The left's ideological cupboard was bare in 2015. Now, a number of new think-tanks have sprung up to sate the thirst for new ideas
brick walls, the east London venue and the bathtub full of free beer brewed specially for the evening did not point to a think-tank launch. Yet this was how Common Wealth, a new outfit aimed at radically overhauling the ownership of British business, announced itself on April 25th. “All of the energy is on the left in politics at the moment,” cheered Ed Miliband, a former Labour Party leader who sits on its board, to a merry audience.
The task is twofold. First, put meat on the bones of Labour’s economic programme. The focus of the new left is on ownership, the future of work and the environment. Mathew Lawrence, the founder of Common Wealth, helped shape the party’s plan to force big companies to hand over 10% of their equity to worker-owned funds. Autonomy, along with the New Economics Foundation, another left-wing think-tank, has banged the drum for a four-day week.
If the inspiration for the new blossoming of left-wing ideas is unlikely, so are some of the backers. Paying for the beers at Common Wealth’s launch was Democracy Collaborative, one of the think-tank’s main backers. The American outfit has been a socialist sugar-daddy for Britain’s new left. It is helping to oversee the so-called Preston Model, whereby councils buy locally where possible. James Meadway, a former adviser to Mr McDonnell, is writing a book on Corbynomics, funded by the think-tank.
The recent transatlantic interest in niche left-wing wonkery is based on the assumption that Britain has once again become a political laboratory, as it was in 1979, when Thatcher began to transform the state. This time it is those on the left who have most enthusiastically donned the white coats and safety specs.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How the brain handles trauma could explain a lot about sexual abuse survivors' testimonyScientists say PTSD wreaks havoc on the brain’s ability to recall and forget, leading them to refer to it as a disorder of memory.
Read more »
The Houston Astros’ Brain DrainEverybody wants a taste of the Astros’ secret sauce. And their brain drain highlights the increasingly high-stakes battle across baseball to land the best and the brightest.
Read more »
A Brain Drain for the AstrosEverybody wants a taste of the Astros’ secret sauce. And their brain drain highlights the increasingly high-stakes battle across baseball to land the best and the brightest.
Read more »
Chinese researchers try brain implants to treat drug addictsSHANGHAI (AP) — Patient Number One is a thin man, with a scabby face and bouncy knees. His head, shaved in preparation for surgery, is wrapped in a clean, white cloth. Years of drug use cost...
Read more »
Doctors eye deep brain stimulation to treat opioid addictionSHANGHAI (AP) — Patient Number One is a thin man, with a scabby face and bouncy knees. His head, shaved in preparation for surgery, is wrapped in a clean, white cloth. Years of drug use cost...
Read more »
California to ban pesticide it says hurts babies' brainsThe nation's most productive agricultural state moved Wednesday to ban a controversial pesticide widely used to control a range of insects but blamed for harming brain development in babies. The move cheered by environmentalists would outlaw chlorpyrifos after scientists deemed it a toxic air contaminant
Read more »
Middle America’s brain drainEducated people are leaving more rural states much quicker than they are being replaced
Read more »
California to ban controversial pesticide, citing effects on child brain developmentA federal court also has ordered the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos, but the Trump administration has appealed the ruling.
Read more »
U.S. rejects Tesla bid for tariff exemption for Model 3 'brain'U.S. trade officials rejected Tesla Inc's bid for relief from President Don...
Read more »
US rejects Tesla's bid for tariff exemption for Model 3 'brain'U.S. trade officials rejected Tesla's bid for relief from President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on the Chinese-made computer 'brain' of its Model 3 electric vehicle.
Read more »