Welcome to this week’s Think-tank Roundup. Perhaps still a little on the thin side this week as silly season draws to a close but you’ll still find worthwhile stuff on the Russia-Georgia conflict, Climate Change, Middle East negotiations from the negotiators perspective David Lammy’s thoughts on handling Cameron. No roundup next week since I’m on holiday but I’ll be sure to reflect everything I’ve missed in the next one.

As ever please use the comments for anything I’ve missed…

Reports & Publications…

• The Institute of Economic Affairs published “The Legal Foundations of Free Markets” – a collection of essays in which ‘leading experts discuss the role of law in market economies’
• Policy Exchange published “The Root of the Matter” – a look at “the role of the natural world in regulating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere: specifically, the unique role that forests peatlands have to play in the battle against rising emissions”. The report argues that changing approach would “significantly reduce the cost of tackling climate change and deliver a variety of other benefits.”

Articles, Speeches & Briefings…

• One to keep an eye on really – Chatham House has announced a new project ‘Rethinking the United States’ International Role’ and looking to “offer outside perspectives on the United States’ future capacity and potential to influence the world beyond its borders.” The project will be led by Chatham House Director Dr Robin Niblett and will report back in January 2009 ahead of the new President’s inauguration.
• The European Council on Foreign Relations have a very worthy Policy Brief on the Russia-Georgia conflict looking at the background to the conflict and the challenges facing the EU in responding. The brief argues that “short-term sanctions and punitive action against Russia would be counterproductive. Instead, the EU should follow up the six-point peace agreement with a comprehensive regional strategy for Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus”
• Also at the ECFR José Ignacio Torreblanca has a good short piece on the situation in Ossetia – “In just a few days, the entire European order has been badly shaken. Consequences will be far-reaching.”
• A shame I missed this from last weeks ‘Events’ section but the IPPR carry the audio from Friday’s event – “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: a negotiator’s perspective”. Key speaker was Moty Cristal, negotiations adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister and he “discusses the current situation on the ground in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the prospect for negotiations going forward”. Moty also looked at the US elections in November and what impact a new US President might have.
• On Progress David Lammy offers his take on how Labour should respond to the Conservatives ‘broken society’ theme…
• The Henry Jackson Society released one of their strategic briefings on the Russia-Georgia conflict…

Events & Meetings…

• The IPPR will host “A nation divided by income?” – a research and policy seminar on the relationship between housing benefit, worklessness and income segregation. Speakers will be David Cowans, Group Chief Executive of Places for People and Professor Peter Kemp, Barnett Professor of Social Policy at Oxford. The seminar is on Tuesday 2nd September, please contact Kayte Lawton – k.lawton@ippr.org – for more details.
• At the RSA Matthew Taylor will host a discussion entitled “Unjust Rewards: exposing the greed and inequality in Britain today” based on Polly Toynbee and David Walker’s recent book of the same name. As well as Polly & David Matthew will be joined by Will Hutton and David Willets MP. It’s at the RSA in John Adam St. on Thursday 4th September and there are more details here.
• Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve will launch Reform’s latest research paper ‘The Lawful Society’ on Mon 1st September at Bloomberg, City Gate House at 1200. Contact Anna Calvert by email at anna.calvert@reform.co.uk for more details.

Welcome to this week’s Think-tank Roundup. This week we have calls to scrap the next census, ‘Policy Exchange do Blade Runner’ and even the suggestion that all this web stuff is slowly throttling the very idea of think-tanks – your correspondent, of course, perishes the thought but that’s this weeks must read so see below. Also this week a series of links for all the main conference and fringe events from the major think-tanks.

As ever please use the comments for anything I’ve missed…

Reports & Publications…

• The New Local Government Network calls for the next census to be scrapped in a report called “Local Counts: the future of the census”. Nigel Keohane argues that with a potential price tag of £500 million the next census in 2011 is a waste of money because it “cannot accurately reflect the true state of Britain because of poor quality information on households, high rates of population mobility and a growing reluctance to fill in official forms”.
• Foresight – the joint venture between the Policy Network & the Alfred Herrhausen Society – released “Russia’s role in a multi-polar world: between change and stability”. The report argues that “accepting Russia as an equal in international negotiations is a prerequisite for solving today’s global challenges”.
• The Policy Studies Institute released a paper by David Guest and Alex Bryson asking “Are personnel specialists holding back workplace performance?”

Articles, Speeches & Briefings…

• The Centre for European Reform has a briefing note by Tomas Valasek entitled “What does the war in Georgia mean for EU foreign policy?” – “The war in Georgia divided the European Union instead of uniting it. Some member-states condemned Russia and gave (non-military) aid to the Georgian government; others accused Tbilisi of provoking the war. Their reactions suggest that EU capitals make different assumptions about Moscow’s goals and intentions towards countries on Russia’s borders, and about Europe’s interests in these countries”.
• Plenty of coverage in the media of course but in case you missed it Shadow Chancellor George Osborne gave a speech to Demos this week “on Fairness”. The speech was to promote a Conservative paper entitled “An Unfair Britain: why Labour have failed on fairness”.
• The European Council on Foreign Relations released a couple of good commentary pieces on events in Georgia – check out Daniel Korski on why Russia has ultimately strengthened NATO’s hand and Nicu Popescu & Andrew Wilson on why the EU is finally getting to grips with acting like a global player.
• Scottish Labour leadership candidate Cathy Jamieson argues at the Fabian Society that “Westminster can work for Scotland’s benefit” – “I will have no hesitation in raising issues with Westminster, when that is the right thing to do. But I will do so with the intention of finding solutions to problems. Scotland is a forward looking nation, which of course seeks to do the best for its people. Scots should be confident enough in themselves to know that we can still work within the United Kingdom while expressing our own distinctiveness”. (The other candidates will soon contribute online essays too).
• Also from the Fabian Society a critical look at the LibDems take on addressing social inequality – Stuart White asks “If the LibDems are so committed to challenging social inequality why are they talking about abolishing childtrust funds?”.
• In an article for IPPR North Michael Johnson takes issue with the controversial Policy Exchange report last week on regeneration in northern cities and likens it to “Blade Runner… had Ridley Scott had a background in town planning”.
• New Demos director Richard Reeves wrote an article for the Guardian asking if the internet is killing think-tanks – “Some are now wondering whether the whole thinktank model is bust. The Labour minister Jim Knight suggests on his Facebook page that thinktanks, “ultimately very elitist top-down institutions populated with very bright people who politicians sometimes seem to sub-contract their thinking to”, are out of date in an era of online networking, blogs and wikipedia. “Network-enabled policymaking” may replace boring old thinktank reports”.

Events & Meetings…

• Reform will host a speech by Shadow Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley MP on ‘a new positive approach to improving public health’. The speech will take place next Wednesday at the Ideas Space, Clutha House @ 1000 – contact dale.bassett@reform.co.uk for details.

  Links for the events programmes for most of the major think-tanks where these currently exist online – (L = Labour programme, C = Conservative programme, LD = LibDem programme, G = general programme)

  Centre Forum (G)
  Fabian Society (L), (L), (C), (LD)
  Foreign Policy Centre (L), (C), (LD)
  Hansard (G)
  IPPR (L), (C), (LD)
  The Kings Fund (L), (C), (LD)
  New Local Government Network (G)
  Reform (L), (C), (LD)
  Social Market Foundation (L), (C), (LD)
  The Smith Institute (L), (C), (LD)

Welcome to this week’s Think-tank Roundup. As well as the controversial Policy Exchange report and some good stuff on events in Georgia you’ll find rows over the Muslim Writers Awards, debates about the legacy of Solzhenitsyn, windfall taxes for energy companies and calls for football clubs to pay more – to those off the field!

