Catalyst (later Catalyst Forum) was an independent

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, set up in 1998 to promote policies directed to the redistribution of power, wealth and opportunity. Though not aligned to any political party, it was generally sympathetic to the

Labour movement The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...

and described itself as "an organisation of the left". The organisation was founded at the high point of

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

's modernisation of the Labour Party and struggled to attract funding, especially from the

trades unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

who had originally been expected to be the most sympathetic to its redistributionist platform. Trades unions, concerned at further exclusion from power either by the electorate or the new Labour Party leadership, took a sharp turn away from too deep an association with the Left at this time and only begun in 2005 and 2006 to develop an increased if cautious interest in left-wing thought as a new generation of activist trades union leaders has emerged. Former right wing but egalitarian Deputy Leader of the Labour Party,

Roy Hattersley Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley, (born 28 December 1932) is a British Labour Party politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He was MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook for over 32 years from 1964 to 1997, and served as Depu ...

, was an early supporter, as was John Edmonds, General Secretary of the

GMB Union The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 460,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the National Health Service (N ...

. However, Catalyst was never a political or campaigning organisation and restricted itself to public policy work on redistribution and looking at soft areas like

identity politics Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these i ...

and public administration that were often neglected on the Left in favour of economics and social policy. It was never associated with the so-called

Hard Left In the United Kingdom, the hard left are the left-wing political movements and ideas outside the mainstream centre-left.* * Term The term was first used in the context of debates within both the Labour Party and the broader left in the 1980 ...

. Catalyst's first Director was former Director of Policy at the Labour Party, Roland Wales, who was followed by Barbara Gunnell, Martin McIvor, and Jenny Smith. Its Founding Board of Management included

Marjorie Thompson Marjorie Ellen Thompson (January 31, 1954 – September 15, 2014) was an American biologist and musician who served as Associate Dean of Biological Sciences at Brown University. Thompson received a ScB in biochemistry and a PhD in biology from Br ...

Mark Seddon Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

Mike Watts Mike Watts is an American audio engineer, mixer, and record producer, who has worked with a variety of artists including The Dillinger Escape Plan, Glassjaw, As Cities Burn, Hopesfall, As Tall As Lions, The Dear Hunter, and Gates. Watts ha ...

, Nyta Mann, Pat Coyne, Tim Pendry,

Hilary Wainwright Hilary Wainwright (born 1949) is a British sociologist, political activist and socialist feminist, best known for being a co-editor of ''Red Pepper (magazine), Red Pepper'' magazine. Early life and education Wainwright's father was the Libera ...

Richard Stone Sir John Richard Nicholas Stone (30 August 1913 – 6 December 1991) was an eminent British economist, educated at Westminster School and Gonville and Caius College and King's College at the University of Cambridge. In 1984, he was awarded t ...

and others, with a prestigious Advisory Board. Its lack of funds did not stop it from putting out a series of pamphlets, some of which proved contentious including

Simon Partridge Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

's revisionist view of nationalism which was avowedly "Left- Burkean" and it adopted creatively low cost ways of making itself known. Its Annual Reception became a high point for centre-left political exiles from within the Labour Movement to meet and catch up. It not only survived the modernisation period but re-emerged strengthened in recent years with a new generation of academics and intellectuals prepared to develop alternative democratic socialist policies. In 2003 Catalyst won the "One To Watch" category at Prospect magazine's annual Think Tank Awards. In 2006 it merged with the

Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

organisation.

References

{{Reflist 1998 establishments in the United Kingdom Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom

See also

References