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Comment by SideburnsOfDoom | Hacker News Reader

> We are an independent policy institute

https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us

Sure you are. Who funds you?

google maps tells me that this organisation is on St James's Square, not Tufton Street, but how much distance is that, really?

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> Sure you are. Who funds you?

wow, what a tone. it’s world renown leading think tank dating from 1920 with funding from across the free world:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_House

they’re extremely open about funding:

https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-funding/donors-cha...

My apologies. That kind of organisation has got a very poor reputation, for funding reasons. I did not know much about this one, and it appears that the assumption was not accurate in this case.

It's entirely reasonable: whenever you see "think tank", you should think "propaganda sockpuppet", and ask yourself whether they're likely to be on your side or not based on who they're funded by.

Chatham House are on the respectable end of the spectrum.

It's reasonable to question. It's less reasonable to find their About page and post vague FUD about where they're physically located while ignoring the easily-accessible disclosure of funding sources.

> whenever you see "think tank", you should think "propaganda sockpuppet"

this is a myopic view.

It's realistic.

They list their donors fairly clearly linked from the same page you posted, https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-funding/donors-cha...

Did you find something nefarious?

They seem to be somewhat open [0] and there is a decent wikipedia article [1]

[0]: https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-funding/donors-cha...

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_House

For anyone else confused, 55 Tufton St. is home to a number of right-wing think tanks advocating for euroscepticism and for Brexit, and against climate change mitigation policies and against immigration.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/55_Tufton_Street

Thanks

55 Tufton St. is home to a number of opaquely-funded right-wing lobby groups, hiding behind a thin pretence of being "think tanks" and "policy institutes".

Fortunately, on closer inspection, Chatham House does not appear to be of that ilk.

This comment is confusing. They’re often cited as being left wing, but are objectively one of the most independent / non-aligned think tanks in the UK[1]. Hardly comparable to any of the 9 overtly right-wing think tanks associated with 55 Turton Street.

[1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1461670X.2017.13...

My apologies. That kind of organisation has got a very poor reputation, for funding reasons. I assumed that "overtly right-wing think tanks" In reality opaquely-funded right-wing lobby groups, was the only kind left.

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