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#thinktanks

1 post1 participant0 posts today
Wen

On 13 June 2025, retired Colonel Richard Kemp appeared on BBC Radio’s Stephen Nolan Show to discuss Israeli military strikes on

Listeners were not told that Kemp is a director and trustee of UK-AWIS, a British charity that raises money to support the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

Not surprising - in line with a curious absence of any information about the ‘think tanks’ rolled out as ‘experts’

bylinetimes.com/2025/06/20/bbc

Byline Times · BBC Admits 'Regret' After Again Failing to Disclose British Colonel's Links to Israeli Defence ForceThe broadcaster failed to inform listeners of Colonel Richard Kemp's connections to the IDF, despite an earlier rebuke from the Charity Commission, following an investigation by Byline Times
#BBC#BBCBias#PoorReporting
Paria sans portefeuille

#Jadaliyya Long Form pod ep 7 | Think Tanks and Manufacturing Consent

Wednesday June 4 @ 2pm ET

youtube.com/watch?v=RAjcOkCR0k

Guest Mandy Turner recently published a report on leading Western #thinkTanks and their promotion of a pro-#Israel perspective. She discusses her work with Bassam Haddad and Mouin Rabbani

v. her report, "Hegemony factories or independent thinkers?":

securityincontext.com/posts/he

#Palestine #Gaza #geopolitics #MiddleEast #MiddleEastPolicy #oPt @palestine @israel @geopolitics

YouTubeThink Tanks and Manufactuing Consent - with Mandy TurnerBy Jadaliyya
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire

Anti-protest law modified

High Court loosens restrictions on demonstrations

May 2025

No government likes protests. They demonstrate, all too visibly, that the public – or a part of them at least – is not happy with them or the status quo. Depending on the degree of despotism, demonstrations are controlled or in the worst of countries, banned altogether. China has an extremely restrictive policy backed up by a massive and all pervasive surveillance system making protests all but impossible. Gulf states are also highly restrictive.

Demonstrations are often how change happens. Britain has many examples throughout its history of protest bringing change. Wat Tyler and the plight of the poor (serfs); the Poll Tax riots in 1381 and 1970; the Prayer Book rebellion; the Iraq War protest and of course the Suffragettes. There are many more examples. They do not necessarily bring about immediate change. They do show to politicians and others the depth of feeling that people have about their cause.

The last Conservative government was no different to others in disliking protests. What upset them the most were the climate protests. Just Stop Oil and other groups such as Extinction Rebellion, engaged in a series of eye-catching protests which shone a light on the government’s failure (in their eyes) to do enough to stop fossil fuel extraction.

Suella Braverman, then the Home Secretary resented these protests and introduced the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act in 2022 in an attempt to seriously curtail them. Controversially they introduced a change in the threshold wording from ‘serious disruption’ to ‘more than minor’. This was done by using a statutory instrument not after proper debate in the House of Commons. This had the effect of almost banning all protests.

Successful challenge

Liberty and other groups successfully challenged this in the courts and the new Labour government decided to appeal. This seems to demonstrate that the dislike of protest is not a party political matter: governments just do not like challenge. Last week (May 2) the Appeal Court ruled that ‘serious’ is not ‘more than minor’ and said that the anti-protest laws were introduced unlawfully. The regulations gave police almost unlimited powers to prevent protests taking place. Many were arrested using these powers.

The protests which so upset the previous government concerned fossil fuels. The fossil fuel industry is extremely powerful and well-funded. Several of the various think tanks based in and around 55 Tufton Street are thought to be funded by them. These include: The Tax Payers Alliance; Civitas; Adam Smith Institute; Global Warming Policy Foundation; Centre for Policy Studies and the Institute of Economic Affairs. Their funding is opaque but is thought to be mainly from fossil fuel companies such as the Koch corporation in the USA among others. They have frequent access to the media being interviewed on various BBC and commercial stations without ever being asked ‘who funds you?’ Their opinions often appear in newspaper columns. They employ large numbers of lobbyists and enjoy close contact with ministers and civil servants. They claim to be influential in forming policies to suit their interests. It was admitted by Rishi Sunak when he was prime minister that the Policy Exchange – another of these think tanks funded by Exxon Mobil – had drafted the anti-protest legislation.

Protest is crucial to enable the ordinary person to make their voice heard. As with the arms industry we highlighted in a previous post, governments are dominated by commercial concerns, the need for growth and the enormous power and influence of companies and their army of lobbyists. Around £2bn per annum is spent by firms on this activity. It is welcome news that the Appeal Court has ruled against the government and its ‘draconian’ anti-protest legislation.

Previous
LibertyLiberty defeats Government appeal as Court rules anti-protest laws are unlawful - Liberty
#AppealCourt#Braverman#fossilFuel
Continued thread
☮ ♥ ♬ 🧑‍💻

Day 33 🗳️🟢🥷💰🏭

“A #Liberal-aligned #ThinkTank running last-minute #AntiGreens #advertisements targeting young voters received more than $600,000 from the #coal industry during last year’s #Queensland election, disclosures show.

On Monday evening, the #AustralianInstituteForProgress released a “Can you afford the Greens?” video advertisement pushing claims, based on its own commissioned research, that the Greens’ housing policies would lead to increased #rents.

Emails to supporters from the #AIP executive director, former Queensland Liberal vice-president #GrahamYoung, seeking #donations to push anti-Greens advertisements show the #campaign is specifically aimed at helping elect #LiberalNational party #candidates #TrevorEvans and #MaggieForrest in the seats of #Brisbane and #Ryan.”

