NOT THE IPPR

*
Today's The World at One reported on the disappointing unemployment figures, which show that things are still in a bad place. Its opening report from Andrew Bomford began by citing a recent study by the Centre for Cities. I'd never heard of them, so I looked them and and, would you adam and eve it, this is what I found: "The Centre for Cities was launched in March 2005 as part of the IPPR, which has strong connections to the Labour Party. The Centre for Cities became independent of IPPR in October 2007 and has no formal connection to a political party." A child of the BBC's beloved IPPR! Who would have thought it? Its leading figures still include many a leading Leftie, including self-professed preacher for reform and radicalism Dermot Finch and Labour-supporting historian Tristram Hunt. It's chairman is Tom Bloxham, who also founded Urban Splash - whose other projects, incidentally, include the renovation of the Midland Hotel here in sunny Morecambe:


It's always sunny in Morecambe. (That's a Jim-Naughtie-style fact!)
*