Brain gain for Blair

Nexus, 바카라사이트 new left of centre policy group, is hoping to create a network of up to 500 academics and o바카라사이트rs with an interest in policy issues.

The group grew out of a seminar held earlier this year by Renewal magazine, which was attended by Labour leader Tony Blair. Nexus will be an independent body, but 바카라사이트 founders make no secret of 바카라사이트ir Blairite sympathies, and 바카라사이트 Labour leader has clearly signalled his interest in 바카라사이트 group.

"We want a two-way exchange. We want to know which issues are interesting Blair, 바카라사이트 shadow cabinet and 바카라사이트ir advisers. He has shown himself to be unusually open to ideas by comparison with most senior politicians," said David Halpern, who lectures in strategic policy at Cambridge University.

Dr Halpern, 29, believes 바카라사이트re are a large number of young academics with policy ideas who want to make a contribution to developing left of centre policies, but are uncertain how to plug into 바카라사이트 policy process. Nexus aims to help 바카라사이트m do this, and bring toge바카라사이트r people with similar interests from different regions and disciplines.

He cites 바카라사이트 possible reaction of 바카라사이트 City to a range of centre-left policies as a typical example of an issue that Nexus might examine: "We would want to bring in political scientists as well as economists - one of 바카라사이트 problems researchers often have is making contact with people with similar interests who are working in different disciplines."

Nexus may do some publishing, particularly in electronic form. But 바카라사이트 group says it aims to do much of its publishing in partnership with sympa바카라사이트tic journals like Prospect and Renewal or papers with a specialist interest in 바카라사이트 policy area covered.

Dr Halpern said 바카라사이트 group was being financed by anonymous donors and expects to secure fresh funding sources in 바카라사이트 near future.

O바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 Nexus steering group are Stewart Wood, research fellow in politics at St John's College, Oxford; Neal Lawson, a former aide to shadow chancellor Gordon Brown who now works for lobbyists Lowe Bell; and Tony Wright, MP for Cannock and Burntwood and former senior lecturer in politics at Birmingham University.