[Sussex] Long live the revolution!

[Geoff Teale]

Angelo wrote:
-------------
<snip>
> It seems that the UK's attitude politically also is reflected 
> in its IT
> strategies (my opinion of course).

Certainly one has to question decisions such as the mass upgrades of NHS
machines to Windows XP and the installation of thousands of (s)Exchange
servers at a cost of tens of millions of pounds when we consider the benefit
to the NHS in contrast to the donations to the Labour part made by Billy G.

THe stated policy of the EU is to adopt and support the adoption of Open
Source software (The EU itself funds several important projects and is one
of the largest sponsors of the Free Software Foundation).  Great Britain's
interpretation of those policies is to go so far as to say that public
agencies are _allowed_ to consider Open Source projects.  The NHS projects
though show just how ridiculous this whole thing is - one of the stated
benefits of the contract to supply millions of pounds worth of Microsoft
software (via Microsofts preffered UK reseller / service company) is that it
means that the NHS won't have to spend time putting these things out to
tender and finding the best option.

Two points on that:
1. Surely the NHS are required to put these kind of contracts out to tender
rather than have a cabinet member unilateraly decide on a vendor and syphon
off millions of pounds of tax payers money to one of their major corporate
sponsors.

2. How does this kind of public expenditure as the result of a cabinet
decision get to bypass parliament?  Is this a case of the money already
being allocated to the NHS so it doesn't need review?  If so, surely it
should be a decision made by NHS senior management rather than by cabinet
members?

Hmm, whats that word, you know, what you call those rubber wedges you use
for tempoary blocking a hole through which a liquid would otherwise run, a
bit like a plug.  Oh yeah, a BUNG!

--
GJT

"...and if I hear one more time 
about a fools right to his tools of rage,
I'm gonna take all my friends,
and we're gonna move to Canada,
and we're gonna die of old age."
	- Ani DiFranco "To the teeth"


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