Social Market Foundation

The Social Market Foundation is a London-based think tank established "to provide a source of innovative economic and social policy ideas"Social Market Foundation, About Us, SMF Website, Accessed 09-June-2009. Located in close proximity to the houses of Parliament, the SMF has been influential in helping with the development of policies in the areas of health, education, welfare and pensions policy reformSocial Market Foundation, Thinktanks in the news, The Guardian, Accessed 09-June-2009. 
The Social Market Foundation, as the name suggests, attempts to develop ideas based on a fusion of the two themes of social justice and neo-liberal economicsSocial Market Foundation,About Us, SMF Website, Accessed 09-June-2009. The Centre for Global Studies think tank originated from within the Social Market Foundation under the name "The Centre for Post-Collectivist Studies"The Centre for Global Studies, About Us, The Centre for Global Studies, Accessed 09-June-2009. The Social Market Foundation has provided "the intellectual battering ram" for the government in campaigns to increase competition in public services. Other controversial proposals from the SMF include the suggestion that "the public should be forced to save for a pension unless they specifically opt out"Nick Mathiason, The marketing of Blairism, The Guardian,31-July-2005, Accessed 09-June-2009.
right|thumb|300px|Social Market Foundation, 11 Tufton Street SW1P - a building shared with the Policy Network
==History==
The Social Market Foundation was founded in 1989 out of the ashes of David Owen's Social Democratic Party (SDP), using money from David SainsburyCatherine Pepinster, From left to right, they're all thinking, The Independent, 23-July-2995, Accessed 09-June-2009. It was created by supporters of Owen although it has never been officially affiliated with any political party. The think tank was originally linked to One Nation Conservatism. However, since the late 1990s it has been more closely identified with New Labour. In 2003 Gordon Brown delivered a keynote speech to the foundation on the subject of social markets.Gordon Brown, A Modern Agenda for Prosperity and Social Reform, Speech to the Social Market Foundation, 3-February-2003, Accessed 09-June-2009
In its early years of the SMF the thinktank was closely connected to the Conservative Party. Former SMF directors Roderick Nye and Daniel Finkelstein, went on to become Conservative Party advisersSocial Market Foundation, Politics, The New Statesman, Accessed 09-June-2009and as late as 2000, the SMF described itself as "steering an independent course between conflicting ideologies of conservatism and social democracy".Social Market Foundation, Social Market Foundation, Web Archive, 12-December-1998, Accessed 09-June-2009
In April 2000 Conservative Party leader William Hague delivered a controversial speech to the SMF. Hague proposed the creation of detention centres for asylum seekers, arguing that asylum seekers should be detained in former army barracks because:
:People are arriving in Britain armed with expert knowledge of how to exploit our asylum laws; what to say on arrival; how to string out appeals and how to remain here if their cases are eventually turned down.BBC News, Asylum camp plan attacked, BBC News, 18-April-2000, Accessed 09-June-2009.
In 2001 Robert Skidelsky was replaced by David Lipsey as chairman. This change led to the the think tank being more closely linked to New Labour and the abandonment of the goal stated on their homepage of steering a course between conservatism and social democracy. Philip Collins, a former speech writer for Tony Blair, became the SMF director at this timeFull Profile, Philip Collins, Speakers for Business, Accessed 03-June-2009.
Writing in The Guardian, David Walker describes the history of the SMF: 
:The Social Market Foundation was founded by refugees from the collapse of the old Social Democrat party, became pro-Tory, then vaguely New Labour. All along, though, it has stood for diminishing the public sector and reducing the role of public bodies as service providersDavid Walker, Public Manager: Public eye: Caught in the tank trap, The Guardian: Society Pg. 10, 17-September-2008, Accessed via LexisNexis 09-June-2009.
==Fringe events at party conferences underwritten by corporate sponsors==
The Social Market Foundation organises fringe events designed to coincide with the conferences of the three main UK political parties. These events are underwritten by corporate sponsors who are given the opportunity to "benefit from ongoing involvement in discussions about the subject matter and overall design of the fringe event, including input into the speaker line-up and determining the focus of the debateConference Fringe Program, Our Sponsors, Social Market Foundation, Accessed 09-June-2009. 
