The most digital aspect of the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill is that it can be read digitally...

And then it came, THE WEAPONFor ordinary people, it's hardly a showstopper, but for those of us who are a bit politically inclined, it's still interesting to see the government's priorities and direction when it comes to government spending. Not least in a super election year like this.

As usual nowadays, the content has been doled out a little bit at a time. Among other things, it is intended to invest SEK 3.25 billion, including EU contributions, in broadband, something that Kajsa Frisell has previously commented on. The government's reinforcement of SEK 2.8 billion of the Rural Development Program will be part of the Swedish co-financing for the program. Increased broadband speed, coverage and robust networks improve the opportunities for, among other things, entrepreneurship, says the government and it is easy to agree. However, it is important that this money does not go to broadband that is plowed down with just any plow.

As I said, these are welcome billions, but unfortunately the digitization efforts end here...

The 2014 Spring Bill is entitled 'Knowledge for a stronger workforce'. The background to this is, among other things, the declining results in Swedish schools, where PISA result after PISA result has shown disappointingly poor levels of knowledge compared with other countries. The government has therefore decided to invest a total of SEK 3.8 billion in 2015 (with a gradual increase to SEK 6.9 billion in 2018) to improve teachers' skills, provide more teaching time for each pupil, homework help for all pupils, more special needs teachers and an expanded summer school. With these investments, it is hoped that there will be more time for learning and better opportunities for everyone to achieve good results.

I am convinced that there are a lot of hours of research behind the choice of these particular initiatives, and it can certainly be money well invested, but the question we should still ask ourselves is: where is the innovation? Where is the future perspective? The initiatives proposed by the government - and I'm not just thinking of the education and school sector, but throughout the entire VÅPEN, not least when it comes to proposals for improving accessibility and quality in healthcare - are all about solving tomorrow's challenges with today's solutions. To have the best possible impact on jobs and growth, we must dare to look to the future, challenge our mindset and think in new and innovative ways. More teaching time, summer schools and more people with specialist training in health and social care are all well and good - of course these are important initiatives and additions - but they are not enough. Possibly all other things being equal, but we are talking about plummeting school results and runaway cost increases for health and social care. I'm sorry Borg & c:o but to solve these challenges we, you, all need to think completely differently.

Of course, I'm thinking about welfare technology and how IT can actually contribute to both streamlining and improving the quality of activities, not least when it comes to the core of Swedish welfare, i.e. schools, healthcare and elderly care.

Take the recent report of the Digitalization Commission, which had a particular focus on schools. Because IT pedagogy in schools is not a contradiction to efforts to improve learning outcomes. On the contrary, many studies show that the wise use of IT in schools stimulates students' learning, improves results in languages, mathematics and science in particular, and increases enthusiasm and engagement in learning. The Commission's proposals included digital skills upgrading for teachers and head teachers and more digital elements in teacher training. These are new solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow. In line with the Digital Agenda for Sweden, our country should be a world leader in using digital learning resources as a way to achieve school learning goals. And we have already packaged them for you, dear Minister, in the form of the Decision Book - five national measures to promote IT in school education. And if you instead chose to spend part of the 3.8 billion on lifting the Swedish school into the digital age, you would come a long way...

Or take the municipality of Västerås, which has made admirable investments in e-home services. The cost of introducing the e-home service in the municipality is estimated at SEK 5.3 million in 2013 when all home care staff are trained. In 2014, the cost of introducing the e-home service will fall to SEK 3.8 million, while cost reductions in operations are estimated at between SEK 6.5 million and SEK 15.5 million. With 300 users of the e-home service, the net savings are estimated to be between SEK 5.7 million and SEK 20.6 million.

Or, to put it simply, every krona invested in the eHealth service is expected to return five kronor.

That's one municipality out of 290, but many millions saved, Anders Borg... So it is suggested that the government ensures that the investigation that is set to submit proposals for measures that promote the health, safety and self-determination of the elderly, focuses on the benefits of e-home services - so that more than Västerås residents can benefit from the benefits and opportunities of digitization.

Or to quote my dear colleague Mikael von Otter; When will our politicians realize that we live in the digital age, and what consequences it has? We cannot have a social structure created in an age when the art of printing was new. We must have a structure that harnesses the potential of digitalization!...or a budget proposal that is imbued with the digitalization present we are actually in the middle of.