Dear readers — It feels like you can’t move these days without someone talking about AI. Is the technology going to create a futuristic utopia or is it going to wipe out humanity as we know it? No one knows. One of the most controversial AI firms is Palantir, which three years ago signed an agreement to provide its technology to the NHS. However, last week at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Sheffield Heeley MP (and right hand woman to Andy Burnham) Louise Haigh suggested that the firm could be banned from working in the NHS. What does Haigh’s statement mean for the high-profile campaign to stop Palantir’s rollout in South Yorkshire? That’s today’s big story.
As well as that, we have more news from the soap opera that is Hallam FC, the return of the Off the Shelf festival, and a stunning home in Chapeltown.
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In case you missed it
When Victoria visited the final resting place of 49-year-old William Collins in Shiregreen last week, featuring a miniature van, a larger-than-life watch and a statue of him with a marble pint of Guinness by his feet, she was struck to see that the neighbouring grave of a man named Tommy Cawley might be slightly taller. Why has Tommy’s headstone evaded scrutiny in the press, while Willy’s has been the subject of 34 articles in The Star, while also covered in the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Independent? In our weekend read, Victoria explored whether anti-Traveller prejudice is fuelling the hatred of a headstone in Shiregreen.
Sheffield council has revealed the first draft of its plan to tackle one of the city’s most pressing social problems: a scourge of young people not in education, employment or training. But is the plan convincing? Green Party councillor Douglas Johnson said in the council chamber he could find no trace of specific actions the council would take, accusing the report of being filled with “jargon” and “governance speak”. Our Wednesday story looked at whether the plan will help Sheffield’s disadvantaged young people.
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The big picture: Green day 💚
“Pram Man” John Burkhill has been honoured with his own star on the Walk of Fame outside the Town Hall. Burkhill has been raising money for Macmillan for more than 40 years and has recently passed the £1 million mark. He is often seen fundraising outside Hillsborough and Bramall Lane on matchdays, and competes in the Sheffield Half Marathon every year. Hundreds of supporters attended the unveiling of his star, many wearing one of his trademark green wigs, while the fountains in the Peace Gardens were also turned bright green.
The big story: Could Palantir be banned from working in the NHS?
Top line: Sheffield Heeley MP and First Secretary of State Louise Haigh has hinted that AI company Palantir could be banned from working in the NHS. Earlier this year, Sheffield council was the first in the country to vote to oppose the firm’s involvement in the health service, but as yet Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board have refused to rule out adopting the controversial technology. Does Haigh’s support mean the South Yorkshire campaign to stop it is going to succeed?
Taking back control: Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool last week, Haigh, who is one of PM Andy Burnham’s closest colleagues and in June was described by Bloomberg as “the most powerful woman in Britain”, said that the UK must not be “in hock” to foreign tech giants like Palantir. The First Secretary of State added that while the country could not “wish away” the technology or “stick our heads in the sand”, the public needed to remain in control. She continued:
“That is why we will apply the same deliberate approach to how this Government deploys AI, so we can deliver the modern public services that taxpayers deserve, building our sovereign capabilities and backing our own incredible tech sector — refusing to be in hock to foreign giants.”
Who are Palantir? Named after the magical “seeing stones” from JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series, Palantir Technologies is a US data and analytics company which specialises in AI. In 2023, they entered into an agreement with the UK government to provide their AI technology to NHS England via the Palantir Federated Data Platform (FDP), a £330 million software system built to connect hospital data and help cut patient waiting lists.
- However, the company has come under fire in recent years over how its technology is being used, including by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to surveil people in the US, and by the Israeli military to aid targeting in Gaza.
- Palantir’s co-founders Peter Thiel and Alex Karp have also been criticised for their right-wing political views. Thiel has described himself as a “democracy sceptic” and has funded hard right groups in the US and elsewhere.
Break clause: The controversy surrounding the company has led some authorities to push back against the rollout. Both Sheffield and Rotherham councils have called for the Palantir contract’s “break clause” to be triggered and for “NHS-owned or UK-based alternatives to be developed”, while the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board have recently deferred adopting the FDP. However, when they were asked by Now Then to rule out adopting the FDP earlier this year, our local trusts declined to do so.
In South Yorkshire, the campaign group Medact is campaigning for the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board to do the same. Dr Rory Gibson from Medact South Yorkshire said Haigh’s statement was “promising”. They continued:
“The current government should want to distance itself from a company known for its role in drone strikes, mass deportations, and techno-fascist political manifestos. The first step in doing so is ending the NHS contract at the upcoming break clause. Palantir's Federated Data Platform (FDP) is not only an ethical violation for health workers asked to use it, but a threat to the very trust that underpins the patient doctor relationship — the belief that the information you share will be treated with care and confidentiality.”
How good even is it? Even many of those opposed to Palantir believe something like it is bound to be adopted because of the efficiency it promises. But The Tribune’s sister paper The Londoner recently reported that at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust in London, where the software had been rolled out, waiting lists actually went up rather than down.
