IT policy is dead, part II (or at least suspended)

During Almedalen, the lack of party-political differences of opinion on IT issues was conspicuous, and I blogged about the imminent death of traditional IT policy within five years. After the recent IT policy tours within the Government Offices , it seems that I may have been right much faster than that.

One might ask whether IT policy should be the responsibility of a single minister, or whether it is more sensible to allocate the IT policy portfolio to the departments where each of the issues has the most natural home - the digitization of schools at the Ministry of Education, broadband issues at the Ministry of Infrastructure, eHealth issues at the Ministry of Social Affairs, eGovernment at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, issues relating to the digital single market at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, privacy and information security issues at the Ministry of the Interior. And so on. All reasonably orchestrated and coordinated in the Cabinet Office.

The alternative, of course, is an IT minister with a strong mandate and scope to influence issues with IT policy content within other ministries. This would of course challenge any kind of silo thinking and therefore risk falling into its own absurdity.

So where are we two months after the general election? Where is Swedish IT policy? It was nowhere to be found in the government's declaration, although I seem to recall that broadband was mentioned in passing. A bit worrying. But shortly afterwards, government responsibility for IT policy was found for a few short hours with the Social Democratic Minister for Infrastructure. Contra orders, and then placed with the Green Party's Minister for Housing and Urban Development, who now called herself "Minister for Housing, Urban Development and IT" on the party website.

That's good. As the government's budget proposal did not contain any IT investments to write home about, at least a responsible minister was found. Let's face it, it was one of three portfolios for the minister to carry around.

But then comes the news that the IT Minister is not the IT Minister at all. He is again the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, but with responsibility for IT policy. And in the minister's political leadership, a political expert is appointed who "will work on IT issues, among other things".

Of course, forming a government is not easy. Not everything can be in place on day one. And maybe not on day 51 either. But the management of IT policy responsibilities in the government has been confused at best, creating unnecessary uncertainty to everyone's detriment. Because certainty over uncertainty is always desirable, even if the news is bleak.

The fact that responsibility for IT policy now lies with a non-IT minister whose IT policy portfolio is to be executed by a part-time state secretary and a polsak does not give the impression that the government takes IT policy very seriously. There is a feeling that IT policy is parked waiting for, at best, Godot.

Media: CCO 1.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Library_Walk_24.JPG?uselang=sv