“WHO FUNDS YOU?!” is the question the staff of Right-wing think tanks get asked whenever they appear on BBC Newsnight or similar.
People who work for organisations based at Tufton Street or nearby (for instance, the Institute of Economic Affairs) are almost guaranteed to have the words put to them, always in an accusative manner, as if Vladimir Putin had poured money into their coffers.
But having spent over a year researching political funding, I think it’s much more useful to ask the staff of Left-wing institutions “WHO FUNDS YOU?!” as they tend to be extremely well-oiled financially. In fact, the “WHO FUNDS YOU?” question is a fantastic deflection technique from those on the Left because of the amount of questionable activity in their own backyard.
In terms of funding, as well as collaborative networks, those on the Left have a huge number of advantages. As well as having captured pretty much most of the UK’s institutions (from think tanks to charities to the Civil Service), to top things off they tend to get taxpayer funding with no questions asked. For instance, the Institute for Public Policy Research received £388,000 from taxpayers between 2019 and 2023:
The IPPR is a highly politicised institution that posts about “strategies to defeat the far Right”, wants a “progressive agenda on international nature” and has suggested the UK “triple the amount of offshore wind compared to the past 14 years”. More recently one of its researchers argued in favour
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This is a shocking insight – DOGE UK will only grow in demand.
I have submitted a petition a few days ago to ask for a DOGE UK.
Got the 5 signatures needed to move this on, but apparently they are very busy, so we will see if this one goes ‘live’.
Will keep you updated.
I am distinctly unimpressed by an analysis that lumps the Institute for Fiscal Studies in with the likes of the New Economics Foundation: that’s chalk and cheese. The IFS is by no means a left-wing organisation, which is why (for example) it was prominent in criticising both Labour and Tories for being dishonest with the electorate, in last year’s general election campaign, about the state of the public finances. Similarly, you won’t find the IFS pushing the lefty idea that big sums can be raised for governments by soaking the rich and closing so-called loopholes, instead it consistently points out that only increases across the board in the three main taxes ie. income tax, VAT and national insurance, can reliably raise significant sums in tax receipts.
As for the income to the IFS from Government contracts, there’s nothing nefarious about that, it simply reflects the Government’s need to utilise outside expertise to cover gaps in its (the Government’s) in-house capabilities: the alternative would be spending taxes on maintaining an equivalent public sector source of the same expertise, which would likely be more and not less expensive for the taxpayer.
So this is not excellent journalism, that would require a bit… Read more »
It is quite obvious that the modern UK govt outsources decision-making to unaccountable quangos. This is why the govt has placed itself at the head of a team of wild, loosely bridled horses and why so many things go wrong. You euphemise this despicable process and gloss over the fact that outsourcing is wholly undemocratic and responsible for why we are where we are. The article does not need more work and thought; you need to grasp the bigger picture. Our govt flings billions at quangos with little to no oversight resulting in huge fiscal waste; poor unaccountable decisions made by faceless people who often have some kind of vested interest and the nation spiralling ever downwards and wholly subject to whatever ideological fancy the latest well-fed cuckoo demands.
Are they being used for money laundering to get the funds to the Labour Party
Brilliant research, Charlotte Gill. It’s extremely hard working out who funds who as they all seem interconnected. The main pot of money is enforced from us and then weirdly these unaccountables use our money to make donations to each other. It’s like some kind of criminal network.. They do this because they don’t like us to know that we are funding their ideological agendas. They shift money about so it is largely untraceable, I think. They know the majority of us don’t want to give them money in the first place. For example, the Social Market Foundation received at least 20K off the RSPCA last year? Do donators to the RSPCA know their donations are being used to fund political think tanks? And why is the govt handing out our money to the RSPCA without ensuring it is spent in the way the public expect? The SMF recently did research and concluded that the public need nudging toward accepting climate initiatives. .Another fun fact: about 15% of all government spending is given in grants – many to the industrial charity complex and NGOs. Much of this money is handed out with little to no oversight, from what I have found… Read more »
Not quite at the USAID level….as far as we know.
Tks for this….I was wondering when we would hear about our versions of USAID etc…
Of course the worst example of all this is the House of Savile….as we have no choice about paying their tithe on our lives.
Because we have a Left-wing political establishment.
I remember a video by Katie Hopkins where she discussed Brexit with Femi, the Leftist, Remainer Globalist who needs to order T-Shirts a size larger…..She just asked ‘who funds you’, and in the blink of an eye, the producer came rushing out to stop Femi from answering.
