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The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Will Nigel Farage's ‘Doge' project achieve anything useful?
Having impressively seized control of 10 county councils in the recent elections, Reform UK are delivering on their promise to undertake Elon Musk/ Doge -style reviews of the operations of the various local authorities under their command. The first to get the treatment is Kent County Council. Some doubt whether such a comic-opera version of the American exercise is really serious, or if it's just a stunt... Why are they doing this? Well, it was an election pledge, and ostensibly it could save some money that would otherwise be wasted, and make some services more efficient. Nothing wrong with that. Who is on the crack team? It's fair to say that some are quite successful businesspeople, and some, apparently, are IT experts; but, unlike the US Doge brigade, the British team actually includes the new leader and deputy leader of the council, Linden Kemkaran and Brian Collins. It is also fair to say that none of the Reform UK Doge team are able to rival the expertise, let alone vast wealth, of Elon Musk (or, perhaps, the skills of the small group that the world's richest man brought to DC). Nor does the slightly pretentious letter signed by Kemkaran, Nigel Farage and Reform chair Zia Yusuf possess the gravitas of an executive order signed by the president of the United States of America. It contains a good deal of Trumpian menace, but the fact is that Kemkaran is in no stronger a position than anyone would be in a comparable role in local government. So a lot of the Reform/Doge activity, including the 'We mean business' pics, is 'performative', as they say. The full list is: Nathaniel Fried, 'open-source intelligence' guru (head of Doge) Arron Banks, businessman and Reform politician (adviser to Doge) Zia Yusuf, chair of Reform UK Linden Kemkaran, leader of Kent County Council Brian Collins, deputy leader of Kent County Council We shall see how high-powered they are, and also how easily bored. So it is a stunt? Yes, to the extent that any council leader can task their officers with finding efficiency savings, and/or hire consultants to do the same. Plus councils are regularly and independently audited in any case, by law. It's pretty unnecessary, and American Doge was, arguably, an embarrassing flop. Will there be waste, fraud and abuse? It's difficult to believe there won't be any at all, but then again it all depends on what's meant by 'waste'. Was almost the entire USAID budget consumed by waste, fraud and abuse, or did the vast majority of it save lives and serve US foreign policy? In the smaller context of a local authority area, will a flower bed enlivening the town hall, however economical its maintenance, count as essential or a frippery? What about a mother-and-toddler group? Or the green waste collections? Or, in somewhere like Lincolnshire, flood defences? These are, in reality, just routine political choices, and the whole panoply of a British Doge is unnecessary for them to be made. It's also not too cheesy to suggest that waste, fraud and abuse are simple facts of human life; that they exist, sadly, in private enterprise; and that even Musk and Trump have blown a few dollars here and there rather unwisely. What about gold-plated pensions? Most former refuse collectors, ex-leisure-centre staff and retired planners didn't earn enough for anyone to be that envious of their pension, but in any case, they are protected and their payments are contractual. The Doge team could certainly chop future pension entitlements not yet earned by staff, but that wouldn't yield much in the way of immediate savings. They could also freeze or reduce council salaries, and change future pension rules, but with the risk of industrial action and/or not being able to recruit people. The six-figure salaries of senior professionals could also be reduced, but that carries the danger of not being able to find capable replacements, and amateurs are legally only allowed to do so much. What could go wrong? Lots. As anyone with any exposure to local government knows, most of its expenditure is mandated under law – on housing, adult and child social care, and special educational needs. So this is where the major savings could be made. One way would be for contracts with, say, a care home provider to be renegotiated, with no loss of amenity for the residents in terms of their supervision, timely referrals for medical attention, cleanliness, recreation or standard of meals. Or, more crudely, a Doge-style functionary could just chop the value of the contract in half, without much interest in the horrific consequences for those in the homes, or for the children needing special help with their development. Like the Militant-run Liverpool City Council in the 1980s, political posturing and playing with people's jobs and lives could cause real suffering for purely political mischief. In extremis, a local council run by Reform UK that breaches its statutory obligations under the Local Government Act 1972 and other legislation could find itself subject to legal action brought by the secretary of state, Angela Rayner (which they'd no doubt welcome for theatrical purposes). What will Reform Doge achieve? Misery and mayhem, most likely. Yes, they will surely find some minor extravagance, misrepresent valuable programmes, and hype up whatever money they save, playing down any diminution in the services provided. Very much like the real Musk Doge show, in fact. If they do save more substantial sums – enough, say, to cut residents' council tax – then it will probably be at the expense of some highly vulnerable people, and their obligations under the law. The same goes for any attempts to ignore the strictures of the Equality Act 2010, or unlawful action against asylum-seekers, or interference in operational matters in the police force. It could get very messy.