As ever please use the comments for anything I’ve missed…

Reports & Publications…

• The Hansard Society released ‘Digital Dialogues 3’ – the third report in a series into the use of online technologies to enhance engagement between central government and the public. The report “focuses on seven case studies (including the Office of the Prime Minister and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) that highlight the factors that help and hinder online engagement. The report finds that many government departments remain wary of using the internet to engage because it is new and unfamiliar”
• As you might have heard (!) Policy Exchange released ‘Cities Unlimited’ – a highly critical look at the last decade of regeneration policies and a “a series of radical proposals that would reverse the trend and inject a much needed momentum back into regeneration policy”
• For an interesting counterpoint to the Policy Exchange report you might want to read “How can cities thrive in the changing economy?” from The Work Foundation. The focus is economic development rather than regeneration specifically but it’s still worth a look and has a few interesting rebuttals to some of the points raised by PX.

Articles, Speeches & Briefings…

• Chatham House carries one of the better articles I’ve read on events between Russia & Georgia this week – “Intellectual Dishonesty and the Culpability of All.” As the title suggest James Nixey’s article looks at the selective thinking on both sides of the dispute – “Aside from the avoidable loss of innocent life, one the most depressing things about the past few days is the lack of intellectual honesty on display. Rather than examine motive and facts on the ground, both Russians and Georgians have chosen to extract what they wish from the overall picture and used it to fit their pre-existing nationalist ideologies”
• For more comment on the situation in Georgia you might also want to visit the European Council on Foreign Relations – they have a collection of articles by various fellows and experts.
• A very interesting article in the RSA Journal on ‘Brain Power’ by Jonathan Carr-West – “How do we cope with the complexity of the modern world and foster local and global solidarity in the face of diversity and individualism? Solutions to these challenges will come from our growing desire to shape our neurological processes”.
• Over at religious think-tank Theos the current ‘debate’ is on the influence of Alexander Solzhenitsyn and why we “should resist the temptation to ignore either his critique of the west or the importance of his religious faith in directing the analysis he gave”.
• In typically bellicose fashion the Henry Jackson Society asks “Czechoslovakia 1938 – Georgia 2008 ?” – Marko Attila Hoare concludes that “However unpalatable this conflict may be for us, it is better to take a tough but non-violent stance against Moscow today, than to pursue a policy of appeasement that will pave the way to a more dangerous – and potentially violent – conflict with Russia tomorrow”
• Compass continues to press their campaign for a Windfall Tax on energy companies and looks at the continuing media interest the campaign has generated. The main campaign page has templates for letters should you wish to lobby your MP or Alasdair Darling.
• In conjunction with the Fair Pay Network the IPPR are calling on Premiership football clubs to become ethical employers and pay fair wages to everyone working off the pitch.
• The Centre for Social Cohesion carries a story on Max Malik’s confrontation with the Muslim Writers Awards (an honour he won in 2007) over their alleged refusal to read his 2008 entry ‘The Butterfly Hunter’.

Events & Meetings…

• Demos are hosting a speech by the Shadow Chancellor George Osborne on notions of fairness in British politics. The speech will be at Demos in Tooley Street next Wednesday (20th) at 10:30am – contact events@demos.co.uk for details.

Welcome to this week’s Think-tank Roundup – everything from ‘new money’ and supply-side oil crunches to the call for better teachers and yes, Michael Gove’s ‘Nuts’ (there was more to his speech than that storm suggested).

Things seem to be quiet on the events front but I guess that’s a function of both parliamentary recess and the impending party conference season (of which more soon). Must read piece this week is probably Gove’s speech if only because it deserves a better airing than it got because of that unfortunate quote about lads mags – details below.

As ever please use the comments for anything I’ve missed…

Reports & Publications…

• In a report for Chatham House Paul Stevens argues that “unless there is a collapse in oil demand within the next five to ten years, there will be serious oil ‘supply crunch’ – not because of below-ground resource constraints but because of inadequate investment by national & international oil companies”. Read the full report here.
• The European Council on Foreign Relations published “Re-energising Europe’s Security and Defence Policy” – a report on “the state of European defence, arguing that “inertia and resistance in the defence machinery” are thwarting the European Union’s declared aim to make a real contribution to global security.”
• Two reports worth highlighting from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation – “The Bradford community guide: a guide to community and development projects” is an online resource, listing community and development projects in the city and featuring ten in-depth case studies and a wide range of projects, from youth development, training and housing, to faith, regeneration and film and media.
• Also from JRF’s Women’s Budget Group a report entitled “Women and poverty: experiences, empowerment and engagement” – ‘While the Government has developed strategies to combat poverty, especially for children and pensioners, there is no strategy to challenge women’s poverty specifically. This project set out to support women living in poverty so that they could go beyond being ‘witnesses’ to poverty to become actively involved in policy development’.
• The Oxford Research Group have a report on the regional role for stabilisation in Iraq – based on a meeting held in Riyadh in April between senior influential US and European observers and senior Saudi officials it looks at “five different scenarios for the future of Iraq and then examines competing images of Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States, the issues of national identity, sectarianism and federalism, and concludes by exploring a number of possible future paths and processes”.
• Policy Exchange carry a report by Sam Freedman, Briar Lipson and Professor David Hargreaves on the need for “More Good Teachers”.

Articles & Briefings…

• The Chatham House monthly magazine ‘The World Today’ carries an interesting article by Robert Singh on the US Presidential elections – “US Presidential Election: Choice or Echo?”. Singh contends that the oft-quoted contrast offered between McCain and Obama is actually focused on character and personality traits and may not actually reflect substantial policy differences.
• In the latest Fabian Review Danny Dorling argues that where ‘class’ was once about breeding and perhaps latterly occupation, those easy distinctions are no longer possible – nowadays class is all about money. Read the full article here.
• Pavel Miller has a good article for the Foreign Policy Centre – “The need to be open-minded about Russia’s approaches”. Pavel argues that “In order to overcome the disagreements, negotiation must prevail through comprehension of Russia’s perspective, as opposed to the confrontational rhetoric and calls for punitive measures endorsed by Senator John McCain”.
• As you probably know the Institute of Public Policy Research hosted a speech by Michael Gove, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families this week on “Liberty, Equality, Family?”. There was significantly more to Michael’s speech than the small media storm around his remarks about ‘lads mags’ – he argues “that strengthening relationships is the key to building a better, happier and fairer society and [should be] the cornerstone of any effective anti-poverty strategy.” If you haven’t read the full speech it’s worth doing and there’s an audio version available too….
• Also at IPPR Andrew Pendleton has an article on the Global Politics of Climate change post-G8.
• The Policy Network has an article by David Coates on ‘Reclaiming Moderate America’ – “Recapturing the dominant narrative in US politics is the key task facing contemporary American liberals. That dominant narrative has to recapture the potential of the New Deal from its conservative detractors. It lies not in the nonsense of trickle-down economics, but in policies designed to enhance the strength, skills and security of a vibrant middle class—a middle class expanded at the bottom by policy to raise the poor and at the top by policy to curb the rich.”
• The RSA have 5mins of video of Matthew Taylor in conversation with political ‘man of the moment’ and author of Nudge Richard Thaler.
• Corine Wood-Donnelly has an article for the Henry Jackson Society on “British influence in a changing world” – ‘The decline in Britain’s relative economic weight can be compensated by its economic experience and expertise in order to retain a leading place in the globalised market. Britain’s existing strong global integration provides a head start in this regard, and its relationship with the European Union, USA and increasingly the Commonwealth will help extend British influence.’

Events & Meetings…

• The RSA will be hosting a lecture by influential US commentator Robert Kagan at this years Edinburgh International Book Festival on 22nd August in Charlotte Square – click here for more details.

People…

• Ann Rossiter, Director of the Social Market Foundation, has said she is to leave the organisation at the end of August to take up post as Special Advisor to Rt. Hon. John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Natalie Tarry, Deputy Director of the SMF, will serve as Acting Director
• The resignations of Lord Haskel & Wilf Stevenson at the Smith Institute as reported by Guido are not being mentioned on their website yet.

Don’t let the mention of that lazy trope ‘political correctness’ put you off this weeks ‘must read’ piece -the CPS report ‘Through the Looking Glass’ on Western foreign policy and the sometimes erroneous attitudes that frame it.

No roundup next week for personal reasons but I’ll try to cover off everything in the subsequent one.

