Centre for Policy Studies
Encyclopedia
The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) is a British
right wing policy
think tank whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain’s independence. Although identified as non-partisan, the Centre has strong historical links to the Conservative Party
.
It was founded by Conservatives Sir Keith Joseph and Margaret Thatcher
in 1974 to champion economic liberalism
in Britain and has since played a global role in the dissemination of free market economics along monetarist and, what today would be called, neoliberal lines. Its policy proposals are claimed to be based on the principles of individual choice and responsibility. They also assert that they prioritise the concepts of duty, family, liberty, and the rule of law. The CPS has a stated goal of serving as the champion of the small state.
The CPS did not consciously represent itself as a partisan institute; ‘blame’ for the collectivist post-war consensus
was placed on both sides of the political parties for operating within the same ideological framework. The CPS continually advocated a centre-right approach and was hugely influential during Margaret Thatcher’s administration, operating as a key driving force towards her hallmark policies of privatisation, deregulation and monetarism
In her own words, its job was to 'expose the follies and self-defeating consequences of government intervention....'to think the unthinkable'. In 1982, it released http://www.cps.org.uk/cgi-bin/sh000004.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ecps%2eorg%2euk%2fcgi%2dbin%2fss000004%2epl%3fREFPAGE%3dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww%2ecps%2eorg%2euk%252Fcps_catalog%252Findex_start%2ehtml%26PAGE%3dSEARCH%26S_Author0_0%3d%26S_Pub_Catagory0_1%3d%26S_Year_of_publication0_2%3d%26S_Type_of_product0_3%3d%26GB%3dA%26SS%3dmonetarism%20is%20not%20enough%26TB%3dA&WD=telecommunications%20britain&PN=Catalogue_TELECOMMUNICATIONS_IN_BRITAIN_459%2ehtml%23a453#a453Telecommunications in Britain], which urged the Government to embrace a fuller agenda of privatization in the telecoms sector. The paper recommended the privatization of British Telecom and the introduction of competition to the sector –both of which were implemented. Another key publication was The Performance of the Privatised Industries (1996) – a four volume statistical analysis which showed how the privatization agenda had benefitted the consumer by ushering in lower prices and higher quality service. It argued that the taxpayer had benefitted greatly from privatisation - not just from the initial windfall from receipts, but also from higher tax revenues than had ever been received from the same companies when they were in state ownership.
In 2009, the CPS celebrated its 35th Anniversary for which the Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron MP
, gave a speech highlighting the role the CPS played in the Conservative Party’s victory in the 1979 election
crediting them with ‘a great rebirth of intellectual ideas, of intellectual vigour, and of intellectual leadership’
In September 2011 the CPS published "Guilty Men" by Peter Oborne
and Frances Weaver. The report sought to identify the politicians, institutions and commentators who the authors felt had tried to take Britain into the European Single Currency
and claims to expose the "often unscrupulous and vicious personal attacks" carried out by the Euro
supporters. Oborne particularly identifies William Hague
, Iain Duncan Smith
and Lord Owen as three voices of opposition to early Euro
entry that suffered personal attacks from these sources.
Family – The CPS advocates that fiscal policy should be reformed to support marriage through the tax system and to remove the welfare penalty on two-parent families. State intervention in family life should focus on protection of vulnerable children; it should not extend to managing their day-to-day lives and removing responsibility and judgment from parents.
Energy - Recent CPS publications have argued that the UK must develop its nuclear, clean coal (including coal gasification) and efficient renewable supplies of energy.
Public Services - The CPS has been a consistent advocate for greater choice and diversity of provision, opening up state monopolies to new providers and putting greater power and responsibility in the hands of parents and patients.
Drugs - The CPS’ Prison and Addiction forum (PANDA) was set up in 2008. It provides an independent forum of debate about drugs policy for academics, practitioners, psychiatrists, and specialist commentators. Its aim is to identify the reforms required in the UK to get our drug problem under control, to prevent drug use and to offer substance abusers the help and necessary care to combat their abuse.