Business Wire
09-05-2025
- Science
- Business Wire
Obsidian Solutions Group Joins Groundbreaking Initiative to Support NASA and the Firefighting Community With Wildfire Modeling and Analytics, Management, and Decision Making
FREDERICKSBURG, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Obsidian Solutions Group is proud to announce its support to the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) and its groundbreaking research and development initiative—the Applied Sciences Center for Resilience Studies (ASC). The ASC creates a nexus between researchers and practitioners, enabling and advancing collaboration among government agencies, industries, and academia to enhance community wildfire resilience. ASC's inaugural research endeavor, which is funded by NASA's Earth Applied Sciences Wildland Fires program area, will focus on wildfire decision-making and data mapping. Known as the Wildfire Decision and Data Mapping Project, this effort will study the intersection of wildfire management, human decisions, and planned interventions to advance wildfire science and technology, improve emergency management techniques and procedures, and support data-informed decision making for fire-related emergency services, future technologies, and resourcing. Dr. Katelynn Kapalo—ASC's assistant director—and Brian Collins—the research project's co-investigator—will lead this effort for the WFCA. According to Kapalo and Collins, the goal of this foundational study is to create a science-based decision model, enabling NASA and the wildfire community to align and prioritize investments in sensors and systems, data and data analytics, operational planning, resourcing, and mitigation. 'Our team is not only excited for but also honored to support and participate in such a worthwhile endeavor for the U.S. firefighting community who daily protect us and the environment from fires and other natural and manmade emergencies.' Capitalizing on its proven ability to provide solutions to its customers' most challenging problems, Obsidian Solutions Group will leverage its core competencies in data management, intelligence, threat modeling, and doctrine and training assessments to support WFCA's groundbreaking initiative. Overseeing this effort for Obsidian are Chris Teague and Ken Kassner, who have managed, led, and supported various exercise design, training, and decision-making programs and doctrine analysis for Obsidian's clients. Together, they initiated the company's support to this pioneering work with NASA and the Western Fire Chiefs Association. Obsidian has also partnered with Matt Maher and Rob Orlando of Processus Group, who will utilize their company's data modeling techniques and cognitive problem-solving methodologies to assess cause and effect relationships across the complex wildfire fighting domain. Jim Wiley, president and co-founder of Obsidian Solutions Group, expressed great enthusiasm for this project. 'Our team is not only excited for but also honored to support and participate in such a worthwhile endeavor for the U.S. firefighting community who daily protect us and the environment from fires and other natural and manmade emergencies.' Pat O'Neil—Obsidian's vice president of operations—further commented about the incredible value of this research initiative. 'Similar to the mission-critical work many of our experts regularly provide to our nation's warfighters in operational design, planning, and decision making, this collaborative effort between the WFCA, Obsidian, and Processus directly applies to firefighters on the ground at the point of relevance and the myriad organizations involved in wildland fire management and resourcing. We're exceptionally proud to be a part of this project.' For additional information about Obsidian Solutions Group expert services and mission accelerators, please visit
Daily Record
07-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Record
Hundreds attend latest annual speedway day at Coatbridge's Summerlee heritage museum
People were treated to a vintage display of bikes, including Weslakes and Godden models. More than 500 revved-up visitors got in gear to celebrate the latest annual speedway day at Coatbridge's Summerlee heritage museum. The weather was kind to organisers and guests, with a warm reception given to everyone. Visitors were treated to a vintage display of bikes, including Weslakes and Godden models, as well as archive photos showcasing the area's speedway history. Delighted event organiser John Houston told Lanarkshire Live: "There was a good selection of bikes, such as Weslakes, Godden, Japs and uprights. "We also had photos, programmes, badges and memorabilia on show, while DVDs were broadcast outside in the gazebo. "It was great to see Brian Collins, Bobby Beaton and Jim Beaton - three Tigers from 73-77. "I would like to thank Brian Collins, Alex Weir, James Culbert, William Richardson and the Blackwood family for showing their bikes, as well as Stuart Coleman who brought speedway gear. "My appreciation also goes to David MacDonald and the staff at Summerlee, and everyone who came along, for making it such a successful day." And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
