The British Prime Minister's Office has recently opened a web site, 10 Downing Street. Although it does contain selected Prime Minister's speeches, transcripts, and interviews, Prime Minister's biographies (back to Harold Macmillan at present), and a tour of #10, its greatest utility is as an entry point to British executive department government sites. The Cabinet Ministers' Biography section...

How does a nation create a sense of community or national identity? It's no trivial query, and one that countries new and old have struggled with through the ages. The Demos organization's Liam Byrne recently tackled that question in regards to Britain via his thoughtful pamphlet, "A More United Kingdom". Released in September 2008, the 96-page work argues that, "shared standards are the secret to...

If you take a look at this website during legislative hours in Britain, you will see a bustling set of eight small screens with activity in the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament, the House of Commons, and so on. This is the BBC's "Democracy Live" website and it features gavel-to-gavel coverage of these proceedings. Visitors can use the "Featured business" link to watch some of the...

Released last month by HM Treasury, the UK budget is composed of two sections: the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report (EFSR) and the Financial Statement and Budget Report (FSBR). The first section describes the government's economic objectives and how the budget will further them, while the second offers a summary of the main budget measures and forecasts for the UK economy and public finances....

Proudly presented by Her Majesty's Treasury Office, the 2002 annual budget makes public all the facts and figures of the United Kingdom's financial plan for the year. Accessible as separate HTML files, the reports featured on the Budget 2002 site cover a vast range of topics -- internal, external, domestic, European, and international. Detailing many new programs and increased support for...

The Demos group in Britain conducts high-quality public policy research on a wide range of topics, including urban design, social assistance policies, and the housing market. Like many other think tanks, the group also produces a wide range of presentations on its work. This section of the site presents full-length programs like "Multi-Dimensional Poverty," "The Future of Open Data," and "How...

It's hard to sort out the world of political spin in the United States, and certainly the situation in Britain is rather similar in this regard. Fortunately, a collection of civic-minded individuals have created this website, which serves to bring the daily briefings offered by the British Prime Minister's Official Spokesmen direct to internet browsers. Essentially, twice a day (when Parliament is...

Released on April 3, this 34-page document outlines the UK government's e-government strategy and establishes a framework for making all government services available electronically by 2005. Produced by the Information Age Government Champions -- 36 senior officials from central and local government, the devolved administrations, and the National Health Service -- the strategy emphasizes a...

In early 2000, access to Hansard (House of Commons, British Parliament) debates (originally reviewed in the November 1, 1996 Scout Report) was improved, with the new edition available each day at 9:00 am UK time. The site contains daily oral questions and debates, written answers to questions, and a table of contents listing column numbers, headings, timelines, and names of members in the Commons...

In early 2000, access to Hansard (House of Lords, British Parliament) debates (originally reviewed in the November 1, 1996 Scout Report) was improved, with the new edition available each day at 9:00 am UK time. The debates are browseable and searchable by keyword, name of member, question number, dates, and document type. The Lords debates and written answers may be browsed chronologically or...