#i do have questions about how that tweet got approved on the graphics by 800 people before he performed week one

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bad bunny said

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30 August 2019

Recess, resignations, responsibilities, responses

Recess

Well it's been a bit of a week, hasn't it?

Of course, what the Prime Minister announced this week definitely isn't a recess - it's a prorogation, which is altogether different (it prevents MPs from asking parliamentary questions, etc) - but that didn't alliterate as well for the title of today's email. For more on the most important parliamentary prorogation issues, try the IfG's explainer, my colleagues' various media appearances, comments from Bronwen, Alice and Maddy, the House of Commons Library, the Constitution Unit and the Hansard Society.

We spotted that the Prime Minister's letter actually miscalculated various facts about how long parliament has sat for, in this session and in 2010-12 (the only other two-year session since 1945). Less important in the grand scheme of things than Everything Else (and notwithstanding the usual caveats about parliamentary data), but perhaps telling nonetheless in the government's approach to even basic facts.

Resignations

I'll be honest, I didn't expect to be having to update this chart quite so soon. Although had we been charting the Blair and Cameron government as they started, the first resignation would have come even sooner. Our spreadsheet of resignations is here if you have any comments or corrections.

Responsibilities

As tentatively suggested in last week's rundown of the ministers now responsible for government data, Simon Hart has been confirmed as the new minister for implementation in the Cabinet Office, giving him responsibility for lots of the nuts and bolts of making government work including the Government Digital Service and Geospatial Commission. Hart is a former member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee so hopefully bring some knowledge of data and digital issues to the role.

It's worth noting that while Hart has responsibility for GDS and the Geospatial Commission, a lot of the other data-related responsibilities in Cabinet Office - statistics, knowledge management, transparency and freedom of information - belong to a different minister (minister for the constitution, Kevin Foster, maternity cover for Chloe Smith). At what point are we going to consider that all of these things are part (or should be part) of the same discussions?

Responses

We've had a response to our civil society letter about the National Data Strategy from the new Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Nicky Morgan MP. Our letter here. Let's see where things are by the end of the year. There won't be much else going on, after all...

Round up

It's Data Bites #5 on Wednesday - do come along, or tune in, from 6pm

We've got a full programme at Labour and Conservative party conferences - I'm chairing a number of events on data and digital. If you're attending, join us!

After a summer break, my choir - the New Tottenham Singers - are meeting again next Tuesday, 3 September. If you're in London, give us a try - we have three free rehearsals. It's great fun - and I think we sound pretty good, too

At the risk of adding to the mystique... Having looked at the PM's de facto chief of staff's views on data in recent weeks, here's another Dominic Cummings sort-of profile - it's a good one, by Tom Chivers.

And finally... there are loads of exciting jobs in the Meta Data section this week. But here are two more, at the IfG - we're looking for a programme director and a researcher. Do get in touch if you might be interested.

Have a good weekend

Gavin

Today's links:

Graphic content

Everything is on fire

Ministerial resignations (me for IfG)

First resignations (me for IfG)

Sitting days (me for IfG)

SpAd pay (IfG)

Making prisons safer requires more than a one-off cash boost (Graham for IfG)

Mapping millennials’ living standards (Resolution Foundation)

Literally

For the Amazon fires, the worst is yet to come (Quartz)

Deforestation in the Amazon may soon begin to feed on itself* (The Economist)

Waldbrände – das flackernde Desaster (Neue Zurcher Zeitung)

Amazon fires: what is happening and is there anything we can do? (The Guardian)

Baby name bonanza

Baby names (ONS)

Baby names: Peaky Blinders 'may have inspired' choices (BBC News)

Revealed: The top baby names in England and Wales for 2018*(Telegraph)

Most popular baby name list announced - is your child's name in the top 100? (Daily Mirror)

US

After Two Debates, Warren Is Getting More Popular (FiveThirtyEight, viaMarcus)

Even in his imaginary world of cherry-picked polls, Trump’s approval rating hasn’t moved much* (Washington Post)

Maps: Tracking Hurricane Dorian’s Path Toward Florida* (New York Times)

Those Hurricane Maps Don’t Mean What You Think They Mean* (New York Times)

Everything else

What are children dying from and what can we do about it? (Our World in Data)

I Visited 47 Sites. Hundreds of Trackers Followed Me.* (New York Times)

Almost nobody in Hong Kong under 30 identifies as “Chinese”* (The Economist)

Fears of a German recession are rising* (The Economist)

Remittances: the hidden engine of globalisation* (FT)

The yoyo-ing of the top columns here are as good a visualisation of the world’s last century as any (it feels like it's been weeks since we had a good bar chart race - this one via Sam Coates)

Your Friendly Guide to Colors in Data Visualisation (Datawrapper)

Meta data

UK government

Response to civil society National Data Strategy letter (DCMS)

Simon Hart confirmed as GDS minister (Public Technology)

A public service odyssey (Government Digital Service)

Three more identity providers to withdraw from troubled Gov.uk Verify programme (Computer Weekly)

Future Technologies Review (Geospatial Commission, via Marcus)

Data driven innovation and meeting patients’ reasonable expectations about data use (National Data Guardian)

Data adequacy

EU-UK Data Flows, Brexit and No-Deal: Adequacy or Disarray? (UCL European Institute, via Jill)

Data adequacy (Institute for Government)

Everything else

YouTube to adjust UK algorithm to cut false and extremist content (The Guardian)

Artificial Intelligence to end future holiday jams caused by roadworks(DfT)

Transparency in Public Procurement and the Common Fight Against Corruption (G7)

Labour 'failing on digital rights', say campaigners (Sky News)

UK regulator warns online advertisers over use of personal data* (FT)

Does Amazon have answers for the future of the NHS? (The Observer)

Elon Musk and Jack Ma disagree about AI's threat (BBC News)

International AI ethics panel must be independent (Nature)

The Myth of the Impartial Machine (Urban Institute)

Jobs

JOBS (FiveThirtyEight)

JOB: Head of Secretariat (UK Statistics Authority)

JOB: Data Scientist (Full Fact)

JOBS (Open Ownership)

JOBS (Understanding Patient Data)

INTERN: Data Investigations Team (Global Witness)

And finally...

Labour voters more wary about politics of child’s spouse (YouGov)

When some python script accidentally steps into 800 years of history... (a 'bot', via Lorcan Roche Kelly)

DEFINITIVE MAP OF ENGLAND'S CHALK STREAMS (Steve Buss via Feargal Sharkey)

Tweets show how a stroll in the park can bring happiness* (The Economist)