Why no new Lib Dems for the Lib Dem think tank?
To the summer party of Centre Forum last Monday, the think tank which is widely linked to the Lib Dems.
The highlight of the evening was a speech from Nick Clegg who spoke of the difficulties of watching the World Cup final the previous night whilst having a Dutch mother and Spanish wife.
Clegg revealed that he'd switched allegiance at half-time out of disgust for the aggressive Dutch tactics. When David Cameron texted to ask how he was getting on, Clegg said he texted back: "Coalition in the Clegg household is under strain."
The Centre Forum think tank is generally seen as the one pro-Lib Dem think tank in politics, though strangely they used tonight's summer party to announce several new members of their advisory board - including Andrew Adonis, Will Hutton, Danny Finkelstein, David Willetts and Andrew Tyrie. Strangely not a single Lib Dem name among them.
I can only conclude that the Charilty Commissioners must have been on to them. The Commission's rules are very strict about think tanks claiming charitable status. They must not be seen to be committed to any one party. Hence perhaps these new jobs for Adonis, Finkelstein and co.
Incidentally, Centre Forward recently changed its name from Centre Forum. Why the change? One reason, I was told, was that critics were always tempted to mock the old name as "Centre For .... Um".
Comment number 1.
At 15th Jul 2010, barriesingleton wrote:HOW WONDERFUL
To know that political advisers are so astute they can cook up a story involving texting, the two heads of government, a wife, a mother, football and Europe.
What a shame one head has no idea of the angst in some ordinary heads, and so makes a fatuous - if revealing - Daily Mial outburst, while the other just looks like the wedding-spare.
Oh - it's all going awfully well.
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Comment number 2.
At 15th Jul 2010, DebtJuggler wrote:What is a free-market trotskyite anarchist like Finkelstein doing in a 'centre-right' thank-tank?
Another example of entryism perhaps!
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Comment number 3.
At 16th Jul 2010, stevie wrote:Finky isn't a trot...he's to the right of Attilla these days
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Comment number 4.
At 20th Jul 2010, Isatou wrote:Charity Commissioners "strict " ? That is the biggest laugh for me today !
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