Thread by @EuropeanPowell

Always shocked to learn that 96% of Brits cannot name a single thinktank. A twofold problem remains at play, corporate lobbyists influence on shaping Govt policy to libertarian partisan ends and the cover of academic rigour in their titles like 'institute' and 'centre'.

Dark money sets the political agenda that enters Govt via the revolving door, a key cog in this transaction is the fomenting of the 'Anglosphere'. In short this meant leaving the EU by pooling nations to deregulate and form new trade relations with white, english speaking nations

Brexit birthed by Shanker Singham, Matthew Elliot, Liam Fox, Dan Hannan gained ground by linking with Murdoch and a slurry of r/w transatlantic thinktanks all corporate funded (+tax payers money under charity status) Russia also hugely invested. British establishment compromised.

US Heritage Foundation a key place for r/w corporate lobbyists to dictate libertarian agendas lapped up by Truss, Frost, Fox, Mogg et al who shoe-horned the absolute worst deregulatory, anti-governance, anti-environment, anti-wealth tax, anti-equality policies into legislation.

Heritage has a +$100m annual budget and is more akin to a megachurch worshipping at the altars of Rand, Buchanan, Friedman and Hayek. Funders are a who's who of US libertarianism, Koch's, Mercer, Trump, Exxon. Mercer funded the US Thatcher Center for Freedom, a UK version failed>

This was due to questions around it's funding was spent. HerItage were big fans of Brexit who published a blueprint for an 'ideal' free trade agreement between US an post Brexit Britain, then Trump was out...Guess who co-wrote that paper? Daniel Hannan who has blocked me.

The ERG approved Hannan's and Heritage's paper who 1 newspaper reported that it's researchers had 'exceptional access' to Govt ministers. You see from this how broken democracy is, how transparency is ignored to favour a disaster capitalist takeover of a now 3rd country? #Brexit

In the 1997 Liam Fox set up scandal ridden 'Educational Charity' Atlantic Bridge think tank to oppose those who disagreed with a libertarian fuelled relationship with corporate USA, Thatcher was it's honourary patron. It was dissolved in 2011 by the UK Charity Commission...

Many of Atlantic Bridge's members played leading roles in Vote Leave, including Johnson and Gove. Fox wanted to create a network of liberty in politics, the media, the military and academia, to push the Anglosphere's message and fight being dragged into European protectionism.

2007 Fox forged a special partnership with r/w US think tank ALEC, funded by US Tobacco, ExxonMobil, the Koch's and the National Rifle Association. these people passed 1000's of laws restricting minimum wage and 'stand-your-ground' gun legislation. Aren't they lovely?

ALEC set up a US version of Fox's Atlantic Bridge Charity under the same name, they paid for UK Tories flights to their partisan libertarian meetings, Tories flew back to UK and dutifully unleashed chaos. US arm hired lawyers and lobbyists with links to USA's military industry>

Catherine Bray was brought in to run international affairs, guess who she worked with in UK? Daniel Hannan. He told a US Atlantic Bridge supporting senator that Obama care was 'nuts' and that it was akin to 'socialised medicine in Britain'. Meeting took place in a Fox newsroom...

This resulted in US Atlantic Bridge having a firm place influencing/shaping British policy decisions with overt libertarian leanings at the heart of UK Govt. A complaint to Charity Commission shut down the think tank but the damage was done, disaster capitalists forced Brexit.

Source Peter Geoghegan - Democracy for Sale; Dark Money and Dirty Politics. Read this book, read lots of books, educate yourselves because things are about to go from Brexit 'bad' to post Brexit libertarian hell.
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