by Tom Watson

I find it difficult not to like Francis Maude. He’s affable, decent and thoughtful. Unlike many of his colleagues, he’s making a difference. It’s easy for Francis, though. He has a secret weapon. He has Martha Lane Fox. And, as every geek knows, Martha is the kindest, most charming revolutionary internet genius you can ever wish to meet. On top of that, she runs the best karaoke bar in all of London town.

This week, Francis, in customary fashion, chose not to steal too much of the limelight from Martha when they jointly launched her report into the future of government internet services. It’s possibly the second most radical policy initiative from the government so far – after transparent budgeting. It’s one of those policies that we should wholeheartedly endorse. We should even throw in a mea culpa for not doing it ourselves when we had the chance. (more…)