Freedom of Information in the UK: Opportunity and Threat

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair described it as his worst mistake in government. ‘You naïve, foolish, irresponsible nincompoop’ he wrote in his autobiography Open Secrets in 2010. Blair had come full circle on his views, having championed freedom of information in opposition and introduced it on taking office, the former PM derided the decision, slamming journalists’ use and lashing its impact on the decision making ability of government. And therein lies the eternal tension: freedom of information, defended by open government campaigners, journalists and NGOs, is arguably the most hated piece of legislation on the statute books by those who work in Whitehall. FOI proponents laud it as a sunshine law, shining light on the dark recesses of closed government, levelling the playing field between citizen and the state. Those opposed argue it does more harm than good, damaging the processes of government, denting the ability of officials to offer frank advice to ministers, and reducing all decisions to newspaper exclusives about internal doomsday warnings that were ignored, or rows about spending on toilet paper and chocolate biscuit expenses. FOI is, in essence, intensely political. An Independent Commission on Freedom of Information set up to examine if the legislation by the UK government following the 2015 General Election may be about to recommend wholescale changes that opponents say are much needed, but campaigners say would destroy the Act and its laudable accountability and transparency principles

Media Merger between Celtic Media Newspapers Ltd (CMNL) and Independent News and Media Holdings (Ireland) Ltd - Submission to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland

This submission to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is intended to assist the media merger examination process being conducted by the BAI pursuant to Section 28E of the Competition Authority 2002. It addresses the proposed acquisition of CMNL Ltd (Celtic Media Newspapers) by Independent News and Media Holdings Ireland Ltd – chiefly addressing whether the acquisition is contrary to the public interest. It addresses some of the points in detail, in some cases collectively, and offers recommendations that the BAI may find useful in coming to a determination. It recommends allowing the merger with a number of conditions

Evidence submitted to the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information

The government set up the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information on 17 July 2015 to review the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Commission held a public call for evidence and has reviewed the Act as it has developed in the 10 years since it came into force. After receiving the Commission’s final report, the government published a written ministerial statement to respond to the Commission’s recommendations. They agreed with the weight of evidence (including our submission) that FOI should not be curtailed

Going digital or going free? Ireland’s newspapers struggle for digital success as the print cliff looms

Never have so many people been interested in news. And never have so few people paid for it. At a time when many Irish news organisations are recording double digit digital growth, all Irish newspapers, not unlike their counterparts across the UK and elsewhere, are haemorrhaging print circulation. And despite the fact print remains profitable, print advertising rates are declining year on year, and circulation drops averaging five per cent per year are now standard across the industry. A number of local and national newspapers in the Republic and in Northern Ireland have already closed, and more are likely to follow. At the same time, almost all Irish newspapers are recording extraordinary growth in digital traffic. This chapter looks at the Irish case, first with an overview of the national picture in the Irish Republic. Secondly through a case study in Limerick, where a legacy Johnston Press-owned title the Limerick Leader, producing both daily and weekly editions, is battling for survival with local free rivals. While its online presence is healthy, revenue returns are tiny. Its struggle is a case study for what is happening elsewhere in the Irish market

An improved method for constructing and selectively silanizing double-barreled, neutral liquid-carrier, ion-selective microelectrodes

We describe an improved, efficient and reliable method for the vapour-phase silanization of multi-barreled, ion-selective microelectrodes of which the silanized barrel(s) are to be filled with neutral liquid ion-exchanger (LIX). The technique employs a metal manifold to exclusively and simultaneously deliver dimethyldichlorosilane to only the ion-selective barrels of several multi-barreled microelectrodes. Compared to previously published methods the technique requires fewer procedural steps, less handling of individual microelectrodes, improved reproducibility of silanization of the selected microelectrode barrels and employs standard borosilicate tubing rather than the less-conventional theta-type glass. The electrodes remain stable for up to 3 weeks after the silanization procedure. The efficacy of a double-barreled electrode containing a proton ionophore in the ion-selective barrel is demonstrated in situ in the leaf apoplasm of pea (Pisum) and sunflower (Helianthus). Individual leaves were penetrated to depth of ~150 μm through the abaxial surface. Microelectrode readings remained stable after multiple impalements without the need for a stabilizing PVC matrix

A quantum light-emitting diode for the standard telecom window around 1,550 nm.