As ever please use the comments for anything I’ve missed…

Reports & Publications…

• Today the Centre for Policy Studies publishes ‘Through the Looking Glass: political correctness, foreign policy and bad decisions’ by noted foreign policy expert Roger Howard. Roger examines ‘how political correctness is seeping into foreign policy’ and concludes “we are looking at the rest of the world through a highly distorted looking glass, one that has been shaped, to an important degree, by political correctness. We will see the outside world in a much clearer light if we can smash the glass. Doing so is one of the biggest foreign policy challenges that confront us.”
• Liberal think-tank CentreForum published ‘Earned amnesty: bringing illegal workers out of the shadows’ – the report ‘proposes a detailed strategy and rationale for an ‘earned’ regularisation programme which identifies those illegal immigrants who contribute to British society’.
• The International Policy Network published ‘While Doha Sleeps: Securing Economic Growth Through Trade Facilitation’ – a report which ‘shows how unilateral reforms of bureaucratic procedures can be even more valuable than the tariff reductions sought through the WTO’.
• The New Economics Foundation published “A Green New Deal: Joined-up policies to solve the triple crunch of the credit crisis, climate change and high oil prices” – the report proposes a modernised version of Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ designed “to power a renewables revolution, create thousands of green-collar jobs and rein in the distorting power of the finance sector while making more low-cost capital available for pressing priorities.”
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation have some interesting research into ‘Immigration and Social Cohesion in the UK’ – “The researchers conclude that to ensure cohesion, the impact of social and economic changes needs to be addressed as well as how people relate to each other. The limited opportunities and multiple deprivations of the long-term settled population in parts of UK towns and cities undermine social cohesion”

Articles & Briefings…

• The Electoral Reform Society produced an interesting ‘quick guide’ from Oxford Professor of Government Vernon Bogdanor called ‘PR Myths: The facts and the fiction on Proportional Representation’ – “No political issue attracts more fallacious arguments than proportional representation. Perhaps the most foolish one is that a proportional system would be too difficult for the voters to understand. The implication must be that English voters are the most stupid in Europe.”
• The Fabian Society site carried an essay by You Gov President Peter Kellner on the implications of a Labour defeat in Glasgow east and why some people are reading too much into the result – “Calm down dear it’s only a by-election”
• Also from the Fabian Society the text of Health Secretary Alan Johnson’s speech on Obesity on Wednesday evening. Johnson takes issue with Cameron’s mocking of the term ‘at risk of obesity’ – “Academics and medical experts do not say that children are “at risk” of obesity or poverty because of political correctness – they say this because it’s an accurate assessment of the situation. A child who grows up in poverty, and whose parents have little or no aspiration for them, who doesn’t get to go to the best school, who isn’t blessed with an inspirational teacher, is by any definition “at risk” of becoming a poor adult. It’s not inevitable, but without some help and support, it’s highly likely”
• Jessica Allen, Head of Health and Social Care at the IPPR had an article in the Health Service Journal entitled “Drifting apart: Why health inequalities are getting bigger” – “Is it fair to expect the NHS alone to stop health inequalities widening when they are shaped by so many factors in society – income, housing, education – or is the health service failing in its basic responsibilities?”
• Annie Bruzzone has a thought-provoking article for Policy Network on “The myths and realities of labour migration” – “Italy’s political flirtation with Umberto Bossi’s openly racist Northern League should be a stark wake up call for progressives across Europe”

Events & Meetings…

• The International Institute for Strategic Studies are hosting a discussion meeting on Wednesday 30th July entitled “Where is Russia going?”. Lead speaker is Tony Brenton, British Ambassador to Russia with 33 years of diplomatic service in many postings around the world. The meeting will take place on the Fourth Floor at Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street in London and if you would like to attend, please RSVP Clara Catherall on catherall@iiss.org or tel.020 7395 9156.
• Tomorrow sees the 6th event in the IPPR’s Climate Policy Forum – “The future of flying in a world of high oil prices”. Speakers will be Ric Parker from Rolls-Royce, Andrew Barker from EasyJet and Professor Kevin – anyone interested in attending should contact j.obrien@ippr.org

People…

• Policy Exchange Director Anthony Browne has been appointed Policy Director by Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

We’ve established a near-constant 20pt poll lead, notched up significant electoral victories in London & Crewe, garnered the sort of positive press coverage they’ve only dreamt about for c.15 years and seen even Labour’s most loyal and optimistic supporters in the press now talk about the ‘scale of’ rather than ‘likelihood’ of defeat.

That’s the sort of context most oppositions would shed a limb for.

It’s also the sort of context that normally begets a confidence or an air of self-belief – a more positive and hopeful outlook that doesn’t fear ceding any positives to your opponents or playing every ball as though its your last shot deep in extra time and you’re still as likely to lose as win.

The reaction to the basically positive crime statistics was layered in that guttural loathing too many right-wing bloggers still have for anything the government does or says.

It’s not as though the Tories need to go hunting for targets – a PM who defined himself as prudent and cautious presides over a budget deficit at its worst level since WW2 and looks likely to have to rewrite their own rules, health & education still face serious problems despite a many-fold increase in funding, the new militancy among the unions, the Lisbon treaty, the prison population, inflation, ID cards, 42 days – the list goes on.

So why the ‘toys out the pram’ rejection (see Iain Dale, ConHome, Dizzy, Burning our money) of the figures?

I scoured around looking for the diligent Tory blogger who’d been pouring over the BCS spreadsheets to uncover the truth but they were nowhere to be found – there simply was no decent rebuttal to the observation that in general crime is down significantly since Labour came to power. But as I pointed out above it’s an observation that shouldn’t particularly trouble confident & secure Tory supporters. The figures are mirrored across Western Europe so there’s a limit to the amount of credit Labour can take for them.

Polls and stats pour out of governments at a tremendous rate and there will always be some that bring good news and some that don’t – Tories don’t need to cast around for every negative and demand line calls on every positive and the fact that some bloggers still do demonstrates how deeply partisan and lacking in confidence some of them are.

An opposition worthy of government would be able to take these figures in their stride and to be fair to Cameron and his team they haven’t entirely joined the baying mob calling for all statisticians to be hung from the nearest lamppost (and of course now that we’ve moved on to budget deficits and public borrowing and official stats paint a gloomy picture for the government they’re suddenly to be trusted again).

As I’ve argued elsewhere there’s an interpretation of his ‘broken society’ theme – a lack of civility, rude threatening behaviour, familial breakdown – which these figures do nothing to dent and which would probably resonate well in the country. Wherever you stand on those issues or the others listed above I’m sure most people would agree the opposition haven’t had it this good in a long time.

Quite why some of their more manic supporters in the blogosphere and elsewhere should get so worked up about crime figures then is a mystery…

This week’s ‘must read’ item is the Theos report on the role of Christianity in Britain today, not because I agree with every word but because it’s a provocative read, particularly for those on the liberal / left. Other than that enjoy and as ever please flag anything I may have missed. Also if anyone would like to be included in the email version please let me know…

Reports & Publications…

• Liberal think-tank CentreForum published a report on Academies and the future or state education – ‘Featuring a foreword from Schools Minister Andrew Adonis, this collection brings together the leaders of some of the most successful academies to explain how they have made these previously failing schools so popular with parents’.
• The Foreign Policy Centre published ‘Global Politics After 9/11: The Democratiya Interviews’ – a ‘series of conversations about the dilemmas of progressive foreign policy after 9/11’ edited by Alan Johnson.
• The Hansard Society have published a report called “Law in the Making: Influence and Change in the Legislative Process”. The report “analyses the influences and elements that come together in making an act of Parliament. It looks at the role of external actors such as, the media, voluntary organisations, governmental bodies, professional associations and businesses, as well as Parliament and government departments in the process of making the law”. Note: this report isn’t available for free download but can be ordered here.
• The Institute of Economic Affairs published “The Economics of Fair Trade: A Christian Perspective” – arguing that the promotion of fair trade in schools ‘has often degenerated into crude anti-capitalist propaganda’.
• The New Local Government Network weigh in on the topic of the moment with a report entitled ‘Gangs at the Grassroots: Community solutions to street violence’. Author Anthony Brand warns the Government to “avoid using centralised policies to tackle gang violence and knife crime” and allow local areas “to introduce interventions based on local factors”
• Theos, the ‘public theology think tank’ published “Neither Private nor Privileged: The Role of Christianity in Britain Today”. The report “rejects calls to privatise religious faith but insists that the nature of the church’s involvement with government should differ according to the ‘moral orientations’ of the state at any given time”
• Reform launched a report called “A New Reality: Government and the IPOD generation”. Reform have dubbed 18 to 34 year olds the ‘IPODs’ because they are ‘Insecure, Pressurised, Over-taxed and Debt-ridden’ and this report aims to ‘understand what kind of government IPODs want to see and the relationship they want to have with government’.

