On Mon 14^th July IERG’s Dr Kat Hadjimatheou attends launch of new report on ethics induction for new elected representatives by the Committee on Standards on Public Life. Michael Ignatieff, Professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and ex-leader of the opposition in Canada, gave the keynote lecture (soon to be available on the committee website, http://www.public-standards.gov.uk). He proposed ethics induction be delivered by political parties with sessions led by external expert facilitators in ‘safe houses’- meaning spaces in which discussion is entirely confidential and can therefore be open and frank. He recommended that new MPs should be able to discuss ethical issues without the presence of senior or powerful party members, as this might create incentives to adopt moral positions in order to curry favour. The discussion raised interesting issues including: the contrast between the emphasis given by parties to media training for new elected representatives and the complete lack of ethics induction; the need for and current lack of ongoing reflective practice amongst politicians at all stages of their careers; relative reluctance of MPs to be seen to be soliciting ethics guidance as they fear this gives the impression that they do not know the difference between right and wrong; the concern amongst MPs that setting an ethical bar will raise public expectations in ways that are difficult to fulfill.

Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou discusses how the Google on line form which has been published in response to the decision by the European Court of Justice to enforce the ‘right to be forgotten’; a right to have ‘irrelevant’ or ‘outdated’ information about oneself removed from the Internet, unless there is a public interest in keeping it there.

'The right to be forgotten'

A new blog article has been published by Professor Tom Sorell asking: What difference can robots make to the lives of elderly people living alone? Robots can help with cleaning and other tasks, thus reducing the work that elderly people might have to do in their own homes; a special category of robots can even offer a form of companionship.

Three members of the Security Ethics Group have articles in the current The Philosophers' Magazine: 'Power & Surveillance' by Prof Tom Sorell; 'Parents' Prying Eyes' by Dr. Katerina Hadjimatheou; and 'Manning, Snowden & the NSA' by Dr John Guelke.