Broadcasting – The CPS believes that public intervention should be focussed on where there is genuine 'market failure' and the remit and funding of the BBC should reflect this.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
right wing policy
Policy studies
Policy Studies could be defined as the combination of policy analysis and program evaluation. It "involves systematically studying the nature, causes, and effects of alternative public policies, with particular emphasis on determining the policies that will achieve given goals."Policy Studies also...
think tank whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain’s independence. Although identified as non-partisan, the Centre has strong historical links to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
It was founded by Conservatives Sir Keith Joseph and Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
in 1974 to champion economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
in Britain and has since played a global role in the dissemination of free market economics along monetarist and, what today would be called, neoliberal lines. Its policy proposals are claimed to be based on the principles of individual choice and responsibility. They also assert that they prioritise the concepts of duty, family, liberty, and the rule of law. The CPS has a stated goal of serving as the champion of the small state.
Influence
The CPS soon drove for a reassessment of Conservative economic policy during their period in opposition from 1974-1979. It was during this period that the CPS released its landmark reports, such as Stranded on the Middle Ground and http://www.cps.org.uk/cgi-bin/sh000004.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ecps%2eorg%2euk%2fcgi%2dbin%2fss000004%2epl%3fRANDOM%3dNETQUOTEVAR%253ARANDOM%26PAGE%3dSEARCH%26S_Author0_0%3d%26S_Pub_Catagory0_1%3d%26S_Year_of_publication0_2%3d%26S_Type_of_product0_3%3d%26GB%3dA%26SS%3dstranded%20on%20the%20middle%26TB%3dA&WD=monetarism&PN=Catalogue_MONETARISM_IS_NOT_ENOUGH_479%2ehtml%23a473#a473 Monetarism is Not Enough] (1974 and 1976). Keith Joseph’s keynote speeches, published by the CPS, aimed to lead the way in changing the climate of opinion in Britain and set the intellectual foundations for the free market reforms of the 1980s. Monetarism is Not Enough was described by Margaret Thatcher as “one of the very few speeches which have fundamentally affected a political generation's way of thinking.".The CPS did not consciously represent itself as a partisan institute; ‘blame’ for the collectivist post-war consensus
Post-war consensus
The post-war consensus is a name given by historians to an era in British political history which lasted from the end of World War II in 1945 to the election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1979....
was placed on both sides of the political parties for operating within the same ideological framework. The CPS continually advocated a centre-right approach and was hugely influential during Margaret Thatcher’s administration, operating as a key driving force towards her hallmark policies of privatisation, deregulation and monetarism
In her own words, its job was to 'expose the follies and self-defeating consequences of government intervention....'to think the unthinkable'. In 1982, it released http://www.cps.org.uk/cgi-bin/sh000004.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ecps%2eorg%2euk%2fcgi%2dbin%2fss000004%2epl%3fREFPAGE%3dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww%2ecps%2eorg%2euk%252Fcps_catalog%252Findex_start%2ehtml%26PAGE%3dSEARCH%26S_Author0_0%3d%26S_Pub_Catagory0_1%3d%26S_Year_of_publication0_2%3d%26S_Type_of_product0_3%3d%26GB%3dA%26SS%3dmonetarism%20is%20not%20enough%26TB%3dA&WD=telecommunications%20britain&PN=Catalogue_TELECOMMUNICATIONS_IN_BRITAIN_459%2ehtml%23a453#a453Telecommunications in Britain], which urged the Government to embrace a fuller agenda of privatization in the telecoms sector. The paper recommended the privatization of British Telecom and the introduction of competition to the sector –both of which were implemented. Another key publication was The Performance of the Privatised Industries (1996) – a four volume statistical analysis which showed how the privatization agenda had benefitted the consumer by ushering in lower prices and higher quality service. It argued that the taxpayer had benefitted greatly from privatisation - not just from the initial windfall from receipts, but also from higher tax revenues than had ever been received from the same companies when they were in state ownership.
Recent history
More recently, the CPS has focused on the area of social policy, for example The Price of Parenthood (Jill Kirby, 2005), a study which claimed to show how the state both penalizes marriage and subsidises family breakup. Its call for marriage to be recognized in the tax system is now official Conservative Party policy.In 2009, the CPS celebrated its 35th Anniversary for which the Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron MP
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, gave a speech highlighting the role the CPS played in the Conservative Party’s victory in the 1979 election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
crediting them with ‘a great rebirth of intellectual ideas, of intellectual vigour, and of intellectual leadership’
In September 2011 the CPS published "Guilty Men" by Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at Sherborne School and The University of Cambridge. He is a Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph columnist, author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class, and, with Frances Weaver, the...
and Frances Weaver. The report sought to identify the politicians, institutions and commentators who the authors felt had tried to take Britain into the European Single Currency
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
and claims to expose the "often unscrupulous and vicious personal attacks" carried out by the Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
supporters. Oborne particularly identifies William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
and Lord Owen as three voices of opposition to early Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
entry that suffered personal attacks from these sources.
