When
-
Location
The Fintry Suite, Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)

Join us at The Gathering in Edinburgh to hear from journalists, environmental campaigners and anti-corruption researchers about the ways lobbying transparency data can help demonstrate who decision makers are meeting and expose undue influence.

With The Ferret and Friends of the Earth Scotland, we will share how lobbying data is used to generate news stories, raise transparency issues and campaign for change.

You'll leave the event with a better understanding of who is successfully lobbying members of parliament, where there are gaps in transparency data, and how you might analyse lobbying data to contribute to your work by making links between lobbying meetings, parliamentary debates and policy decisions - enabling closer examination of exactly who is influencing real-world outcomes.

We will share an exciting new tool, which allows users to both analyse and compare lobbying transparency data at Holyrood and Westminster. It also leverages machine learning to allow searches by topic, including climate, housing, defence, finance and health. The AI will also seek to discern links between, for example, fossil fuel narratives and contributions to parliamentary debates.

This event will showcase the tool, which we hope will allow people working on specific subject areas to interrogate transparency data more efficiently and effectively.

Speakers

  • Rose Whiffen

    Rose Whiffen

    Senior Research Officer

    Rose is a Senior Research Officer specialising in political corruption. Her work covers issues of money in politics, lobbying, the revolving door and open governance. She was the lead researcher and writer for several of Transparency International UK's publications including papers on the House of Lords, the revolving door and lobbying. As well as contributing to the 'House of Cards' report which explored access and influence in UK housing policy and 'Cheques and Balances' which explored money in politics. She's previously held roles at Democracy Club and Spotlight on Corruption, and completed an MA in Corruption and Governance from the University of Sussex.

  • Tom Wright

    Tom Wright

    Health Research Manager

    Tom joined the Transparency International Health Initiative in February 2018 to develop the advocacy and research work streams of the flagship, DFID funded, Open Contracting for Health Project. Tom joined the team having previously worked on International Development projects focusing on Health, Women’s Economic Empowerment & Governance. He holds a Master’s degree in Corruption and Governance from the University of Sussex.

  • The Ferret logo

    Jamie Mann

    Investigative Journalist - The Ferret

    Jamie Mann is a reporter with Scotland's investigative journalism platform, The Ferret. His reporting focuses mainly on issues like illicit finance, political influence, land use, ownership and reform, the environment and extremism.

    His work has also been featured in The Herald, Herald on Sunday, Sunday Post, Sunday National, Daily Record, BBC, ITV and Ian Fraser’s book, Shredded: Inside RBS, the Bank that Broke Britain.