These fringe events are often sponsored by corporations with a vested interest in the subject being discussed. The SMF facilitates them, providing access to key policy makers and the media. At the Conservative Party conference of 2008 a discussion on waste in the NHS was sponsored by private healthcare provider BupaLess Waste, More Wellbeing, Conferences 2008, Social Market Foundation, Accessed 09-June-2009. At the same conference, discussion on pension provisions was sponsored by pension provider B&CEReform Required?,Conferences 2008, Social Market Foundation, Accessed 09-June-2009. 
In 2003 and 2004 the Mobile Operators Association sponsored discussions entitled "Listening to the public: does community consultation improve the planning process?", with environment minister Alun Michael MP on the panel. The MOA had been lobbying to prevent stricter planning regulations on mobile phone masts.
===Private health lobbyists buy an audience with health minister===
During the 2014 Conservative Party Conference, the SMF held a late night meeting on the future of the NHS. The event was sponsored by private health company Bupa, health minister George Freeman was scheduled to speak at the invitation-only event. Solomon Hughes Private health lobbyists are funding a meeting with a Tory minister Vice, 27 Sep 2014, accessed 2 October 2014 Another speaker was SMF director Nigel Keohane, who has long argued the idea of charges to see a GP and bemoaned the slow pace of NHS privatisation. Joana Ramiro NHS activists seize Tories' Millbank HQ The People's Daily Morning Star, 30 September 2014, accessed 2 October 2014 
==People== 
===Executives===
*Nigel Keohane, director 2014
*Emran Mian, director 2013 
===Board Members 2015===
Lord Charles Falconer | Daniel Franklin | Baroness Olly Grender | Nicola Horlick | Graham Mather | Sir Brian Pomeroy CBE | Peter Readman | Baroness Gillian Shephard | Mary Ann Sieghart (Chair) | Professor Alison Wolf About Us Social Market Foundation, accessed 9 April 2015 
===Board members 2010===
Mary Ann Sieghart, chairperson (from September)
===Board members 2009===
David Lipsey, Chairman | Viscount Chandos | Gavyn Davies | David Edmonds | Daniel Franklin | Martin Ivens | Graham Mather | Brian Pomeroy
===Policy advisory board 2009===
Lord Adebowale | Wendy Alexander | Nicholas Barr | Liam Byrne | Vincent Cable | Philip Collins | Simon Crine | Don Cruickshank | Lord Dahrendorf | Ed Davey | Evan Davis | Alan Duncan | Daniel Finkelstein | Liam Halligan | Lord Haskins | Nick Herbert | Peter Lampl | Oliver Letwin | Maria Miller | George Osborne | Lord Parekh | Trevor Phillips | Lord Plant | Stephen Sherbourne | Sue Slipman | Lord Stevenson | John Tizard | Lord Turnbull | Stephen Twigg | Andrew Tyrie | David Willetts
===Previous board members===
Ian Mulheirn, Former Director | Natalie Tarry | Simon Griffiths | Jessica Prendergrast | Will Hoyles | Robert Skidelsky, Former Chairman | Rick Nye, Former Director | Daniel Finkelstein, Former Director | Philip Collins, Former Director | Ann Rossiter | Dermot Kehoe | John McFadden | Baroness Noakes
===Previous policy advisory board members===
Victor Adebowale | Wendy Alexander | Tim Allan | Nicholas Barr | Liam Byrne | Vincent Cable | Philip Collins | Ian Cornfield | Don Cruickshank | Matthew d'Ancona | Ralph Dahrendorf | Evan Davis | Ed Davey | Jonathon Freedland | Tony Giddens | David Goodhart | Liam Halligan | Chris Haskins | John Hatherly | Deirdre Hutton | John Jackson | Ruth Kelly | Peter Lampl | Callum Macdonald | George Osborne | Bhikhu Parekh | Mervyn Pedelty | Trevor Philips | Marion Poole | James Purnell | Lord Plant | Ann Rossiter | Stephen Sherbourne | Sue Slipman | Dennis Stevenson | Wendy Thomson | Andrew Turnbull | Adair Turner | Stephen Twigg MP | Andrew Tyrie | David Willetts | Shriti Vadera | Chris Walker
===Patrons===
*Brian Flowers
*Rt Hon Lord Owen CH
*Lord Sainsbury of Turville
*Professor Lord Skidelsky
==Funding==
The SMF is funded by charitable foundations, companies and individual donors.Social Market Foundation, Thinktanks in the news, The Guardian, Accessed 09-June-2009The SMF has a business group that companies like pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline and oil conglomerate Shell pay over £10,000 to join. In a 2005 interview, then director Anne Rossiter contends most of the SMF's money comes from two charitable trusts and that all the research is free from corporate financial influenceNick Mathiason, The marketing of Blairism, The Guardian,31-July-2005, Accessed 09-June-2009.
