The year is 1989, Steve Hogarth has just joined this author’s favourite band Marillion and in the depths of Cern, in Switzerland, a British scientist Tim Berners-Lee has just invented the world wide web. This is probably the most revolutionary invention of the 20^th century; it has brought the world closer than it ever has been, but thousands in rural areas do not have adequate connections.

Business, like the one run by the rock band Marillion, relies on the internet. It is a tool that gives them instant access to the world, to interact with it and to maintain the tight bond with the customer. It is a place where they can market themselves more effectively, outside traditional media, and more directly improve their business. It allows collaborative working between locations, between towns, cities and across continents. For the Marillion example, members can share content within the band and produce material quickly and easily. However, although their business is based in Buckinghamshire, they have poor internet and, as such, cannot grow as fast and as creatively as they could due to this poor internet connectivity. Businesses this like are crucial to the economic growth of the country, this growth allows re-investment back into the country and its people, improving their lives.

The social benefits of the internet are immense, for young and old it can improve the lives of thousands. The over 70’s are often lonely and physical unwell, here the internet can help. These days, without the use of cars, getting to the nearest food shop can be a struggle, but with a few clicks of a button the weekly shopping can be all done and delivered at a time to suit; quick, simple and easy. Online banking is also available on screen giving more control to the user, empowering people and improving society.

Let us turn our attention to the younger audience; the internet can give the young access to a wide range of educational material and advice groups. Education and development of children and young adults is an important step in preparing them for future technical revolution; the internet is key for this. It not just about the access to exam boards with various exam material (even though that is important) it is access to new media and new methods. One of the biggest problems living in a rural community is the backward, inward nature of the place; the internet can help by showing it the wider world. Using the internet, we can make friends across the world, connecting with others with common interests, helping with social interaction. People who have social interaction issues can use this brave new world to help form friendships and move on with life. With faster internet connections multiple users can be linked into a communal broadcast, allowing a teacher in New Zealand, for example, to link up with a class around the world. In this example, the complete class can be taught safer practices for interaction on the web by an expert using streaming services such, as YouTube, to provide video content to give an extra dimension to the lessons and help visual learners.

There are thousands of older people left without a decent internet connection in rural areas. These are lonely venerable people, left out of the modern world to fend for themselves. It is not right for society to allow this. When young people cannot get easy access to the wide range of educational material, giving them a disadvantage against city children, this prevents them from reaching their full potential.

Rural businesses often cannot grow successfully thanks to poor internet connections, concentrating financial success in cities and towns and leaving our rural areas in the internet dark ages. I fully welcome the government’s move to give faster internet to rural areas. However, Labour should be shouting out load about this, trying to gain a better deal for those whose voice is drowned out by the noise of the city elite. We need to remember that at the base of our movement we represent the many not the few, both rural and city areas.

———————————

Daniel Mayhew is a member of Progress. He tweets @MrMayhemBsc

———————————

Photo