Articles & Briefings…

• Shadow Chancellor George Osborne delivered the Centre for Policy Studies’ 2008 Annual Lecture. Speaking on the long-term economic goals of a future Conservative administration he set out the now familiar themes of our ‘broken society’ and achieving progressive ends via conservative means.
• With an extract from the next review Fabian Society director Tom Hampson ignited a row around the use of the word ‘chav’ and whether or not it’s discriminatory and insulting. Also from the Fabian Society a speech by Pensions Minister Mike O’Brien of the five big issues presented by an ageing society and how the government might address them.
• An IPPR press release suggested the ‘public are more receptive to Personal Carbon Trading than policy makers believe’. Senior Research Fellow Matthew Lockwood says ‘our research show that the public may be more receptive to PCT than other proposals and suggests politicians should give serious consideration to this option’.
• On CiF on Saturday IPPR visiting Fellow Michael Kenny took issue with iPod Democracy and Hazel Blears community white paper.
• Niall Dickson at the Kings Fund looks at ‘Making Darzi’s vision a reality’ – “The history of NHS reform is littered with good intentions – there have been countless attempts to make the service more efficient, more responsive and providing higher standards of care. The stumbling block has often been in translating high ambitions into tangible results.”
• At Compass Jonathan Rutherford looks at how the debate on fatherhood is taking centre stage in politics again.

Events & Meetings…

• The Bow Group are hosting a discussion on the Value of War Reporting with guest speaker Professor Jake Lynch, ex-BBC reporter and presenter, on Monday 21st July 2008 at 6:30pm. Contact SHORTHOUSER@parliament.uk for details.
• The RSA & the Encyclopaedia Britannica are hosting a debate called “Do schoolchildren and students know how to research?” – “In the age of user-generated content and the instant search result, how can we encourage critical analysis of the ‘wisdom of crowds’? How can we help young people in the education system towards the platform of intellectual confidence that is a characteristic of growing up and underpins all contributory citizenship?” The debate is on Monday 22nd July @ 18.00 and you can book here.

People…

• ·Richard Reeves replaces Catherine Fieschi as Director at Demos. Richard is a former director of futures at The Work Foundation and has worked as an economics and social affairs journalist for both The Guardian and The Observer. He’s also the author of ‘John Stuart Mill – Victorian Firebrand’, an intellectual biography of the liberal philosopher.

On the assumption that most people who read this are as sad and nerdy about politics as I am this week’s ‘must read’ item is ‘Taming Leviathan’ from IEA, more details below.

Other than that enjoy and as ever please flag anything I may have missed. Also if anyone would like to be included in the email version please let me know…

Reports & Publications…

• The Centre for Policy Studies have two interesting reports this week. Anthony Jay presents his view on the need for a much-slimmed down, self-financing BBC and Maurice Saatchi has a highly provocative paper called “Enemy of the People” – a mocked-up high court judgement on Labour’s 10 years in office.
• The Centre for European Reform have a briefing note by the CER analysts on the French EU Presidency – “France’s EU presidency was always going to be ambitious, with wide-ranging plans for climate change, immigration and defence. Now, however, President Sarkozy will have to focus on resolving the legal and institutional mess created by the Irish No to the EU’s Lisbon treaty.”
• The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has an interesting report on how free-market liberal think tanks can influence public policy the world over – drawing on insights from 13 authors from think tanks around the globe it observes that “though the ‘war of ideas’ has been hard fought, it has been only partially won. New threats to freedom have emerged, including environmentalism and big-government conservatism. In some countries the burden taxation and regulation has never been greater” – the report is called ‘Taming Leviathan’ and you can read it here.
• IPPR North released a paper on the Barnett Formula arguing that “current disparities in funding across the UK is becoming an increasing source of tension between the four nations, especially between England and Scotland, and that unless addressed it could have implications for the union”
• The Joseph Rowntree foundation published a report by Andrea Waylen and Sarah Stewart-Brown called “Parenting in ordinary families: Diversity, complexity and change”. The report ‘examines parenting in Britain during early and middle childhood within different social and cultural groups and looks at how parenting develops and changes over time’.
• The New Local Government Network offer up a collection of essays on ‘Next Steps for Local Democracy: Leadership, accountability and partnership’. The collection “brings together the reflections of leading thinkers within local government, setting out a range of ideas on future service delivery, leadership, citizen interaction and rebalancing the relationship between central and local government”
• The Policy Exchange have produced a report on gun & knife crime which, according to the Sunday Times, is getting some attention in Downing St. I’ve spoken to Policy Exchange and the report isn’t actually online at the time of writing (Friday 11th am) but will be later today – their publication area is here.

Articles & Briefings…

• Peter Taylor-Gooby has an interesting essay for the Fabian Society on the disconnect between public support for higher spending on social services but a reluctance to accept tax increases to pay for it.
• Alex Wadden has a good article on Policy Network on the challenges in reforming US healthcare, tax policy etc. and the likely difficulties facing either Barack Obama or John McCain should they try.
• The Henry Jackson Society published an open letter to Gordon Brown, George Bush, Javier Solana & Thabo Mbeki on ‘Zimbawe’s right to a democratic future’ – no record of a reply as yet.

Events & Meetings…

• Reform is hosting a lunch and roundtable debate on the future of public service broadcasting. Lead speaker will be Mark Bunting, Strategy Manager of Ofcom and the event will take place at Reform’s offices at 12.45pm on Wed 16th July. Places are limited so please RSVP to anna.calvert@reform.co.uk.
• The Foreign Policy Centre is hosting an event on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility & the Environment in Emerging Markets’. It will take place next Wednesday 16th July at 15.00 in the Grimond Room, Portcullis House. Please contact eventsfpc@googlemail.com or tel: +44 (0)20 7729 7566 for details.
• Demos are hosting what looks to be an interesting discussion on Mon 14th July – “Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations.” The speaker is Clay Shirky and he’ll be addressing themes from his new book such as the opportunities and threats new technology brings, Wikinomics, wikigovernment etc. and what the consequences of this revolution is likely to mean for governments, democracy and society. Please RSVP seminars@demos.co.uk.

People…

• The New Economics Foundation is looking for an ‘exceptional person’ to chair their board of Trustees – someone with a demonstrable track record of clear leadership, an energetic and fresh perspective and the desire to create change. Click here for a Job Description and the deadline for applications is 5pm, Thursday 31st July 2008.
• Compass have announced the results of their Management Committee Election – the winners in vote / transfer order were Neal Lawson; Meg Russell; Chuka Umunna; Mark Cooke; Neil Foster; Ben Folley; Anna Helga Horrox and Gemma Tumelty’.

Even although I’m now having to leave out as much as I’m putting in (see below) I’m conscious this is still quite a lengthy read (certainly by the standard of most blog posts). So each week I’ll flag a ‘must read’ item for those who don’t have the time to read the full post let alone the content it highlights – an entirely subjective choice on my part of course but I’ll endeavour to be as fair and non-partisan about that choice as I can.

This week it has to be the Joseph Rowntree paper “A minimum income standard for Britain: What people think”, touching as it does on issues of relative v’s absolute poverty and making judgements about income levels needed to ‘participate in society’. donpaskini blogged about it on LC here.