===Corporate sponsors===
2006-2007
Abbey | Alliance Against IP Theft | Boots plc | British Library | British Nuclear Group | British Waterways | BUPA | BP | Camelot Group | Centrica | Cicero Consulting Ltd | Confederation of British Industry | Deloitte | Department for Education and Skills | Detica | E.On | Edexcel | EDF | Electoral Commission | General Teaching Council | GlaxoSmithKline | Go-Ahead Group | Groundwork | Food Agency Services | Halifax Bank of Scotland | Harrah’s Entertainment Inc | Health and Safety Executive | Hutchison 3G | Institute of Occupational Safety and Health | Investment Management Association | Jefferson Communications | KPMG | Kraft | Lloyds Pharmacy | Marks and Spencer | Merck Sharp Dohme | Microsoft | Mobile Operators Association | Norwich Union | Ntl | Portman Group | Portland PR | PriceWaterhouseCoopers | Provident Financial | Quality Improvement Agency | Rainer | Sanofi Aventis | Sanofi Pasteur | Shell | Standard Life | Standard Life Healthcare | Standard Life Investments | Sutton Trust | Tescos | Ufi / Learn Direct | United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association | West Midland Safari Park | Working Links
2005-2006
acevo | Accenture | Arriva | Audit Commission | Barclays Bank plc | Barrow Cadbury Trust | Blackpool Council | British Nuclear Group Ltd | British Property Federation | The Boots Company plc | BP International Ltd | BUPA | Confederation of British Industry | Centrica plc | Child Poverty Action Group | Crime Concern | Deloitte & Touche | Detica | Diageo | Edge | Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation | Finance and Leasing Association | Getting London Working / Tomorrow’s People | General Teaching Council | Go-Ahead Group plc | Groundwork UK | GlaxoSmithKline | KPMG | Marks & Spencer Shared Services Ltd | Microsoft Ltd | Merck Sharpe Dohme | Mind | Mobile Operators Association | Munro & Forster | ntl | National Youth Agency | OFCOM | Provident Financial | PricewaterhouseCoopers | Sanofi Aventis | School Home Support | Shell International Ltd | Skybet | Standard Life | Sutton Trust | The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust | Tesco | Three | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | Ufl Ltd | UnumProvidentSMF, Annual Report 2005-06, Social Market Foundation, Accessed 09-June-2009.
Previous sponsors
Audit Commission | Barclays Bank | Barrow Cadbury Trust | Blackpool Council | Boots | BP International | British Nuclear Fuels | British Property Federation | BSkyB | BUPA | Camelot Group | CBI | Centrica | Chemical Industries Association | Corporation of London | Edexcel | EDS | Electoral Commission | Energywatch | Finance & Leasing Association | Fujitsu | GlaxoSmithKline | Go-Ahead Group | Joseph Rowntree Foundation | Learning & Skills Development Agency | Marks & Spencer | Mobile Operators Association | National House Building Council | National Youth Agency | Pfizer | Pharmacia Pharamaceutical Services Negotiating | Safeway Stores | John Sainsbury | Shell International | Specialist Schools Trust | Sugar Bureau | Sun Microsystems | Sutton Trust Thames Water Utilities | T-Mobile | UBC Media | Ufi/ Learn Direct | UPS | Vauxhall Motors | Vodafone
==Location and contact details==
The Social Market Foundation is located in at an address which is also used by the Adam Smith Institute to host eventsJanuary Events, Geoffrey Clinton-Brown MP talk, Conservative Blogs, Accessed 09-June-2009. The building is located in close proximity to the Houses of Parliament.
:Contact details
:Address: 11 Tufton St, London, SW1P 3QB
:Telephone: 020 7222 7060
:Fax: 020 7222 0310
:Email: info@smf.co.uk
:Website: www.smf.co.uk
==Resources==
*"Who is sponsoring whom at the Labour Party Conference", Spinwatch, September 9, 2004.
*Guardian profile Social Market Foundation
*New Statesman profile Social Market Foundation
* Nick Mathiason 'The marketing of Blairism', The Observer, 31 July 2005
==Notes==
Category:Neoliberal OrganisationCategory:Think TanksCategory:Stockholm NetworkCategory:Healthcare Industry