Think Tank Clash: The Future of Political Debate

Saturday, 13th February 2010

I am pleased to report that the New Deal of the Mind Think Tank Clash at the Soutbank Centre on Tuesday went down a storm. The event sold out the Purcell Room, which suggests that there is an audience for ideas out there.
We wanted to have a series of quickfire debates (two minutes per speaker) on the pressing issues of the between the directors of Britain's think tanks. Each think tank was then asked to produce a star witness to bank up its argument. So the bouts were as follows: Progress v ResPublica on Red Toryism; Fabians v Reform on Equality; Demos v RSA on Character and IPPR v Policy Exchange on The Role of the State.
Rory Bremner was the perfect master of ceremonies, shifting seamlessly from impressions, to serious political interrogation without pausing for breath.
I was worried that we would be accused of dumbing down, but if anything the two minutes added a rigour that helped refine the arguments.
Sunder Katwala has a good account of the event on his Next Left blog and Reform's Dale Bassett covered it for Conservative Home. Jonathan Rowson, who spoke for the RSA on the night, points out that his organisation is not strictly speaking a think tank, but calls for more such events.
There was much talk in the green room after the event about taking the show on the road, so watch this space. Joe Dyke has a comprehensive report on Total Politics. And there's an altogether more spiky version of events at Arbitrary Constant.
The event also allowed me to discover the delights of Winkball, a website which employs students (dressed in a canary-yellow uniform) to record mini-interviews at public events.

Filed under: Demos (6 more articles) , Fabians (9 more articles) , IPPR (6 more articles) , New Deal of the Mind (11 more articles) , Policy Exchange (32 more articles) , Progress (2 more articles) , Reform (80 more articles) , ResPublica (1 more articles) , RSA (1 more articles) , Think-tanks (8 more articles)

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Rhoda Klapp

February 13th, 2010 3:35pm Report this comment

How very precious. All the different brands of Eloi together. Any Morlocks turn up?

Martin Bright

February 13th, 2010 5:17pm Report this comment

I'd so hoped to see you there Rhoda. You'd have had such fun

Beer Moth

February 13th, 2010 6:08pm Report this comment

No chance of broaching the 'i' issue in such Twatterati gatherings?

PAUL GILBOY

February 13th, 2010 8:46pm Report this comment

You nearly got to the end without mentioning yourself! Three little lines on the end, your beginning to master the art of containment, although your probably sweating away, with having to hold back!