Reports & Publications…

• The Centre for Policy Studies published a paper in defence of Faith schools by Cristina Odone entitled “Bad Faith” – “Today’s class warriors are bent on portraying faith schools as boutique education, the exclusive preserves of pushy middleclass parents. Yet for low-income parents, these schools represent the only way their children can be taught the faith that their own family holds dear. Would a government that prides itself on its egalitarian instincts block opportunities for the poor while securing them exclusively for the rich?”·
• The Centre for European Reform published essay by Daniel Keohane and Tomas Valasek called “Willing and able? EU defence in 2020” – Tomas & Daniel ask if with Europeans increasingly turning to the EU when in need of troops for peacekeeping or for delivering humanitarian aid will the EU be able to keep up with the demand?
• Matthew Lockwood at the IPPR published a paper called “After the Coal Rush: Assessing policy options for coal-fired electricity generation”.
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation published “A minimum income standard for Britain: What people think” – Julia Unwin, Director of the JRF said “This research is designed to encourage debate, and to start building a public consensus about what level of income no-one should have to live below. Of course, everyone has their own views about what items in a family budget are ‘essential’. But this is the best effort to date to enable ordinary people to discuss and agree what all households should be able to afford”
• The Social Market Foundation has an interesting paper from Jessica Prendergrast entitled “Disconnected Citizens: Is Community Empowerment the Solution?”
• Professor Kenneth Minogue has published a paper for The Bruges Group called “Are the British a Servile People? Idealism and the EU” – “At the heart of the matter, Professor Minogue argues, is the curious form of idealism that disdains pride in Britain and British culture, preferring to give allegiance to a far more vaguely defined ideology of internationalism. This rejection of national sovereignty, and the subsequent embracing of unaccountable transnational institutions, as advocated by our political establishment, has led to the British people submitting to more and more authority which comes dressed as virtue”
• The Work Foundation published a paper by Rebecca Fauth and Alana McVerry entitled “Can ‘good work’ keep employees healthy? Evidence from across the EU”

Articles & Briefings…

• The Fawcett Society, in an article to appear in the New Statesman, mark the 80th anniversary of The Equal Franchise Act with an article condemning the impact of the ‘supersexualise me’ culture on women’s citizenship.
• Sophie Moullin, Reseach Fellow at the IPPR published an article in Progress called “Tackling social care presents progressives with an opportunity to carve out new territory”
• At Compass Adam Lent, Head of Economic and Social Affairs at the TUC, argues that it’s ‘Time to Defend Tax’ -“genuine progressives need to be very wary that with the electoral balance shifting rightwards, the possibility of the current erosion of fair taxation turning into a full-scale assault may not be far off… Without a concerted and well-backed campaign to defend progressive taxation, the consequences for social justice will be severe.”

Events & Meetings…

• On Wed 16th July Centre Forum are holding an invitation only event on ‘Academies and future of state education’. Speakers will include Lord Adonis, David Laws MP and Michael Gove MP. Please telephone 020 7340 1160 for more information.
• Demos are hosting an open discussion at the Southwark Lido entitled “Changing the settings, changing politics” on Tuesday, 8th July 2008 at the Southwark Lido. The panel will be addressing the need for politicians to seek new platforms for engaging with citizens and more details are available via email from seminars@demos.co.uk.
• Demos will also host a debate at IslamExpo this year about the threat of Islamist extremism. “The Islamist Threat: Myth or reality?” will take place on Saturday, 12th July 2008 at 5:30pm – more details here.
• Lib Dem Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable MP will be giving the Annual Institute for Fiscal Studies Lecture – “Economic policy lessons from the disappearing decade of stability” – on Monday 7th July at Bloomberg LP.
• Policy Exchange have a launch event on Monday 7th July for “Out of sight, Out of mind: The state of mental healthcare in prison” – speakers include Lord Ramsbotham (Former Chief Inspector of Prisons) and Edward Garnier QC MP (Shadow Prisons Minister). Contact events@policyexchange.org.uk for more details.

As always please flag anything worthy I might have missed. As hinted above I’m now getting regular contact from some of the major think tanks keen to both flag content they want me to highlight and asking for copies of the roundup. To that end I’m going to start issuing an email version among key players (God, I’ve been reading too much of this stuff) in the think tanks and public research bodies. If anyone would like to be included in the email version please let me know via my own blog.

If there are any significant personnel changes among the major players I’ll highlight those as well.

Reports & Publications…

• The Centre for Policy Studies published a paper by Tony Lodge, ‘Wind Chill’, on the limits of wind power in terms of plugging the UK’ energy gap.
• The Institute of Economic Affairs published ‘Sixty Years On – Who Cares for the NHS’, a fascinating paper on the risks politicians face proposing anything remotely radical about the NHS – “Elite opinion does not, as yet, warm to a free market in healthcare. Although aspects of a market-based system are accepted, ideas of ‘market failure’ loom large – especially amongst the political class. Nevertheless, the author shows how some groups of opinion formers are prepared to be more radical. These groups, she believes, may in time be effective in promoting a vision of a market in healthcare that is free from government interference and from the stifling power of government-granted professional monopolies”
• The IPPR published a paper by Jane Midgley on ‘How the UK should respond to food policy challenges’
• Two publications from the New Local Government Network worth highlighting. The first – “Healthy Places: Bonds that bind local government and primary care trusts” looks at the options for further devolution within the health service and how it could improve service delivery. The second – “Directly Elected, Direct Results” – calls for an expansion in the directly elected mayoral model with powers over local police, transport and health services. (joint venture with the IPPR)

Articles, briefings and blogs…

• A couple of worthwhile things from the Adam Smith Institute – Dr Eamonn Butler reports on the last ASI power lunch with Jeremy Hunt, the Conservatives Culture spokesman where the theme was ‘Policy for the Google Generation’ - “Technology, in other words, can enable us to decentralize public services and empower private or voluntary groups to deliver things better, quicker, and more locally. It enables millions of people to get involved in service delivery, where before it was run by an elite few”
• Senior Fellow at the ASI Dr Terence Kealey had an article in Wednesday’s Telegraph responding to criticisms of British universities made by Peter Williams, chief executive of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).
• On the Civitas Blog James Gubb profiles Frank Furedi, Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent’s book ‘Licensed to Hug’ - “The dramatic escalation of child protection measures has succeeded in poisoning the relationship between the generations and creating an atmosphere of suspicion that actually increases the risks to children”
• Director General of the IEA John Blundell had a piece in the Scotsman on ‘The simple way to attract more taxpayers and raise more tax revenue’
• Progress carried an unusually upbeat assessment of Labour’s electoral prospects.

Events & Meetings…

• The Adam Smith Institute are hosting a Westminster power lunch with Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, on 8th July. For more information or an invitation, contact Steve at steve@adamsmith.org or on 020 7222 4995
• Demos have a couple of interesting events coming up. On Mon 30th June at Demos they have a panel discussion on ‘Democracy: Crisis & Renewal’ - “In Europe and worldwide, political systems are facing a crisis of disaffection and disengagement. How we deal with this crisis will determine the fate of liberal democratic systems everywhere, and of the European Union in particular”. To attend e-mail seminars@demos.co.uk, with the title ‘Democracy’ and places are limited.
• Also from Demos at Church House in Westminster next Wednesday ‘Is it Time for Tax Justice?’ – an open discussion on justice in the tax system with Polly Toynbee, Peter Hain & Brendan Barber among others. As always space is limited but to attend email mailto:taxjustice@tuc.org.uk or call 020 7467 1204. I wonder how many bloggers who enjoy attacking Polly T from the safety of their keyboards will have the courage to go along to liven things up…?
• The Fabian Society have a round table policy seminar focusing on the big picture health policy themes for the next 30 years - attendees include Geoff Mulgan, Julian LeGrand and Mary Creagh MP. The event will take place at 8.30am on Monday 30th June in the Bazalgette Room at 1 Great George Street – contact Ed.Wallis@fabian-society.org.uk
• The IEA are having a Founders Day Party on Thursday 3rd July – celebrating the lives and accomplishments of the four men who founded and built the IEA: F A Hayek, Sir Antony Fisher, Lord Harris of High Cross and Dr Arthur Seldon CBE. Contact iea@iea.org.uk or 020 7799 8900 for details.
• The IPPR are hosting a seminar entitled “English Questions: Towards a new policy agenda for England.” next Wednesday exploring the key political and constitutional challenges facing England. For more information contact Holly Andrew at h.andrew@ippr.org or phone 020 7470 6129.
• The Policy Exchange is hosting a discussion on the rising cost of living and what the Government can do to address associated problems. It’s on 9th July next door to Clutha house and is chaired by the Times’ Danny Finkelstein, the main speaker is Oliver Letwin – contact events@policyexchange.org.uk for details.

