The ThunderDragon

This is a cross-post for one week only. Usually you can see the Think-tank roundup at Cassilis on a Friday, or at the Wardman Wire or Liberal Conspiracy soon afterwards.

A weekly roundup of publications, reports, events & articles from the leading UK think tanks.

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). I haven’t highlighted the resignations of Lord Haskel & Wilf Stevenson at the Smith Institute as reported by Guido because as yet there’s nothing on the website to that effect. 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

Newspapers do appear to make a huge number of typos nowadays. But there are some really bad ones out there. Only yesterday, the Daily Mail published the following headline on their website [click to enlarge]:

Of course, that has now been corrected. But for a number of hours, the Daily Mail was proclaiming on their website that Margaret Thatcher was a Lard. Whether or not it got in to print, however, I don’t know.

However, that isn’t as bad as the typo made by this newspaper:

Yes, they spelt their own name wrong. But at least they were contrite the following day, stating “we sure feel silly”.

Iain Dale’s new political magazine, Total Politics, is to publish its first copy on June 23rd. Some of the content has already been leaked, with the Telegraph’s Three Line Whip revealing that in an interview for the magazine, Gordon Brown revealedthat:

[H]e is not a good dancer, he would rather watch the new Indiana Jones film than the upcoming Bond film Quantum of Solace, that his favourite programme from his youth was That Was The Week That Was, and the last film that made him cry was Hotel Rwanda.

Which, to be honest, are rather boring “facts”.

The question I have for Iain is, however, is: why, when this magazine will be launched very soon and the website says

UK 12 issue subscription, including online, Pre launch offer £33.52 (30% off newsstand price) OFFER CLOSES 6 JUNE 2008

is there no online subscription available?

It’s 1st June today. If Total Politics are going to be able to meet their promises they don’t have long to get the online subscription option up and running.

I was going to subscribe, but I’m not so sure now…

UPDATE: Iain has responded in the comments below.

I see this as being both sides sometimes - the press AND the performers.

A cartoon from ASBO Jesus.

Sometimes you read headlines and can’t help but think “WTF?” A couple of these were around today:

“MoD admit human rights breach” [as it appeared on the website link, rather than on the page itself]. I mean, surely a “breach” is a bit of an understatement in regards to this abuse of a human being which resulted in his death. A “breach” is when you step over the line. This is well and trying smashing right through it.

“‘Too many women’ dying from cancer“. You don’t say. Any death from cancer is too many. But also, what about the men that die from cancer? Is there just about the right number of men dying from cancer, or do men simply not count as people?

When you read these headlines, you just have to ask what the hell was going through the mind of the person who wrote it?

UPDATE: This one has appeared as the BBCs main headline today:

“T5 chaos ‘not BA’s finest hour’“. Well duh. Anything that can be described as “chaos” is hardly going to be any organisations “finest hour”, is it? Idiots. Way to go stating the bloody obvious.

So David Cameron has been caught breaking traffic laws whilst cycling to Parliament. Again.

But really, so what? Can any of us claim that we have never ever broken a traffic law in our life? Can any motorist claim to have never driven over the speed limit? Can any cyclist claim to have never edged over the line at a red light? Can any pedestrian claim to have never crossed the road when the green man wasn’t showing? No. And anyone who claims so is blatantly lying.

There are far more important issues than Cameron breaking a few minor road traffic laws, things we have all done in one way or another. Quite why or how this can be considered above the early release of even more criminals or the issues of embryonic fertilisation, I don’t know.

So Prince Harry, third in line to the throne, is fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, Helmand Province. And? This makes bugger all difference. Who cares? It’s not like he’s ever expected to become King Henry IX. He’s the “spare”, as they say.

He’s supposed to be making a proper army career, not just doing it as work experience. If he were to be prevented from going to the front line, this would be impossible. That he was not sent to Iraq was probably a good thing, on balance, considering the heat of the fighting there. But Afghanistan, on the other hand, isn’t as dangerous to the other soldiers.

The media blackout over Harry’s trip was good. If it had been common knowledge that he was there from the start, that would have made it dangerous for his fellow soldiers. That is was broken by foreign media, however, was bad. They should be ashamed of themselves.

However, the massive amount of reports over Harry’s tour of duty now that it has been broken is massively unnecessary. There is no need for an extended BBC News. It’s really not important enough. Were they to be focusing on the entire situation in Afghanistan, yes. But not when the entire focus is on Harry himself.

Consider the evidence: first they publish Janet Street Porter’s absurd diatribe against blogs, in which she asks us all to “Blog Off”. And now they’ve redesigned their website - and cut all the links to articles. As Matt Wardman writes:

So why have they done this? It seems absurd to delete all the links to pages that have ever been made by anyone anywhere across the internet. Surely the whole point of having a web presence is so that people can link to you? Why else would anyone bother?! And, surely, any web developer worth his pay cheque would be able to maintain the original links as active? The only conclusions that can realistically be drawn is that either the Independent hates blogs or are idiots. Or both.

The thing is, the Indy’s new website isn’t even pretty. In fact it’s down-right ugly. It is cluttered, confusing, and what the hell is with that mustard yellow colour scheme?!

The Independent: Blog haters.