The last of five programmes Power and Decision
The shape of things to come is moulded by decisions made today. Technology is, therefore, the essence of politics. Yet in politics there is always conflict between what's expedient for the present and what's prudent for the future. Do the technocrats really know best? Can the development of technology safely be left to the giant multi-nationals and the day-to-day dictates of the marketplace? Whether the future will bring dramatically fewer jobs, less work shared between all, or new jobs created by abandoning old areas of the economy and developing new ones, depends on decisions that wait to be made. Each scenario has its own risks and benefits, socially, economically and politically. But the decisions need to be made, and made soon, if tomorrow is to work.
Film editor martin CRUMP Researcher JOHN MARSHALL Producer DICK FOSTER