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Fringe focus

11:27am Thursday, 28th September 2006
So I've just got back from this year's Labour Party conference to find Jenni Russell's piece in Comment Is Free. Talking about the masterclass in holistic policy making (catchy title, no?) we co-hosted with the new economics foundation and ACCA, she argues that the fringe is where the real action lies, rather than the Today programme-esque obsession with intrigue and leadership debates. I'm inclined to agree. I admit I went up to conference suspicious that it would feel a bit like a circus for policy wonks. And whilst it's true that there were far too many men with square glasses and sharp suits on mobile phones, I was also genuinely impressed by the quality of some of the fringe events I went to. Some highlights (other than our own events, of course) included the Young Foundation on the politics we deserve (a debate Demos has also contributed to here), the Smith Institute on welfare measures, the Fabians on how to create a more equal society - all thoughtful, well prepared events with lots of food for thought. Even if the food itself wasn't so hot. Our materclass sparked some quality debate about how to put the rhetoric of user-centred public services into action. Conference fringe: it's like being at Demos, but on speed.

Comments

1
What's wrong with men in square glasses?
Posted by Jack Stilgoe  at 9:26am on Friday, 29th September 2006
2
I would be inclined to agree. I attended the conference (without square glasses it must be said) in my capacity as writer of a policy blog on the Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR) website. We are based at City University and the blog looks at how policy in many areas may support, contradict or impact upon asylum and refugee policy. For our purposes, nearly all of interest was in a number of interesting fringe debates on immigration, community cohesion, equality, Britishness etc. Perhaps there is an argument for more media coverage of these often intense policy discsussions, particularly in what we are constantly told is a climate of political apathy. Anyway, go read my blog to find out more.
Posted by Gareth Morrell  at 1:00pm on Friday, 29th September 2006

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