It makes sense for the govt to fund SOME charities, and to pay for research from SOME think tanks. Is that how it works, both of those sectors are awash with lefties?
Maybe a business opportunity here for a DOGE charity, documenting the outcomes of all govt money given to charities and think tanks.
At the moment about 15% of all government spending in on hazy sounding ‘grants’ A third of this is earmarked for spending on non govt projects such as charities and NGOs. We are talking billions. Last year, 156 billion was given to ‘grants’. Researching further is hard because there is little data out there. From what I have read bona fide researchers say online, I don’t even think the govt knows what all this money is really being spent on. We are being forced to fuel our own demise.
For fourteen long years of high tax and big deficits during which Osborne, among others, claimed to be clamping down on public spending, the Tories continued to fund the left.
It was on their watch the social left such as Stonewall and others were paid £millions and allowed to redefine the priorities of government departments, quangos snd charities. All towards the left.
Did the Tory Ministers know or were they not bothered to check where the money went and with whom the staff had politically meaningful meetings. Or did they know and approve, those wet, Remainer globalist Tories.
Checking where all the money goes requires a cut of cloth not normally found in politicians, most will just sign-off what is put in front of them, and front-up firefighting activities where some specific thing has gone wrong.
Like why are there so many Ferraris in Ukraine!
It was Osbourne & call me Dave that told Andrew Bridgen that politics is just a game.
When I am Prime Minister, Charlotte, you will be heading up DOGE. In fact I will vote for anyone who will appoint you.
I see no reason for a single penny of state money to go to any think tank or “charity” of any description. Essential service only please.
We need Elon Musk here to just get rid of all this funding in totality
He is doing a good job, but I don’t trust him completely. Witney Webb (proper old school journalist) is cautious when it comes to Musk and his connections to the military etc.
It is seen to be true that if you question any aspect of climate change or climate change policies then you are accused of having an agenda to protect the profits of fossil fuel companies. But what makes the people saying this think that Governments who promote and push all of the climate change stuff have no agenda? ——Ofcourse they do. It is the Political Agenda of Sustainable Development. Which all sounds nice and rosy doesn’t it? But all is not as it seems.—–It is forced indoctrination and coercing into a way of life decided by technocrats all under the guise of ending poverty, bringing food security, providing well being, ensure access to affordable reliable energy which is going to be nothing of the sort. It will be energy rationing and on demand pricing. Sustainable Development is really the hijacking of the environmental movement for nefarious purposes of total control over people and how they live—–SCAM
Sandy Adams was speaking to UKC saying how giving more power to local Mayors, it part of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is also convenient to them because Reform would’ve given them a kicking in the May local elections.
And once again, the taxpayer is fleeced by subsidies which is the only thing holding up these eco initiatives. Yes, it would be nice if we could fuel our energy needs from windmills and solar panels but the tech is not there and it has huge drawbacks. Why can’t sensible, balanced and truly sustainable policies be put in place. Why do we have to have wholly, ruinous, unbalanced ‘targets’ such as the fantastical Net Zero?
Because lefties can’t think without a tank funded by OPM (Other People’s Money).
Well-researched, Charlotte Gill. Answer on a postcard…
…Perhaps it all began with the Fabians, really got going under Attlee (the original lefty lawyer?) and took off in the 1960’s under Sir Gannex. Held at bay for a decade by The Lady, but under the future Sir Bliar and Not Flash Gordon, the Long March through Whitehall, the Treasury, media, academia, etc, etc, engulfed the sitting-on-backside and chattering classes in an orgy of sycophancy and self-funding that’s been going on ever since.
Pandered to by Lord Macaroon, Mrs Maybee and A.B. De Pfeffel’s wife. Taken to a new level by Sir Two-Tier and the Kommissars.
Someone please pass the sharp scythe. Time for a bit of grim reaping of what they’ve sown for decades. More British than Sheriff Donald and Colonel Musket’s six shooters, but in the Right hands could be just as effective.
Dream on.
What, commies acting like hypocrites? Shocking.
The state using my tax money to set up institutes to censor me, beat me, enslave me, lie to me, coerce me and mock me. Shock news. Never expected that….
Charlotte Gill is doing some excellent journalism, particularly her DOGE UK stuff. Thank you.
Not sure if this allowed here or not but here goes. buymeacoffee.com/charlottegill
I see no reason for it not to be allowed and I agree with your comments.