As more and more sites start to take advantage of the technology powering data.gov.uk, it is vital that all of them can share their content with each other. By providing consistent, stable and described identifiers for the real-world things that the data is about, all of these disparate websites can link relevant material. Facts, figures and ideas can only be linked properly if everyone knows the right identifiers to use – basically we all need to be singing from the same hymn sheet when talking about something on the internet, be it a company, person, or even an abstract concept.

Yeah I insist that all my TVs are made by Marconi. As for my flush toilet system nothing can beat a Thomas Crapper.

No. Al is the 'Mother' of the web.

Damn! I thought that Al Gore was the father of the web!

Has nobody caught onto the porn-related punning potential of "fillthathole"? Let's just hope ISPs automatically whitelist "@fillthathole.gov.uk" emails or nobody will get them!

Does this mean I don't have to wait for MP's and Civil Servants to leave the data lying around?

Hopefully with TB-L in charge this site will render in all compliant browsers - not just IE6 (R.I.P)

Wow...

You can report potholes and get planning permission forms only to find out the report goes unnoticed and the forms you fill out online arent even processed because you are not a business and they see no point...

All of this can be got from the citizens advise which means someone is there and you can bug them till get gets done.

On the web no-one care if you scream :P

Yet another case of money being wasted, I wonder if they will make an app which lets you know how much everything costs to make and run, including the apps themselves... LOL...

lets face it, one of the PG Tips chimps could do better than the government.

they have an appalling record for data management so its probably a good thing that its outsourced