Leaders with a Common Purpose http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_5719.shtml

Here in the UK, there are many who believe that there are those who are working behind the scenes to weaken the UK from within, while also preparing new government structures and putting in place new leaders via quasi secret society that doesn’t declare itself to ordinary people.An organisation that has been the focus of such criticism is Common Purpose (CP), a charity that was founded in the UK in 1989. As stated in an article by the BBC in March 2009, “Its [CP] critics say it is a secret networking organisation at the heart of the establishment, with a hidden agenda and influence.

More than 20,000 people -- identified as the next generation of leaders -- have attended its courses, but if you are not one of them, you have probably never heard of it. It is called Common Purpose and prominent supporters include BBC business editor Robert Peston, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Cressida Dick of the Metropolitan Police and numerous top public sector officials. It’s a not-for-profit organisation which organises training and networking events for high-fliers.”

At an event hosted by the Overseas Development Institute in 2003 to examine the role of think tanks as policy makers, Tom Bentley, executive director of DEMOS, is of the opinion that, “As New Labour has discovered, the gap between policy and practice is one of the most difficult to bridge. DEMOS has in many ways acted as an intellectual intermediary in the policy/practice sphere, introducing and working on new terms (e.g., ‘social entrepreneurship’ and ‘joined-up government’) as well as applied thinking. Many policy makers are not well equipped to build institutions, and DEMOS therefore works through partnerships to develop this capacity.” This would complement the role of the Fabian Society which has played a central role for more than a century in the development of political ideas and public policy.