ABSTRACT
We are living through a period of intense technological change. The number of people employed in manufacturing industry is down from around 7 million in 1979 to 4 million today. These changes have left many scars and caused insecurity and unease among those who are still employed as well as those who have given up hope. Much of the population has been left with a feeling of deep suspicion. In many quarters an “anti-science” culture is developing, particularly among the young. The free market approach to technological development has left many people without access to the new technologies and consequently the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” has grown. What is required is more vision. Technology could be employed to open up the opportunities for education and research for millions of people. The government’s role must be to ensure that such access is available to everyone and that the information revolution is used to encourage opportunity, equality and democracy. Social scientists need to engage in this process and find ways to understand the implications of these technological advances. Using the example of my own constituency in Cambridge, this paper illustrates how, through free public access points across the city, citizens can access socially useful information about the city, council services and information from government agencies.
