The New Federation (Julian Tait)

Editor's Notes

• #2: Slide of Venitian territory. Mediterranean. This is a slide of a map of the mediterraenean from the 15th Century showing the territories and influence of Venice, Genoa and Catalunya etc.
• #3: 2. Where do we belong? If you get asked a question where do we belong what do you say. UK, England, Yorkshire, Leeds Manchester? Why do we say that, why do we relate to a certain geography?
• #4: 3. Why do we identify with it. Is it down to the connections that we have with a geography, is it because we can visualise and contextualise a localised geography, anything bigger seems abstract, out-there out of our control Our sphere of influence tends to be contained in a localised geographical context. The idea of nationhood is it a foreign concept. Why does it exist when we are naturally probably more local focussed.
• #5: 4. Early forms of community where anchored in locality, structured by rural tradition and shared cultural values. The onset of modernity from the 18th Century and the industrialised connected world eroded these values and anchor points. This disintegrating model enabled the formation of a largely urban, mass society of strangers to take shape. The Nation emerges out of this as a more successful model of Social Intergration. Well nations exist because the followed a model of kingdom and nationhood. They brought together warring factions and provided economies and mass endeavour and stability. They enabled grand projects to be be built.People bought into the idea of stability by foregoing certain powers to the state.
• #6: 5. So where are we now. We at a point in time where people have losing faith in big government, it could be said that people have lost faith in all sorts of government, but I would suggest that big government is the biggest loser. And I suppose in a time of uncertainty we revert to Maslowesque pyramid of hierarchy. Where uncertainty makes people redefine boundaries and as we get closer to the individual. We reinstigate the notions of community that once bound us.
• #7: 6. Where has the uncertainty come from: Many places Global economy, insecurity, perceived and real corruption in politics. The undermining of political sphere by partisan media agendas. But don't these issues also effect local politics?
• #8: 7. Yes but they are closer to our sphere of influence and therefore we are notionally more connected to them. Councils close schools even though they might do this as a result of centralised policies. We still equate local action with local policy
• #9: 8. The New Federation is something that could possibly come about through the failure of this large-scale disintegration of trust. And I suggest that it is intrinsically tied up with the pursuit of transparency and the availability of new connected technologies. I would also argue that we are starting to see a reversion to a more local or affinity related models of society emerge. Take hyperlocalism or the advent of social technologies. BTW Facebook has 500 million users now, the entire population of Europe is only 834,000,000 so as community structures go it is pretty big.
• #10: 9. Open Data Open data is the opening up of publicly held datasets and private ones if companies will let us have them. The process of doing this will allow theoretically see how the inner workings of government will work. We will be able to scrutinise, analyse and call to account that which we see is not being done in our best interests. Fundementally this will create pressures on the structures of government to justify certain actions. This could be at a political but also at a fiscal level.
• #11: 10. Data.gov The previous regime and there is no reason why the current one wont continue the process started to undergo a process of opening up publicly held datasets. It is seen as a move to reconnect the citizens with the processes of government. This data is enabling more people to access what has been created by public agencies in the course of their function. This is starting to happen at a local level too with the London Data Store and the Manchester Open Data City project
• #12: 11. Local is important. Data like news has more relevance to people local basis. Although global and national issues face us, our day to day is usually bounded by a very defined geographical boundary and the we enquire, seek and make decisions based upon our day to day circumstance and environment.
• #13: 12. Where Open Data started. predominantly North American. Not to mention the Canadians Specific political structure - Mayoral
• #14: 13. What the opening of local publicly held data could do for cities and their citizens
• #15: 14. The City API Is an application devised by Washington DC on the back of it's transparency policies. It appeals to a direct sense of what is the city doing for me and Mayor Fenty stands by that promise
• #16: 15. Why does this make sense for cities and citizens It allows the mayor to personally see what is happening at a departmental level
• #17: 16. The City API and the New Federation Allows cities to communicate with their citizens and departments in a new way and if it does that then it surely allows cities to communicate with each other in an effective manner. Applications that work in one city can work in others
• #18: 17. Cities that are involved. Washington, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and San Francisco
• #19: 18. But what about us? Well London has a structure that is aligned closest to the new federation and through this they have adopted an Open Data model.
• #20: 19. Manchester and Leeds might be favourably placed to be part of this New Federation. The have been granted City Region Status but whether the Fujiwhara effect will effectively create a super federated city or not would remain to be seen
• #21: 20. Leeds, Manchester and London have the opportunity in this new model future. Thank you