Smart Metering and the Power to Choose
The Coalition Government is implementing plans dictated by Ed Miliband, as Energy Minister, to impose smart metering on a national scale directed from the centre after he rejected proposals put forward by Sustainability First in 2006 for a market-led pilot, based on consumer choice. We must revert to a market-led approach, addressing consumers’ concerns over cost and giving suppliers the incentive to invest before the rationing processes, implicit in Labour’s plans, have to b
Rebuilding Trust in the Online World
There is no privacy in the global “village”. The social contract behind the Internet is broken. Major players treat us as commodities whose personal information and on-line footprints are “monetised” in return for service. Regulation is fragmented across geographic, technology or industry boundaries, embedding contradictions (e.g. privacy v. surveillance, retention v. deletion) and uncertainties which penalise those attempting to follow good practice. How do we make the UK a
21st Century Skills
How do we create and maintain 21st century career paths? We have had regular enquiries into shortages of what we now call “digital skills” for almost 50 years. The underlying cyclical pattern was identified in the 1980s. Recession accelerates the decline in demand for old skills and delays investment in training for the new skills that are taking their place. Recovery sees a “crisis”, often with staff turnover rates among those with the skills in current demand of over 30% p.