Guido’s regular feature Propeller-Head Wonk Watch is one of the most popular services of this blog in Westminster’s wonkland because think-tankers love to gossip and backstab. “Wonk for Sale” is an offshoot of that feature.
IPPR thus regularly comes in for a fair amount of stick from Guido for two main reasons; firstly the stupidest policy ideas of the New Labour era have been overly complicated and doomed to fail. Many originate from IPPR. Secondly IPPR is like a revolving door for wonks, SpAds and corporate lobbyists. The on-the-make political spivs of New Labour have invariably passed through IPPR’s doors. Policy failures can be 100% IPPR originated and implemented. An IPPR wonk floats the idea, an ex-IPPR aluminus now working as a minister’s SpAd puts it in front of the minister, it eventually becomes legislation. One or both of the policy influencers ends up working for a corporation that benefits from the legislation or at the Quango created by the legislation or occasionally for a lobbyist trying to get round the legislation.
IPPR gets funded by vested interests to create and influence legislation. It stinks. A co-conspirator asked an IPPR official if he was bothered by Guido’s stories, he smirked and replied “no such thing as bad publicity”. Wonder if he still thinks that after they got caught wonk whoring in the Sunday Times?
