Government to use Facebook for ideas on cuts.David Cameron aims to use social network Facebook to harness ‘civic spirit in this country where people want to take control’
Government ministers will use social network Facebook to ask British citizens for ideas on spending cuts, the Prime Minster has announced.
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has praised the UK Government's attitude to social networks
The site, which has 26 million UK users, will invite people to submit their ideas for where public money might be saved via a “Spending Challenge Channel” on its Democracy UK page. There will also be microsites specially tailored to focus on key issues open for discussion and debate among the voting public.
“We are really excited about having Facebook involved in The Spending Challenge,” said David Cameron. “There's enormous civic spirit in this country where people want to take control and do things in a different way. We are giving people an opportunity with Facebook and I am sure that they will take it.”
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's Founder and CEO said “We’re really delighted to be in partnership with the British government, in order to harness the energy and ideas that Facebook users have to help the UK public save money. The Government’s willingness to reach out and engage with Facebook users is going to go a long way. It’s really innovative to open up policy making and engage the public in this way to try and create more social change.”
The Government has called the exercise is “the largest public engagement project” it has ever launched. Chancellor George Osborne has pledged that the Government will look seriously at adopting suggestions, and will meet some of those who submit them.
The Your Freedom website, launched at the beginning of July, aims to allow users to submit suggestions for legislation they would like to see cut. ( telegraph.co.uk )
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