As always please flag anything worthy I might have missed….

While some groups like Compass and the ASI can be easily identified with left or right, many others such as the Kings Fund, Theos etc. are harder to align and there’s a strong case that it diminishes the work of them all to assign them such blunt political labels. I trust none of my readers as so blindly partisan as to only read one part of the update anyway. In the weeks ahead I’ll look at a more meaningful way of organising the update, perhaps into reports & publications, briefings & articles, events etc.

As ever please flag anything worthy I might have missed.

Right \ Libertarian Think Tanks

• The Centre for Policy Studies daily blog had an interesting post from ‘harrysnook’ on why the Conservatives should lead calls for a written constitution – “[The] party must ensure that conservatism of values does not ossify into conservatism of forms…A written constitution could entrench our historic liberties and take them above the fray of party politics. Although it runs counter to the traditional line of conservative thinking, it is a possibility that must not be dismissed out of instinctive unease, but must be taken seriously as a modern means to protect an ancient heritage”
• The CPS Lectures page also carries the audio from David Cameron’s speech on Tuesday night – ‘Public Services in the Post-Bureaucratic Age’.
• Chatham House carried one of the best (if not the best) analysis I’ve read of the impact of the Irish ‘No’ vote. Written for their monthly magazine ‘The World Today’ you can read the full text by Senior Research Fellow Robin Shepperd here – he touches on the fact that for both pro and anti EU types democratic legitimacy is fast becoming issue no.1 and the French President will have an opportunity to address it – “Sarkozy will shortly have the power to reorder the political agenda in Europe. If he uses it to promote an honest appraisal of what is going wrong, based on an understanding that the issue of democratic legitimacy is now the EU’s priority number one, he will have performed a vital service. For make no mistake about it. There is much at stake. If the EU mishandles the situation following the Irish ‘no’ vote, matters could spiral out of control”
• The Institute of Economic Affairs have an entertaining discussion paper by Philip Booth called ‘Market Failure: A Failed Paradigm’ – “If I were to give you an engineering lecture and I were to start by saying, correctly I believe, that the maximum theoretical speed of a perfect car was the speed of light3 and that a car that travelled at any speed lower than that was a ‘failed car’ or suffered from ‘car failure’, you would probably think that it was a pretty useless lecture. And you would be right.” Read on….
• The New Local Government Network have a radical proposal for how local councils can mitigate the impact the credit crunch has on the housing market in their areas - ‘adopt US style Mortgage Support Plans and offer below market rate, whole or partial mortgages to either stave off repossession and eviction, prop up the housing market to prevent remortgage difficulties, or support first time buyers to buy locally’. (extract only – full report £12)
• The Henry Jackson Society urges UK politicians to better understand the link between sound education policy and sustained social justice.
• On the Adam Smith Institute’s blog Tom Clougherty has an interesting post on the options to reform local government finance – “Perhaps the solution lies in taking a localist approach to the reform itself. Rather than driving through a particular reform from the centre, empower local authorities to come up with their own solutions. Give them a range of potential taxes to choose from, and let them strike the balance. If people didn’t like what their council came up with, they could always vote them out or move”

Left \ Liberal Think Tanks

• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation have an interesting report on the challenges for parents in raising families with different racial, ethnic and faith backgrounds – how to provide a sense of belonging and identity, how to manage aspects of belonging and heritage across generations etc.
• A couple of events worth highlighting from The Fabian Society – their annual House of Commons tea will take place on 1 July (member only) and will have MPs David Lammy, Jon Cruddas and David Blunkett debating the new politics of class in the aftermath of the Crewe by-election. David Lammy will also be looking at any lessons to be learned from the US election campaign as Labour seeks to recover from defeats in the local elections and the Crewe and Nantwich – David will be speaking in the Boothroyd Room at Portcullis House Monday 30th June 2008, contact rosie.clayton@fabian-society.org.uk for more information.
• The Fawcett Society lent their support to Gerry Sutcliffe’s letter asking local authorities whether they would like greater powers to regulate lapdance clubs – Kat Banyard, Campaigns Officer, said “lapdance clubs are part of the sex industry. They normalise the sexual objectification of women. Areas surrounding lapdance clubs can become ‘no-go’ areas for women. But current licensing rules mean local authorities cannot treat a lapdance club differently from a coffee shop”. Also a quick congratulations to the Director of the Fawcett Society Dr Katherine Rake on her OBE announced this week.
• The IPPR hosted this weeks speech by Gordon Brown on Liberty & Security - “The challenge for the Government and for society as a whole is to achieve a settlement that ensures both our tradition of liberty and our need for security” – (mp3 link)
• Also at the IPPR Joe Farrington-Douglas and James Crabtree weigh into the debate on whether patients should be allowed to top-up NHS treatment in the private sector. Some interesting contrasts with the Reform position last week.
• The Policy Network have a new joint venture with the Alfred Herrhausen Society called Foresight. It’s an ‘international programme of investigation and debate structured around the challenge of forging common futures in a multi-polar world.’ – worth keeping an eye on for those particularly interested in foreign policy.
• Progress have been much in the news in the last 24 hours but on more substantive matters they have a speech by Work & Pensions Secretary James Purnell entitled “How Can Welfare Foster Independence and Responsibility?”. The topic is self-evident but Purnell doesn’t miss the opportunity to take several swipes at David Cameron – “At every stage in his life David Cameron has just drifted with the orthodoxy around him. The answer, for him, is always blowing in the wind.”
• They also have a good piece by Richard Corbett MEP on the importance of next year’s European elections for New Labour.
• At Compass Jeremy Gilbert is furious with Boris for what he sees as a setback for London’s cosmopolitan culture – removing the explicit anti-racism message from the Rise festival. And Vice Chair Willie Sullivan casts David Davis as a ‘mad genius’ and speculates that his move may have positive results for Cameron conservatives, intended or otherwise.
• The healthcare foundation the The Kings Fund will be readying themselves for Lord Darzi’s NHS Review to be published shortly – in the meantime they have a paper on government efforts to shift the balance of care from hospital to community settings.

Left \ Liberal Think Tanks

• Almost a month old now but worth highlighting in view of David Davis’ crusade this week – Demos have a report entitled ‘UK Confidential’ exploring “the underlying challenges and realities of privacy in an open society, and argue for a new settlement between the individual and society; the public and the state; the consumer and business. To achieve this, we need collective participation in negotiating the terms and conditions of twenty-first century privacy”
• Theos*, the ‘public theology thinktank’ also weighed in on this issue with a good piece by Dr David Landrum – ‘Are we sleep-walking into a surveillance society?’
• The IPPR was the source of the stories this week about media imbalance post-devolution. They commissioned a paper from Douglas Fraser, Scottish political editor of The Herald, which found that “The UK is badly served by a media which fails to reflect the regional and national diversity of the country. Too much of our national conversation is mediated by people who don’t get out of London enough. It is easy to dismiss these issues as more whingeing from the Jocks, but there are important issues here about Britain understands itself as a nation”. Full report here.
• Nick Clegg spoke to The Kings Fund on Tuesday night on his vision for the future of the health service. “He called for more devolution of power from Whitehall, including directly elected ‘local health boards’, for patients with long-term conditions and mental health problems to be given more control over personal budgets, and greater incentives to keep GPs in deprived areas”. Speech extracts and more details here.
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation responded to the disappointing poverty figures released this week.
• Daniel Korski at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) addresses what he sees as Ireland’s creative destruction in rejecting the Lisbon treaty. “The Irish voters have to be respected, but the EU must find a way to accommodate this respect with equal amounts of respect for the clear will in many other countries for the Lisbon Treaty and the EU’s machinery to improve”
• Neal Lawson’s been busy at Compass as always. First up he highlights ‘a paradox at the centre of modern politics’ – “Social liberals recognise the complexity of modern life. They want diversity, experimentation and localism so that people are more engaged in key decisions. But they want fairness, and as much equality and universalism as possible, which can only come from a strong centre. This creates the central paradox of modern politics, as diversity and equality conflict.” Neal also urges Labour to pay more attention to the unions.
• Finally, also at Compass, Lucy Wake from Amnesty asks if gender based violence remains the greatest barrier to equality.

