Whispered update in an empty room

I have not written this thing in a few months. I'm not ashamed of that - the world of regular bloggers is either populated by solitary diarists, narcissistic wannabe media-commentators ("Today I have chosen to commentate upon . . .") and a very small number of actual academic stars (Tyler Cowen, Brad DeLong, Paul Krugman, the FT writers) whose every thought are actually worth listening to. Otherwise, blogging reveals the truth that it is much harder and more time-consuming arguing with the stupid - just establishing common ground amongst all the outrage and abuse takes a few hundred words.

Anyway. I have spent 12 weeks as the oldest intern at a centre-left think-tank, Social Market Foundation, which time has gone brilliantly for me, (even though much of it was spent sitting at slower computers than this one, on government or newspaper websites - in fact, this forces you to think a bit). It gave me a superb flavour of the world public policy, which will come in very useful in my new life in a slightly higher role at a Liberal think-tank. It also introduced me to some splendid, bright and connected people, and caused me to learn a surprising lot about road pricing, the housing supply question, carbon efficiency, the tendency of the Telegraph to employ utter morons, and other vital public issues.

The impressions would take pages, and hours which I don't have, but I can try to jot some things down before the kids come hammering on my office door:

- I am good for this life. Sorry, me me me, but that was the point of the internship. I can research, write, argue and present as well as I need to - some of the senior researchers clearly thought I could eventually do their job. I loved writing the shorter pieces to a deadline, such as on Road Pricing: a solution postponed, or even the seemingly dull AngloFlexicurity. In the end, the office often commissioned me for 700 word pieces on this or that to a deadline. I liked it. I could see it leading in 4 or 5 obvious directions.

- it is a small world. Everyone seems to know everyone else. There are a small number of intellectual MP's (David Willets the patron saint), approachable ministers (e.g. the Millibands, James Purnell), journalists and outward facing academics who make up the policy-making community, and knowing them is a big part of the game*. For example, Alison Wolf attended the OfB conference, spoke very convincingly on education: then I noticed she had been doing stuff for the SMF as well, and everyone in fact

- Advantages of incumbency part 1. Think tanks are hugely outgunned by government, and this is a serious political fact. The few hundred who labour on tiny salaries in thinktankworld are massively outnumbered by the civil servants in just one department. Both sides produce large volumes of paper, but only one of them seemed to me to be subject to real pressures, in terms of needing to make what people want. I read a few Government reports that might have taken hundreds of man-days to produce, were full of pro-Government spin, and could quite happily not have existed.

- Advantages of incumbency part 2. Connections matter, and those to the government above all - in thinktankworld, having a Minister come and speak guarantees attendance, makes sponsorship more likely, makes journalistic coverage happen, and the virtuous circle continues. Opposition can have this effect too, particularly if seen as possible Government. Being the third party again stinks - doesn't matter how bright Danny Alexander is, he won't draw the crowds.

- . . . Disadvantages of incumbency but of course Governments have to do something, and can then be blamed for it (see Northern Rock), whereas Oppositions can just do the blaming without suggesting anything useful for 6 months (see Northern Rock). So things even out - but in an odd way, with Governments encouraged to publish endlessly and behave frenetically (am thinking of how many <£30m initiatives this government has published as a research topic) and Oppositions just encouraged to be vague and negative.

There could be loads more. But I would rather save thoughts for my new role, than send them spilling into the blogosphere with all the other vitriolic, shrill chit-chat. The Internet is a wonderful thing, sure, but I like the barriers to entry that delineate areas of real quality, particularly having crossed a couple. Don't expect much here. It would be a bad sign if there was! Though I might use it to keep track of interesting articles.

*it was also obvious from the Options for Britain II conference where everyone seemed to know everyone else.