Catalyst (think tank)

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Catalyst (later Catalyst Forum) was an independent

left wing think tank based in London, United Kingdom, set up in 1998 to promote policies directed to the redistribution of power, wealth and opportunity. Though not aligned to any political party, it was generally sympathetic to the Labour movement
and described itself as "an organisation of the left".

The organisation was founded at the high point of

trades unions
who had originally been expected to be the most sympathetic to its redistributionist platform. Trades unions, concerned at further exclusion from power either by the electorate or the new Labour Party leadership, took a sharp turn away from too deep an association with the Left at this time and only begun in 2005 and 2006 to develop an increased if cautious interest in left-wing thought as a new generation of activist trades union leaders has emerged.

Former right wing but egalitarian Deputy Leader of the Labour Party,

GMB Union
.

However, Catalyst was never a political or campaigning organisation and restricted itself to public policy work on redistribution and looking at soft areas like

Hard Left
.

Catalyst's first Director was former Director of Policy at the Labour Party,

Burkean
" and it adopted creatively low cost ways of making itself known. Its Annual Reception became a high point for centre-left political exiles from within the Labour Movement to meet and catch up.

It not only survived the modernisation period but re-emerged strengthened in recent years with a new generation of academics and intellectuals prepared to develop alternative democratic socialist policies. In 2003 Catalyst won the "One To Watch" category at Prospect magazine's annual Think Tank Awards.[1] In 2006 it merged with the Compass organisation.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Think Tank Awards « Prospect Magazine". www.prospectmagazine.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. TheGuardian.com
    . 18 May 2006.
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