTube generation
Posted by admin on Tue, 06/07/2010 - 08:32
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Texting from the House of Lords no longer gets you sent to the Tower of London, but a ban on putting House of Commons clips on YouTube suggests that Parliament is still out of touch with the modern digital world.
That's the considered opinion of Lord Puttnam who is concerned that the gap between the tech-savvy world outside of Westminster is running ahead of Parliament. “In many respects life beyond the walls of Westminster has been quite literally 'transformed' in the past thirty years or so,” he said during a speech as part of the Lord Speaker's Lecture Series.
“In particular, technology – whether in the form of mobiles, the internet or video games – has fundamentally reshaped the way in which we can connect with, make sense of, and engage with society. Believe it or not, until a very few years ago, simply using a mobile phone in [Parliament] to send a text message, let alone an email, was treated as an offence for which you were likely to be carted off to the Tower!
“And heaven forbid that clips from our debates – whether in the Commons or the Lords – should find their way onto YouTube, for fear that someone might find some means of parodying us. Although how you can possibly parody and offend a group of people who find it possible to dress up in twelfth century robes and funny hats remains a total mystery to me! Thankfully that the ban on showing clips on YouTube looks as though it is about to be lifted, as we slowly catch up with the rest of the world although - it's possibly worth mentioning - not half as slowly as the House of Commons!”
Instinctive obstruction
The YouTube example is a good example he argued, of “how Parliament instinctively tries to obstruct digital technology (in fact any technology) from disrupting the 'way we’ve always done things'. I have a great respect for tradition – but if traditions are to survive, respect for them has to be earned as a justifiable contribution to 'civility'; not simply imposed as an additional burden on an already confused society. And this reluctance to engage with, and seek out the opportunities offered by 'new' technologies extends to the broader way in which Parliament has traditionally communicated with the world.”
This has a knock on effect Puttnam warned as the younger generation see politicians as out of touch with the modern world and burdened by things that they simply 'don't get' including ICT. “We seem not to have got our heads around the way in which digital technologies are fundamentally changing every single aspect of our lives – the way we receive information; the way we create and share ideas - and the manner in which we communicate them,' he suggested.
“If today's politicians truly are prepared to take on the immense challenges of the 21st century, then as I see it we’ve no choice but to embrace the equally immense reach and power of the most recent digital technologies” he advised. “And do so in a way that makes our present rate of adoption look exactly what it is – half-hearted - if not pitifully inadequate!”
Puttnam noted that the younger generation doesn't simply rely on accessing information, but on turning that information into new knowledge, new products and even new resources. “In a well run world, you would surely expect politicians and Parliament to be helping nurture and shape this relationship - rather than seeking to frustrate and hinder it?,” he said. “Yet, with a few notable exceptions, most of the innovations which use the web to help explain, communicate and share the work that politicians do, have come about despite rather than because of Parliamentary support.
“Democracy Live is a brilliant new BBC initiative - the stuff of which any politician, wishing to seriously engage with their electorate, would have avidly embraced at just about any point in history. TheyWorkforYou.com is a fantastic resource for finding out what politicians have been saying on this or that issue; how they've voted, and where their expertise and interests seem to lie. It also encourages its users to add content of their own. This resource was created by the MySociety initiative, which is entirely independent of Parliament.”
Private sector's role
But the public sector can't be expected to fund all this by itself, he noted. “In times like these, when public finances are under severe strain, we're likely to need all the help we can get from the private sector,” he concurred. “That being the case I really hope developers making 'apps' for devices such as the iPhone, the iPad and the new generation of Android phones will help by coming up with really innovative applications which help add yet another layer of day-to-day engagement with politics.”
That said, there are a few prime examples of Parliament embracing new technologies. “The work that the Education Service here in Parliament is currently doing in creating interactive resources to help you understand the way in which this place works is nothing short of brilliant,” said Puttnam. “If you Google 'Parliament' and 'education' it will take you straight to the site. There you’ll find a very rich mix of resources which enable you to travel through the history of Parliament; to explore what we do here and, best of all, encourages you to become a virtual MP for a week – trying to balance the competing demands on your time, just as MPs do, from meetings with constituents about litter and burnt-out cars, to summits with the Prime Minister.”
But Puttnam said there was a need for technology to go further, citing Amazon's ability to record your previous transactions and make offers and predictions based on an increasingly intimate knowledge of your needs and desires. “So, for jazz from Amazon.com - read ‘climate change’ from Parliament.com,"he urged. “Why shouldn’t every citizen of this country directly connect and learn about the issues that most affect their lives through simple and immediate access to whatever parallel activity is taking place in Parliament?
"None of this stuff is science fiction. All of it can be achieved here and now. Most importantly, this represents an opportunity for Parliament to prove that it can escape from the accusation that it only deals in reluctant incremental change.”
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Comments
Open data, etc
Hi Ithica,
The strategy of releasing government datasets is certainly a start towards transparency - the benefits are of course already being felt through apps on open.gov.uk.
As for frankness and the warm embrace of technology, I wonder whether suggesting a relaxing of photography rules within Parliament via the Your Freedom website would work?
Best,
Jon Wilcox
Deputy Editor
Go Puttnam!
He talks so much sense there! If Amazon can do it, why can't our swanky new coalition get to grips with this? There's no point them hiding, least of all from technology. Get everything out in the open, publish info from the inside and let people take it in at their own pace in whatever way they like be that newspapers or tweets or video - simple right?