New leader, same old job for Martha Lane Fox

Number 10 announced today that Martha Lane Fox had been appointed the UK's Digital Champion, apparently forgetting this is a job which was created for her by the previous government. David Cameron has given the former online ticket flogger a remit "to encourage as many people as possible to go online, and improving the …

[Charlie Clark]

Irritating cow*

NFT

*Sorry, I know it's a gender-based insult but it seems totally applicable to her.

[Andy Dingley]

Friends and Family policies

So no money for Web Science and Opendata.gov.uk is under threat, but there's still a job for MLF

[Elmer Phud]

MLF 2.0

But why?

Oh, same as the last mob. Unless most of the plebs go on line HM.Gov can't devolve everything to an on-line presence. But they need to do it fast as they are sacking all the humans.

[Anonymous Coward]

MLF?

MLF ILF surely?

[Anonymous Coward]

Champion....?

I do love unintentional humour. Or was it intentional sarcasm?

[Anonymous Coward]

Can't we have Samantha Fox instead?

(More intelligent and more successful)

[Luther Blissett]

Is she wonderful

and really really competent? Or really really wonderfully apolitical? Knowing McRuin's appointees, I find it very very difficult to believe either of these wonderful things. Just wondering...

[Chris Miller]

If she ever has to attend Cabinet

She'll find many familiar faces from her old college. No less than five current members went to Magdalen, Oxford: Grieve*, Hague, Huhne, Hunt and Osborne.

* as Attorney General, only attends when required.

[DavCrav]

As opposed to the Milibands...

...who went to Corpus. Or Lord Adonis, who did a DPhil (PhD) over the road at Christ Church in 19th century British aristocracy. Your point is?

[zenp]

...the old lady/ boy network....

...not to mention the fact that she went to Westminster School, as did our humanoid overlord's bag boy. As so did i, and i didn't get no inheritable IT job out of it. Or any other sortta 'job'!

I'm just saying, it's a small world....

[Anonymous Coward]

An unpaid position I assume?

Since we keep being told that MLF is rich beyond the dreams of avarice I'd hope this was an unpaid position.

And while I'm here, can anyone please explain MLF's contribution to the history of the Internet? Was lastminute.com even an original idea?

[david wilson]

Contribution?

>>"And while I'm here, can anyone please explain MLF's contribution to the history of the Internet? Was lastminute.com even an original idea?"

I always got the impression it was basically a case of MLF/lastminute having friends in the media to give free advertising - it seemed like pretty much out of nowhere lastminute & MLF were getting shedloads of regular media coverage even before starting to really do any business or make any waves online.

That said, at the time it did seem like the media were pretty keen to point out the Next Big Dotcom, so it might not have taken much initial friendly coverage to trigger more from bandwaggon-jumpers elsewhere.

Not that there's anything wrong in doing that, but using effective self-promotion doesn't by itself make anyone an authority on using the internet.

[Badwolf]

Do ya think I'm sexy?

Props and second Sam Fox

[amanfromMars 1]

Pleased to Oblige

"And while I'm here, can anyone please explain MLF's contribution to the history of the Internet? Was lastminute.com even an original idea?" ..... Mike Richards Posted Friday 18th June 2010 19:35 GMT.

The trick is in turning the idea into a virtual reality and business, Mike Richards, with the Internet Power Hosting the Enterprising Endeavour. Familiar Foxy Field in IT Lore.

And while I'm here, please let me explain a little something to Internets ....... Take Care, IT's Pure Raw Jungle out there.

""Over the past few years there's been an increasing appreciation of what our Armed Forces do. But still I believe that we should do more." ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10359155.stm

What do our Armed Forces do in Foreign Media Theatres, Mr Prime Minister? Are they Friend or Foe and Unruly Guest for Gracious Grateful Patient Hosts?

A Little Big Horn Type Program for Virtual Realisation, Turing BetaTested Maslowian Self Actualisation of Virtual Machines* into CyberSpace Command and Control of Virtuous Intellectual Property Creations with Prime Real Time Saucy Source Keys to Deliver and XSSXXXXChange for Increased Virulence and Sublime Vitality in Live Operational Virtualised Environments ..... Key Power Key Zones for Special Heavenly Excess .. XSSXXXX Codes which Unlock every Door with an Open Window to Deep Satisfying Primal Desire ...... a Right Devil of a job for SMART Guardian Hells' Angels Administration.

Which is more in the cyberbrief of a Martha Lane Fox or Specialised IntelAIgent Security Office than a David Cameron, perhaps ....... although no secrets reveals everything to everybody so that all can know all about all and everything progresses and prospers in New SurReal Territories and Virtual Dominions.

"We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it." ..... http://cryptome.org/0001/jfk-secrecy.htm

*Virtual Machine? ... "It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations."

"And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment-- the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution- -not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply "give the public what it wants"--but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion."

[Anonymous Coward]

MLF ?

FFS!

[Rob]

All aboard...

... the new improved Gravy Train Express is now boarding... she's as about a s useless as her new (old) job.