Pomp & Circumstance

After working at home in the morning, I went in to Oracle’s offices, in Moorgate, to meet with Rachael Hartley and Juan Rada, Senior Vice President, Public Sector, and Munir Ismet, Vice President EMEA Public Sector, who I know from “way back when”, to discuss public sector developments in general, and Oracle’s relationship with Socitm.

Following which, I had a meeting on 2012 Data Centre requirements at LOCOG’s offices in Canary Wharf, with Nortel’s Fraser Dawkins and Roger Baugh, Senior Project Manager, Venue Technology Services.

In the evening I attended the e-Government National Awards, which were held at the City’s Guildhall. I’ve been to the Guildhall “campus” on many occasions before for meetings, but this was the first time I’ve actually been in the Guildhall, which is spectacular! How I wish I remembered to take a camera, but you can get a glimpse of the place at the Awards Site. It was built between 1411 and 1440 to reflect the importance of London’s ruling elite, and is the only stone building not belonging to the Church to have survived the Great Fire of London. The evening was accompanied by appropriate pomp, with the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers of the Honourable Artillery Company providing the guard of honour. It was nice to see such a large turnout, of around 500, in these austere times! (Apparently, the Dorchester, last year’s venue, wouldn’t have been big enough.)

Anyway, Tom Watson MP, the Cabinet Minister for Transformational Government was in attendance, and the Prime Minister again recorded a video message with congratulations to the winners, who will be listed on the Awards Site.

Tom’s colleague, the Communications Minister, Lord Carter, has pledged rapid broadband expansion. I am disappointed to see that Newham is not listed as among the Local Government pioneers (whose efforts, the EU has warned, could be uncompetitive) and interested to see 50Mb described as “ultrafast”. Pretty good for copper, ‘though.

The new PSMP interface, to be launched by the month-end, will look like this…