* I’m still not sure about the classification and my decision to put Theos under ‘left/liberal think tanks’ was an accident of construction and not a deliberate provocation!

Right \ Libertarian Think Tanks

• The Centre for Policy Studies has a paper from Huseyin Djemil, a former heroin and crack cocaine addict turned Drug Strategy Co-ordinator for the seven London Prisons. ‘Inside Out: How to get drugs out of prisons’ tackles the fact that drugs undermine any attempt to clean up prisoners from pre-existing addictions and greatly increase the chances of recidivism. According to Djemil: “From a drug user’s perspective, the “dealer” can be an illicit trader or the state. Both harness the power of the drug to influence behaviour. The former says commit crime to get money to buy drugs; the latter says stop committing crime and we will give you drugs for free. Both want control. Neither offers freedom.”
• The CPS blog also picks up on a spat in Washington over their educational voucher program. The democratic congress has no appetite to extend it but students and parents groups have a different view.
• Reform this week highlights ICM research that suggests only 7 per cent of voters support the Department of Health’s ban on “top-up” payments by NHS patients. The research is part of the ‘Doctors for Reform’ campaign which aims to help patients who have been prevented from paying extra towards their NHS care in order to receive new drugs and treatments.
• I think this is a few weeks old but in light of Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon treaty it’s worth sharing anyway. The Bruges Group – the think tank effectively formed in honour of Mrs Thatcher’s Bruges speech in 1988 – carries a fascinating report by William Mason on ‘The Costs of Regulation and How the EU Makes Them Worse’. Mason concludes: “Good regulation is not easy. It will always be an art rather than a science but our leaders need to appreciate the probability that their quest for risk reduction has damaged and will continue to damage our culture and society. Politicians need to have the courage to implement radical changes if we are to survive as a free people.”
• The Centre for Social Cohesion have a new report by James Brandon entitled ‘Virtual Caliphate: Islamic extremists and their websites’. Brandon contends that “the existence of such websites run by UK-based individuals demonstrates that the government’s current approach to tackling online extremism is failing” and offers “a range of recommendations about how websites run by British extremists can be tackled”.
• The Henry Jackson Society believes Labour needs to reclaim the language of liberty if its to have any hope of reviving its fortunes. According to Tristan Stubbs “The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are coalescing over a shared liberal vision. A glance at the Labour party’s twentieth-century history reveals a gentler strand of liberalism waiting to be reclaimed. The Prime Minister and his government would be wise to take advantage of a narrative that is rightfully theirs, while they still enjoy the liberty to do so”
• Tristan at the HJS also has a good piece on ‘A Marketable Solution to Climate Change: Why The Polluter Must Pay’ – “At the moment, the costs of polluting the environment fall most heavily on the least guilty. This situation needs to be reversed”
• In a week when the government invited communities to consider hosting radioactive waste Policy Exchange has a comprehensive report called ‘Six Thousand Feet Under: burying the carbon problem’. The report looks at Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) technologies and how difficult if will be for those technologies to evolve into a viable commercial industry without some sort of government incentive.

I’ve also been in direct contact with a few people from some of the leading ones to see how I can better support them in terms of publicising their output. As before please flag in the comments anything worthy you think I might have missed…

Left \ Liberal Think Tanks

• Two things worth flagging from the IPPR this week. The first is the latest contribution to their ‘Commission on National Security in the 21st Century’, chaired by Paddy Ashdown and George Robertson. Misha Glenny discusses his most recent book – McMafia: Crime Without Frontiers – explains why ‘unprecedented levels of consumer demand for drugs, trafficked women, illegal labour and arms challenge conventional policing methods and have roots that lie in global poverty and the ever widening divisions between rich and poor’.
• The other interesting piece from the IPPR is Thursday’s Child – the report Civitas take issue with above. Sonia Sodha and Julia Margo investigate the educational issues which still face children from disadvantaged backgrounds and what more schools can do to support addressing these.
• The Kings Fund have a good report addressing the health issue at the moment – Polyclinics. ‘Under One Roof’ asks will they deliver and identifies and explores both opportunities and risks in relation to quality of care, accessibility of services and cost.
• At Compass Steve McCabe defends his handling of Labour’s controversial Crewe and Nantwich by-election campaign and Howard Reed talks about the need to rebalance the tax system – “The eventual goal of the project is to design a package of tax reforms which can make the tax system more progressive overall, while at the same time enabling the UK to pursue environmental goals more effectively”
• The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) says it’s time for Europe to do more to help in Iraq and warns of the danger that outgoing Bush administration won’t pursue this opportunity to the full – “To avoid wasting the current opportunity, the presidential candidates should agree to set up an entirely independent team to canvass European views and share ideas for what do next in Iraq. It should be charged to report this winter, once the elections are done.”

Right \ Libertarian Think Tanks

• Have to open this week’s roundup with the Adam Smith Institute since Monday 2 June was this year’s Tax Freedom Day. The ASI have been publicising ‘TFD’ for 17 years and have figures going back to the early 60′s. They also have some wonderfully provocative statistics such as: “If public spending had only grown in line with inflation since 1997, we could have abolished income tax, corporation tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax, leaving the taxpayer £200 billion better off.”
• The Centre for Policy Studies had a seminar on Thursday night entitled “Who do they think we are? Privacy, the state and the corporation” (listen here). On their blog Sam flags one of the most important points to arise from the discussion – “this is not a debate about technophiles versus luddites. Technological development is a good thing for society. It is clear, though, that the real innovation is not going to be about collecting more and more personal data, storing it in ever-larger central databases, and serving up supposedly ‘personalised’ services from Whitehall. It will be about using technology to minimise the amount of data held centrally and handing power and responsibility to the individual.”
• The Henry Jackson Society calls for ‘democratic governments, charities and other NGOs should push for education reform in Palestine as a pre-requisite to achieving a two state solution’. HJS reckons the indoctrination of children into an extremist mindset at a young age creates a block on negotiating our way out of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
• On the Civitas blog Anastasia de Waal takes issue with the IPPR’s ‘Thursday’s Child’ report. More details on the report below but in Anastasia’s view “The striking thing about [it] is the way in which it seeks to institutionalise home-life disadvantage by organising schooling around it. Quite the reverse of the New Labour mantra of not accepting disadvantage as a reason for underachievement. Whilst it is vital to devise strategies which alleviate disadvantage in the short term, it seems alarmingly defeatist to incorporate ‘damage control’ into long-term planning, whilst failing to address the causes of damage.”
• Reform this week picks on up the importance of mathematics and has research suggesting ” since the late 1970s public examinations for 16-year-olds have become shallower, easier and less demanding. The unintended consequence has been demotivation of teachers, less enjoyment on the part of students and the distancing of employers and universities from education policy” and as far as reform are concerned a lost generation of mathematicians. Read the full report here.

Left \ Liberal Think Tanks

• At Compass, Jonathan Rutherford calls on Labour to ‘challenge the New Conservatism, understand its strengths and expose its weaknesses’. According to Jonathan Labour’s central error was to ignore society and the dramatic changes in personal circumstances and the way communities operate. He says the Conservatives have understood this and are offering a compelling and attractive argument about how to address it.
• The IPPR carries a piece addressing a tension most people have noticed in recent years – that between the Government’s transport policy and the environmental agenda.
• On the ‘FreeThink’ blog associated with CentreForum there’s a lengthy discussion on how the current political landscape risks a fatal squeeze for Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats.
• With rather unfortunate timing the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) says the EU should pay attention to who takes the helm of the UN Peacekeeping forces and that engagement with UN global activity is as if not more important than EU interaction with NATO. (This piece appeared in the Observer too).
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has a piece on ‘Designing Citizen-centred Governance’ – “The fundamental challenge for the governance of communities is how to create flexible, effective organisations for delivering public services, while at the same time promoting the values of local democracy”.

