Palantir is worming its way into the British state – it’s time to curb this controversial US company’s influence | George Monbiot

Tom Watson has said ‘mob rule’ must not decide public contracts.

Perhaps he should take a look at his new employer What a world we live in.

Imagine: gangs dragging civil servants off commuter trains and beating them up because they handed government data jobs to the wrong contractor – and the government is changing its procurement decisions as a result.

Well, OK, it might not have happened yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

As the former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson asks : “Do you want to let the rule of law lead procurement practice, or do you want mob rule to lead procurement practices?” No, I absolutely don’t want the latter, and it’s always good to get ahead of trouble.

But then I remember there are two common meanings of mob rule.

One is intimidation by crowds of thugs.

The other is a pejorative term for democracy.

And while I’ve yet to see government procurement practices in the UK determined by pitchforks and flaming torches, democratic transparency could be a genuine threat to certain contractors.

One might have hoped that Watson, who once took on the Murdoch empire , would have recognised the distinction.

But then again, one might have hoped that Watson would not have taken a job as a senior vice-president at Palantir.

Continue reading...