Are you pro-Palantir or are you an AI sceptic? Let us know in the comments.
Your Tribune briefing 🗞️
⚽ The soap opera that is Hallam FC shows absolutely no sign of abating. Former committee member Mike Jolly, who last week had his season ticket suspended over allegations he breached confidentiality and used a private email list for his own purposes, can now go to home games again. “Following discussions with Mike Jolly, I am delighted to say that an agreement has been reached and the matter has been concluded,” said club secretary Ashley Carson in a statement on Friday. “The club did wish to keep this a private matter, but unfortunately it was reported without our consent by the Sheffield Tribune.” Apologies to them for fulfilling the role of the free press — we’ll make sure to ask permission next time.
However, any hope the decision might improve the atmosphere around the club was short lived as the Countrymen lost again on Saturday, their 11th defeat of the season. The downturn in their fortunes will be particularly painful as their former manager Craig Denton, who led them to two promotions, has just been announced as the new manager of their city rivals Sheffield FC (who won on Saturday, with the only goal coming from a player they had just signed from Hallam). The long-awaited AGM, where elections for committee and officer positions will be held, is due to take place on Wednesday, 14 October.
🏗️ Sheffield council have announced that Event Central, a flagship arts venue on Fargate, won’t open until next year due to a power supply issue. The centre was due to open in 2024, but the project has been beset by delays and mismanagement. The council says they had been working on the assumption that a power source for the building had been agreed, but Northern Powergrid have now told them they must find an alternative one. The council added that provisional options would be tested this month while looking to minimise the impact on the surrounding area (which sounds worryingly like bits of Fargate will have to be dug up again). The project was meant to be finished late this year but had to be stopped last year after the budget doubled from £7.7m to £14.4m (SYMCA stepped in to help bridge the funding gap).
🎛️ If you click on one thing this week make sure it’s this. As part of the Sheffield Inspires series, filmmaker Jordan Carroll has created a documentary all about Sheffield’s contribution to electronic music. From Cabaret Voltaire to Toddla T, the city has been at the forefront of innovation in music for more than half a century. Let our regular contributor Daniel Dylan Wray guide you through the history of electronic music in Sheffield, from the early 70s to the present day. “The legacy and influence of Sheffield electronic music is enormous the world over,” he says. “That’s a thing to celebrate and a thing to cherish.” We couldn’t agree more.
💐 Tributes have been paid to McDonald’s worker Craig Baker, who has died aged 41. Craig was a well known figure to thousands of customers at the fast food chain’s Meadowhall branch, where he worked for more than 23 years. After hundreds of customers left their tributes online, Craig’s sister Mica responded by saying she “didn’t fully realise just how much of an impact he had on so many people”. Craig was also interviewed in the BBC Radio Sheffield studio last December after he picked up a highly commended award at Meadowhall's annual staff awards.
The weekly Whitworth ✍️
Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on our NEETs story from last week (by the way, if anyone does have any Oasis tickets, our founder Dan would be very interested).
Home of the week 🏡
This stunning four bedroom detached home in Chapeltown is a little out of Home of the Week’s usual price range, but it’s so amazing we couldn’t resist. The converted Victorian coach house is tucked away along a private road in a wonderfully secluded position, and was even featured in Grand Designs magazine. It is on the market for £595,000.
Things to do 📅
Music 🎸 On Tuesday to the Octagon come 2-tone legends The bEAT. Formed in 1979, The Beat made an instant impact with their debut single, a cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of A Clown”, which got to No.6. Alongside contemporaries The Specials, Madness, and The Selecter, The Beat became an overnight sensation. Support comes from Bad Manners, and a special DJ set from Rhoda Dakar. Tickets are £40 and doors open at 7pm.
Talk 🏭 On Wednesday, join Wessex Archaeology at Weston Park Museum to find out about how Sheffield made more than simply steel during its industrial revolution. Recent excavation at Bowling Green Street in Kelham Island has revealed that Sheffield’s steelmaking technology may have been adapted for use in the manufacture of copper alloys such as brass. The free 45-minute talk starts at 1pm.
Festival 🎛️ The electronic music festival No Bounds returns to Sheffield on Friday, bringing three days of beats and bleeps to a variety of venues across the city. The festival kicks off on Friday with an audio-visual set by techno wunderkind Max Cooper at Peddler Warehouse (Dan will be there, so say hello if you see him dancing like a fool!), while “psychoacoustic sound experiment” TYRYX perform at Bloc Projects on Saturday. Tickets are priced £10-£75.
Books 📚 Friday sees the star of this year’s Off the Shelf festival of words. Highlights of the first week include a screening of the much-loved film Brassed Off! at the Showroom on its 30th anniversary on Saturday, 10 October and Marina Hyde in conversation with Stuart Maconie about her new book What Just Happened?! Dispatches from Turbulent Times at the Octagon on Tuesday, 13 October. For a full list of everything going on see this page.
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