Right \ Libertarian Think Tanks

• The Civitas blog weighs into the row over taxation and public spending with a piece from Nick Cowen arguing that the No.1 priority re: taxation at this point is stability, something not likely to come about given the Government’s predilection for fidgeting with the tax system. “it seems that it is not the levying of tax that incenses voters; it is the politician’s knack for fidgeting with the levers of budgets, the sort of fiddling that, often without much scrutiny, dramatically alters what individual are paying for from year to year. It is exactly these sort of disruptive interventions that has got Brown in trouble – not just the sheer amount of taxation but the way it has been levied.”
• The Henry Jackson Society has something on Russia’s aggressive posture towards Georgia and what it sees as a lack of teeth in Europe’s response.
• HJS also carries a piece on the problems besetting Venezuela because of the volatility on world oil prices.
• The Civitas-linked Centre for Social Cohesion blog is in triumphant mood following Channel 4′s victory over West Midlands police and the claims against its Dispatches programme ‘Undercover Mosque’ – “The fact that a section of the British police force honestly thought that the problem was Channel 4 and not the hate-preachers shows the astonishing culture which has emerged in the police force in recent years. It is not the job of the police to become television critics, and it should not be their role to attempt to enforce some ludicrously presumptuous PC (pardon the pun) agenda”
• Climate change sceptics will no doubt lap up the Centre for Policy Studies response to the Royal Society’s paper on ‘Climate Controversies’. In ‘Not So Simple?’ Fred Singer PHD concludes “It is a pity that, rather than facilitate that debate, the Royal Society has chosen to misrepresent the honestly-held views of those who are sceptical of what has become climate-change orthodoxy.”
• And finally worth flagging a series of interesting articles over at Chatham House on the international food crisis. The articles are part of a overall project called UK Food Supply in the 21st Century: The New Dynamic – worth a look.

Elsewhere

• Quick plug also for a new US ‘online journal of politics and foreign affairs’ NeoConstant – they would probably balk at the simplistic label but as the name suggest it’s very much a ‘neocon’ slant on world affairs. From their ‘About’ page: “focused on important world events and domestic policy with an emphasis on defense and conservatism. [D]edicated to American sovereignty, the right of Israel to exist, and the strengthening of ties to our democratic allies–especially Britain and Israel. We believe in human rights, especially in Tibet, Burma, and Darfur, as well as all places across the globe where innocents are oppressed while the free world does nothing. The primary focus, though not the only subject, is the ongoing war on terror and our continued strong national security. Domestically, NeoConstant urges lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, and individual determination. Taking a slightly more libertarian or conservatarian approach to civil liberties, NeoConstant urges strong social tolerance and individual liberties for all people regardless of race, sexual orientation, creed, or class”. Perhaps they might want to tie up with Compass…?

Left \ Liberal Think Tanks

• At Compass Neal Lawson, in a typically robust mood, calls for a ‘New Collectivism’, a return to the basic politics of left & right and a rejection of the inherent shallowness of the New Labour project. “This capitulation to market forces had its roots in the failure of the left to renew and reinvent itself after its postwar domination of the political landscape. But in confining itself to a project that put the needs of the market before those of society, New Labour sowed the seeds of a limited and deeply frustrating life span [and the] contradictions of a largely neoliberal project performed within the body of a party of labour were always going to cause an implosion.“
• Also at Compass Gerry Hanson on the unravelling of Labour Britain – the implications of SNP control in Holyrood, the evident tensions between Gordon & Wendy and the what it all means for the union.
• In stark contrast to the Compass view the Fabian Society carries the text of a lecture by John Denham, the only Cabinet Minister representing a southern English seat. John argues that the New Labour coalition must be rebuilt and that means connecting with voters in the South of England – where his seat is – did I mention that…?
• Naomi Pollard at the IPPR picks up on research suggesting the great westward migration from Eastern Europe since 2004 may in fact be over and increasing numbers of migrants are now returning home.
• CentreForum has a piece on education policy for those with learning difficulties – it suggests the debate between specialist units or mainstream integration misses the point and “parents, rather than politicians or officials, are best placed to decide where their children should go to school”
• The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) carries a piece by Wolfgang Ischinger on the likely relations between Europe and the US post November’s elections. “Regardless of who wins, 2009 promises to be decisive for the transatlantic relationship. On some key issues, serious differences between US and European views remain, such as on climate change, the speed of Nato’s next enlargement steps and the strategic relationship with Russia.”
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has a study on the attachment people feel to their current neighbourhood and the extent and nature of attachment in deprived areas.
• The Kings Fund has a report on how “social and technological changes are challenging doctors and causing many to rethink their role, the way they practise and the nature of their professionalism”

Right \ Libertarian think-tanks

• The ‘Scoop Jackson’ fan club – The Henry Jackson Society – has a piece by Irwin Stelzer on the ‘myth that the world’s oil is running out’. “[O]il matters, but not for the reasons we sometimes think. It matters because it has contributed to Russia’s new belligerence, and the West’s courting of Arabic despots. It matters because a search for alternative sources of fuel has led to increased ethanol production, and fuelled the current global food crisis”
• The Civitas blog takes issue with the IPPR reported highlighted in last weeks roundup on the pressures impacting teachers. While Civitas welcome the diagnosis they reject the prescription of yet more government oversight.
• And the Civitas-linked Centre for Social Cohesion blog offers up its own prescription for tackling violent crime. It’s not ‘rocket science’ apparently but the Ten Commandments. Provocative stuff there too about Dave & Boris’ Bullingdon past and why we react differently to their demeanours based on their background
• Policy Exchange carries a fairly damning report on government performance against the green targets they’ve set since 1997. It points out that “of 138 high level targets surveyed, 60% of targets have been missed; are unlikely to be achieved or are worded so vaguely as to make meaningful analysis impossible.”
• On the same theme the New Local Government Network (NLGN) calls for action on the proposed landfill tax and urges the government to favour community-based incentive schemes rather than financial ones.
• And finally for this bit, not an article or paper but worth flagging that the Centre for Policy Studies now has a daily blog which might be worth keeping an eye on.

Elsewhere

My feedreader also has stuff from overseas think tanks (mainly US) so when worthwhile I’ll flag any interesting things there:

• The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)carries a rundown of the US Presidential candidates positions on climate change. More specifically they have the text of a speech by John McCain in Portland Oregon earlier this week on climate change policy. It’s not Al Gore but still a worthy step beyond the ostrich-like posture of the Bush Whitehouse.
• And finally a bit of fun (in a nerdy, political-geek kind of way of course). CFR also have an online quiz on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I’m not kidding. Scores in the comments section please…. I haven’t done it yet…..

• The IPPR challenges a union \ left-wing shibboleth in highlighting that at least some of the problems we see in education can be attributed to poor teachers. “[I]n the last ten years teachers’ pay has improved and the number of people choosing teaching as a career has increased. But teaching is still not attracting the very best graduates and poor performing teachers are not being dealt with effectively”
• They also carry an worthwhile report on the complexity of UK migration numbers – half of those who’ve arrived from new EU members since May ’04 have now left but I think the Daily Mail missed that story.
• “New Labour is now dead” – according to Compass who, to be fair, have been trying to administer last rights since about 1998. Last Thursday’s results have boosted their confidence somewhat – “The strategy that saw the Party continually triangulate interests and concerns, tacking endlessly to the right, doing what the Tories would do only doing it first, fixating on a mythical middle England and denying that free market policies are having a damaging effect on society is now finished”
• Also on Compass Hilary Wainwright takes a pop at the impact triangulation has on traditional supporters and one of their regular ‘thinkpieces’ tackles ‘Capitalism and Social Recession’.
  Anthony Painter also did a write-up on LC after a Compass event here.
• The Social Market Foundation have an interesting piece on individual behavioural change and the challenges policymakers face in linking that with broader cultural changes.
• CentreForum have a great (and timely) piece on whether Liberal Democrats and Conservatives can co-operate. David Cameron and Nick Clegg are “two declared liberals [who] share a vision of a new, ‘post-bureaucratic’ politics in which power is devolved, not just from central to local government, but from government at all levels to individuals, families and communities”