UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

A Worthless report from Policy Execrable

Some people are a bit brass necked and then there are some who would put a giraffe to shame. One such person is Sean Worth former number 10 policy advisor to Cameron and the former head of the Conservative Party policy unit. In the latest Worth-less report he has the gall to criticize the ‘vested interests’ of the top of trade unions as a reason for stalling public service reform.
http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/
publications/category/item/better-public-services-a-roadmap-for-revolution


Of course there is no credibility to anything the report identifies in a thinly veiled disguise to return to the bad old days of CCT – forgetting the abject misery that it created for millions of users of public services, the loss of any sensible approach to integrated services and the role of profit over people. But the real rub is how a ‘think-tank’ that has the audacity to describe itself as an ‘independent charity for educational purposes’ can criticize trade unions, democratic bodies to the core, from which these self-interested conservatives could learn a lesson or two;

Policy exchange includes

Conservative MP Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education.

Deputy chairman of the board, Richard Ehrman, was a government special adviser in the Employment Department and the Northern Ireland Office during the 1980s and later worked as chief leader writer for the Daily Telegraph.

Treasurer Andrew Sells was chairman of property company, Linden Homes, for 16 years until it was sold in 2007 for £300 million to the Galliford Try Group.

Baroness Patience Wheatcroft, a Conservative life peer, is a non-executive director of Shaftesbury PLC, a real estate investment trust.

Sian Hansen, Policy Exchange’s MD, is an investment banker and currently a director at Ludgate Environmental Fund. Prior to this she worked at European investment bank Société Générale and Nordic investment bank SEB Enskilda.

Policy Exchange’s director, Neil O’Brien, used to be the director of Open Europe, a think-tank pledged to defend British interests, encourage “renegotiation” of European Union treaties and promote free market ideals.

Chairman of the board is Daniel Finkelstein, chief leader writer of News International’s The Times. Finkelstein served as an adviser to former Conservative Prime Minister John Major and more recently, William Hague.

David Skelton, Policy Exchange’s deputy director and head of research, ran for as a Conservative for a seat in North Durham in 2010 ( previously worked under William Hague) .

Trustee Theodore Agnew is a non-executive director of Jubilee Managing Agency Ltd, which offers insurance for speciality property around the world.

Richard Briance is an investment banker and was working on extending the Edmond de Rothschild empire’s UK operations.

Simon Brocklebank-Fowler is the head of Conservative Party donor and corporate communications firm Cubitt Consulting. Fowler stood as Tory candidate for Stockton North in 1992 and was a Tory member of Westminster City Council.

Trustee and Daily Mail political commentator Edward Heathcoat Amory has “blue blood”, being a descendant of the Heathcoat-Amory Baronetcy of Knightshayes Court, Tiverton, Devon, and is the son of the ex-Conservative MP for Wells, David Philip Heathcoat-Amory. David Maller is on the executive board of Conservative Friends of Israel, while George Robinson, a hedge fund manager, donated £250,000 to the Tory party.

Robert Rosenkranz is CEO of Delphi Financial Group, an insurance holding company with billions in assets.

Tim Steel is on the board of Cazenove Group, the company which acts as stockbroker to the Queen.

Rachel Whetstone is global head of communications and public policy for Google. She is married to the former director of strategy for David Cameron, Steve Hilton.

Simon Wolfson is the chief executive of clothing retailer Next, a conservative life peer and a donor to David Cameron’s 2005 leadership election.

So a very honourable group of people who have no vested interests what so ever...perhaps someone ought to write to inquire upon what basis this group can claim charitable status...?

Anna Rose