California is turning to satellites and AI to combat the next wave of deadly wildfires
Devastating wind-fuelled wildfires caused havoc in southern California earlier this year. With the climate crisis increasing the chances of deadly blazes, firefighters are looking for ways to even the odds. One solution being explored is an AI-powered satellite constellation. California is turning to a novel solution to battle massive wildfires fuelled by global warming: AI-powered satellites. Deadly wildfires devastated the Los Angeles region earlier this year, forcing over 100,000 people to evacuate and razing thousands of homes. Driven by freak environmental conditions, including prolonged drought and strong winds, the LA fires quickly grew to the point they were nigh-on impossible to contain, pushing firefighters and fire-monitoring systems to their absolute limit. As the city rebuilds, California's fire-fighting division is looking to change that. The state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire, is partnering with a group of organizations building the Firesat network, a constellation of over 50 low-orbit satellites that aims to revolutionize the way we tackle mega-blazes. The fast-growing, wind-driven fires that devastated Los Angeles are only going to become more common as the climate crisis continues, with similar infernos breaking out in Colorado and Greece in recent years. In these fires, every second counts. Brian Collins, executive director of the Earth Fire Alliance, the nonprofit organization behind Firesat, told Business Insider that current fire monitoring systems are often too slow to give firefighters a clear picture of these rapidly unfolding conflagrations. "In extreme circumstances, like we see in California with wind-driven fires, you have very little time to make those critical decisions. The faster you can make them, the easier it is to contain that fire," Collins said. He said Firesat would significantly improve the ability to track wildfires compared to the current system, which is mostly made up of weather satellites, some of which are run by the US and European Union. Collins said these satellites are designed to track large, intense fires and scan the globe relatively infrequently. By contrast, the infrared sensors on Firesat's satellites will be able to track smaller low-intensity fires the size of a classroom and — once the 50-satellite network is up and running — will be able to observe the entire globe in 15-20-minute intervals. "In terms of fire detection, that is a dramatic, hundred-fold difference from current systems," said Collins. Space startup Muon Space is designing and building the satellites. On March 14, it successfully launched a pathfinder prototype satellite aboard a SpaceX rocket. The prototype launch lays the ground for the planned launch of the first three Firesat satellites into orbit in June 2026. Muon Space president Gregory Smirin told BI in an interview before the launch that this initial first phase will be able to scan every point in the globe twice a day, and be able to identify fires as small as five by five meters. "We have sparse data, to be polite about it, as to how many fires there are all over the world and what the incident rate is. The goal is to be able to get to a point where we can get a much richer dataset about what the actual behavior is," said Smirin. "If you're able to track hot spots and fires early, you can even identify where there are maybe fires that might be smoldering or low intensity ahead of high wind events," he said, adding that this would allow firefighters to send resources to these smaller blazes before they become too large to contain. Firesat also has backing from Google Research, and last week's launch was praised by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google's parent company Alphabet. Collins said Google's AI and machine learning expertise would play a crucial role in sifting through the vast quantities of data the constellation is expected to generate. He added that with the funding the Earth Fire Alliance has received from partners such as Google's philanthropy arm and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the group was committed to providing the data from Firesat to public safety agencies for free. Collins said the Alliance was already partnering with fire responders such as Cal Fire to understand how they might use the data. A spokesperson for Cal Fire confirmed the agency's interest in Firesat to Business Insider. They added that the agency's primary interest in the satellite network was in providing more persistent coverage of fires that are actively growing or being contained. Smirin said he believed Cal Fire was interested in integrating Firesat into its emergency dispatch service, allowing the agency to validate which fires were growing quickly rather than wasting resources by dispatching crews to check on them. "We're definitely getting more extreme weather and more frequent fire, and we're getting fire spreading in areas that it didn't use to," said Smirin. "I think you're just seeing more extreme weather in all sorts of ways, and it's putting a lot more pressure on firefighters to figure out how to respond, he added. Read the original article on Business Insider