Single photons and entangled photon pairs are a key resource of many quantum secure communication and quantum computation protocols, and non-Poissonian sources emitting in the low-loss wavelength region around 1,550 nm are essential for the development of fibre-based quantum network infrastructure. However, reaching this wavelength window has been challenging for semiconductor-based quantum light sources. Here we show that quantum dot devices based on indium phosphide are capable of electrically injected single photon emission in this wavelength region. Using the biexciton cascade mechanism, they also produce entangled photons with a fidelity of 87 ± 4%, sufficient for the application of one-way error correction protocols. The material system further allows for entangled photon generation up to an operating temperature of 93 K. Our quantum photon source can be directly integrated with existing long distance quantum communication and cryptography systems, and provides a promising material platform for developing future quantum network hardware

Digital Watchdogs? Data reporting and the traditional 'fourth estate' role for journalists

As governments throughout the world transition to storing and releasing vast amounts of numerical information digitally, journalists are increasingly using digital data reporting as an investigative tool to report on issues in the public interest and to hold government - elected officials and bureaucracy – to account. Through a series of qualitative interviews with data journalists in 17 countries, this article examines the impact that digital data reporting is having on the traditional role of journalism as a fourth estate. Findings suggest the emergence of digital data reporting as a key tool in accountability journalism and in informing and engaging the public. However, the failure of popular ‘tabloid’ journalism to engage with data journalism means that a new technologically adept and data-informed elite class is on the rise, with important implications for democratic processes in advanced societies

Universal growth scheme for quantum dots with low fine-Structure splitting at various emission wavelengths

Efficient sources of individual pairs of entangled photons are required for quantum networks to operate using fibre optic infrastructure. Entangled light can be generated by quantum dots (QDs) with naturally small fine-structure-splitting (FSS) between exciton eigenstates. Moreover, QDs can be engineered to emit at standard telecom wavelengths. To achieve sufficient signal intensity for applications, QDs have been incorporated into 1D optical microcavities. However, combining these properties in a single device has so far proved elusive. Here, we introduce a growth strategy to realise QDs with small FSS in the conventional telecom band, and within an optical cavity. Our approach employs droplet-epitaxy of InAs quantum dots on (001) substrates. We show the scheme improves the symmetry of the dots by 72%. Furthermore, our technique is universal, and produces low FSS QDs by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs emitting at ~900nm, and metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy on InP emitting at 1550 nm, with mean FSS 4x smaller than for Stranski-Krastanow QDs

Growth scheme for quantum dots with low fine structure splitting at telecom wavelengths (Conference Presentation)

Quantum dots based on InAs/InP hold the promise to deliver entangled photons with wavelength suitable for the standard telecom window around 1550 nm, which makes them predestined to be used in future quantum networks applications based on existing fiber optics infrastructure. A prerequisite for the generation of such entangled photons is a small fine structure splitting (FSS) in the quantum dot excitonic eigenstates, as well as the ability to integrate the dot into photonic structures to enhance and direct its emission. Using optical spectroscopy, we show that a growth strategy based on droplet epitaxy can simultaneously address both issues. Contrary to the standard Stranski-Krastanow technique, droplet epitaxy dots do not rely on material strains during growth, which results in a drastic improvement in dot symmetry. As a consequence, the average exciton FSS is reduced by more than a factor 4, which in fact makes all the difference between easily finding a dot with the required FSS and not finding one at all. Furthermore, we demonstrate that droplet epitaxy dots can be grown on the necessary surface (001) for high quality optical microcavities, which increases dot emission count rates by more than a factor of five. Together, these properties make droplet epitaxy quantum dots readily suitable for the generation of entangled photons at telecom wavelengths

A Model for the Development of the Rhizobial and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbioses in Legumes and Its Use to Understand the Roles of Ethylene in the Establishment of these two Symbioses

We propose a model depicting the development of nodulation and arbuscular mycorrhizae. Both processes are dissected into many steps, using Pisum sativum L. nodulation mutants as a guideline. For nodulation, we distinguish two main developmental programs, one epidermal and one cortical. Whereas Nod factors alone affect the cortical program, bacteria are required to trigger the epidermal events. We propose that the two programs of the rhizobial symbiosis evolved separately and that, over time, they came to function together. The distinction between these two programs does not exist for arbuscular mycorrhizae development despite events occurring in both root tissues. Mutations that affect both symbioses are restricted to the epidermal program. We propose here sites of action and potential roles for ethylene during the formation of the two symbioses with a specific hypothesis for nodule organogenesis. Assuming the epidermis does not make ethylene, the microsymbionts probably first encounter a regulatory level of ethylene at the epidermis–outermost cortical cell layer interface. Depending on the hormone concentrations there, infection will either progress or be blocked. In the former case, ethylene affects the cortex cytoskeleton, allowing reorganization that facilitates infection; in the latter case, ethylene acts on several enzymes that interfere with infection thread growth, causing it to abort. Throughout this review, the difficulty of generalizing the roles of ethylene is emphasized and numerous examples are given to demonstrate the diversity that exists in plants