Nexus
In 1998 at the direction of the Government, an 'on-line think tank' called Nexus initiated (within 'on-side' academic circles) a series of debates on the Third Way, involving Anthony Giddens; David Marquand, Julian Le Grand, Professor of Social Policy at the LSE; and the Directors of the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Fabian Society. The founder of the network was Neal Lawson of the lobbying firm LLM Communications. It also had a journal associated with it, titled Renewal
Nexus was held up as providing a 'tested model of how intellectuals, academics, social entrepreneurs and policy experts would assist the development of the public policy of centre-left governments.' It soon deteriorated to extinction. One more confirmation of the vacuum in Third Way thinking, and the inability of its proponents to apply its ideas to concrete social realities.[1]
For more details see William Clark The Tainted Word Variant, No. 13
Notes
- ^ Geoff Andrews Technocrats or Intellectuals?; Third Way Debate Summary can be found here. Their own figures say that it got 140 postings by 45 people.