This is why I use the term #LNPCrimeGang.

#AusPol / #Liberal / #Nationals / #LNP / #ThinkTanks / #democracy / #MaxChandlerMather / #ClimateEmergency / #HousingEmergency <theguardian.com/australia-news>

The Guardian · Liberal-aligned thinktank running anti-Greens ads received $600,000 from coal industry in Queensland electionBy Ben Smee
BerlinFokus

@lazyb0y @anneroth

Ach das Problem geht WEIT darüber hinaus.

berlin.social/@berlinfokus/113

Natürlich sind #MdB wohlhabend & zu einem großen Teil selbst #Vermieter_innen die werden also kaum gegen ihre eigenen #Interessen entscheiden.

Aber darüber hinaus hat sich inzwischen in #Deutschland ein sehr unangenehmes #Netzwerk von #Politik, #Medien & vermieternahen #Lobbyorganisationen/ #ThinkTanks etabliert, dass versucht JEGLICHEN #Mieterschutz schon im Keim zu zerstören. Bereits als pure Möglichkeit.

berlin.socialBerlinFokus (@berlinfokus@berlin.social)#Mieterschutz is auch so ne #Leerstelle im kommenden #Wahlkampf. 😒 Falls überhaupt was dazu kommt, werdet ihr höchstens wieder das #Baumärchen erzählt kriegen. 🇩🇪
A. Rivera

At this point, longer term, it would not surprise me (assuming Meal Team 6 and the Gravy Seals can get off their Lazy Boys). Link to report included in article.

>'Plunging into civil war': Canadian government think tank mulls bloody future for America rawstory.com/american-civil-wa

Raw Story - Celebrating 20 Years of Independent Journalism · 'Plunging into civil war': Canadian government think tank mulls bloody future for AmericaBy Brad Reed
#politics#ThinkTanks#policy
Emeritus Prof Christopher May

If you are concerned about how shadowy funds flow to #thinktanks that have an undue influence on policy debates, then this year's Who Funds You report from @openDemocracy will be (as always) interesting and worrying!

The least transparent about their funding (group E) contains a lot of think tanks that are forever turing up in the media as 'experts'; no-media outlet should beginning them airtime until they migrate towards grade A in OD's assessment.

opendemocracy.net/en/who-funds

openDemocracy Who Funds You?
Steve :verified:

BBC continues to invite representatives from obscurely funded right wing think tanks onto discussion programmes.

The panel for this evening's edition of BBC R4's popular "Any Questions" will include Robert Colville, the Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, one of several far right, obscurely funded think tanks based at 57 Tufton street in London

Since we don't know who funds them, we don't know who's speaking. The representatives put forward are merely the public faces that shield shadowy influences.

I have no problem with the BBC platforming these people but feel there should always be mention that they do not disclose their funding sources.

#BBC#ThinkTanks#Transparency
Emeritus Prof Christopher May

Sebastian Payne @financialtimes suggests that #Trussonomics is the 'word of 2022' which he defines as:
'(noun) a radical programme of libertarian free-market economics based on unfunded tax cuts. To be handled with great caution'.

We might also hope that it represents peak-influence of the #thinktanks at 55 Tufton St. as having got what they always wanted - their person in No.10 - they spectacularly failed by the very measure they claim all things must be judged by:
the #market!

*
Emeritus Prof Christopher May

So the #Tories have launched a campaign that attacks the #LabourParty for being 'union puppets'... you'd think they'd want to leave that issue alone wouldn't you given the ample evidence that the Tories are dancing to the tune of a select group of backers in #financialservices & the ultra-rich... as they say 'people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones', but of course the Tory-backing press will likely lap it up - #whofundsyou may become a wider campaign than just #thinktanks!

Emeritus Prof Christopher May

How many times have you seen various #thinktanks refereed to as 'left leaning' or 'leftist' (or union affiliated) when the same #media outlet merely refers to rightest think-tanks by their name... seldom mentioning their overall position or who funds them.

Keep a look out & make come to your own conclusion!

But, it looks like one more way that the media skew readers/viewers perception of 'reasonable' analysis that's at the centre of @sjwrenlewis long-running critique of #economics reporting

Replied in thread
kilombavita

archive.org/details/terrorismi

The “Terrorism” Industry: The Experts and Institutions That Shape Our View of Terror by Edward S. Herman; Gerry O'Sullivan

Topics
#terrorism, #anticommunism, #fascism, #conservatism, #rightwing, #media, #massmedia, #antiblackness, #thinktanks, #NGOs, #nonprofits, #nonprofitindustrialcomplex, #terrorists, #propaganda, #unitedstatesofamerika, #whitesupremacy, #politicalviolence, #militaryindustrialcomplex

What is a terrorist act? The authors argue that experts on the subject hold imperialist views biased in favor of the status quo or government perspectives. The biases are largely a product of the “terrorism industry” that has grown up in response to government funding, which includes networks of government agencies, think tanks, and private security firms. The mass media also have a big role in promoting terrorist stereotypes, often missing a balanced perspective on a “terrorist” act. The authors also discuss the historical uses of stereotyping threatening groups.

Internet ArchiveThe “Terrorism” Industry: The Experts and Institutions That Shape Our View of Terror : Edward S. Herman : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveWhat is a terrorist act? The authors argue that experts on the subject hold imperialist views biased in favor of the status quo or government perspectives. The...
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