People
- Chairman: Lord Saatchi
- Acting Director: Tim Knox
- Deputy Director, Events and Funding: Jenny Nicholson
- Economic and Statistical Researcher: Ryan Bourne
- Web 2.0 Manager: Lewis James Brown
- Executive Assistant: Kate Jones
Council
- Graham Brady MPGraham BradyGraham Stuart Brady is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West. He served as a shadow minister for Europe under four Conservative leaders before resigning in 2007 in protest at David Cameron's opposition to grammar schools...
- Lord Griffiths
- Richard Jeffrey
- Keith Marsden
- Lord PowellCharles PowellCharles Edwin Powell is an American actor, known for his roles as himself on Popular Mechanics for Kids and as President Harold Bates on 15/Love.-Biography:...
- David Ruffley MPDavid RuffleyDavid Laurie Ruffley is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, which encompasses Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, having been first elected in 1997.A solicitor by profession, Ruffley served as...
- David Willetts MPDavid WillettsDavid Linsay Willetts is a British Conservative Party politician and the Minister of State for Universities and Science. He is the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire.-Education:...
- Michael Fallon MPMichael FallonFor the American Physician / Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives see Mike FallonMichael Cathel Fallon is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Sevenoaks, and as of September 2010 the deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.-Early life:Michael Fallon...
- Martin Howe QC
- Brooks Newmark MPBrooks NewmarkBrooks Phillip Victor Newmark is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Braintree.-Early life:Brooks was born in Westport CT, USA on 8th May 1958 to Howard Newmark and Gilda Gourlay . He moved to England aged 9 years old and attended Caldicott Prep School and Bedford School and graduated from...
- Lord Norton
- Oliver Letwin MPOliver LetwinOliver Letwin MP FRSA is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is currently the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of West Dorset...
- Minette Marin
- Howard FlightHoward FlightHoward Emerson Flight, Baron Flight is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom and a member of the House of Lords. He was Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs from 1997 to 2005...
- John Redwood MPJohn RedwoodJohn Alan Redwood is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wokingham. He was formerly Secretary of State for Wales in Prime Minister John Major's Cabinet and was an unsuccessful challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1995...
- Andrew RobertsAndrew RobertsAndrew Roberts is an English historian and journalist.-Background:Roberts was born in London, England, the son of Simon from Cobham, Surrey, and Katie Roberts...
- Nick Seaton
- Andrew Tyrie MPAndrew TyrieAndrew Guy Tyrie is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for Chichester, and was first elected in the 1997 general election...
- Tim MontgomerieTim MontgomerieTim Montgomerie is best known as the co-founder of the Centre for Social Justice and as Editor of the ConservativeHome website, and has been described as "one of the most important Conservative activists of the past 20 years"....
Policies
Economy - The CPS ‘believes in regulation that does not inhibit the growth of business, taxes that do not act as a disincentive to work or to investment in the UK, and a leaner more effective state that avoids unnecessary intervention in the economy’.Family – The CPS advocates that fiscal policy should be reformed to support marriage through the tax system and to remove the welfare penalty on two-parent families. State intervention in family life should focus on protection of vulnerable children; it should not extend to managing their day-to-day lives and removing responsibility and judgment from parents.
Energy - Recent CPS publications have argued that the UK must develop its nuclear, clean coal (including coal gasification) and efficient renewable supplies of energy.
Public Services - The CPS has been a consistent advocate for greater choice and diversity of provision, opening up state monopolies to new providers and putting greater power and responsibility in the hands of parents and patients.
Drugs - The CPS’ Prison and Addiction forum (PANDA) was set up in 2008. It provides an independent forum of debate about drugs policy for academics, practitioners, psychiatrists, and specialist commentators. Its aim is to identify the reforms required in the UK to get our drug problem under control, to prevent drug use and to offer substance abusers the help and necessary care to combat their abuse.
Broadcasting – The CPS believes that public intervention should be focussed on where there is genuine 'market failure' and the remit and funding of the BBC should reflect this.
Recent Publications
- A Magna Carta for Localism
- An End to Factory Schools
- Be Bold for Growth
- More Bang for the Buck
- A Step Change in UK Philanthropy
- The Guilty Men