There
are so many reasons why.
Perhaps the biggest —
and simplest — is that we need to be able to
share the best ideas, the best insights, and the best
expertise.
We need to be able to share
those ideas quickly, smoothly, transparently, and
easily.
Only together can we hope to
find the best possible solutions.
The current party political
system - often fuelled by media seeking to dramatise
or speculate - does not serve us as well as it could.
There is a tendency towards impetuous decision making,
a lack of background thinking and consensus building,
and inadequate follow through — by a political
class which too often has insufficient experience
of the world outside politics.
We should not be restricted to only what is possible
for limited government resources under a media spotlight
and (perceived) time pressure to make an impact.
There are lots of good people
and organisations doing lots of good thinking.
Too often, this thinking exists in isolation —
in think tanks, in lobby groups, in universities,
as well as in government departments.
There are good ideas in individual heads and in private
discussions, which people don't know how to share
effectively.
There is also a lot of misinformed
thinking, perhaps because our assumptions are out
of date, perhaps because the media focusses on exciting
stories which give us a skewed understanding of the
world, of risks, of relative proportions, and so on,
and perhaps for other reasons.
We need to facilitate the sharing,
grouping, coordination and understanding of the clearest,
unbiased information, and of the best thinking, to
inform the best decision-making.
And we need to make that information
available to everyone, and accessible to everyone. |