This Fabian Freethinking paper argues that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is on the verge of becoming irresolvable but that President Obama’s first term offers a final opportunity to settle it.

Attempts to revive sham negotiations between the reluctant parties or to build trust between an occupying authority and an occupied people are a waste of effort.

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The Third Sector forms a crucial part of Labour's mission to build a fairer society. In this Fabian Freethinking paper, David Blunkett argues that the voluntary, community and not for profit sector have an increasingly important role in supporting people in an uncertain world, and supporting government in enabling people to help themselves.

Mutual Action, Common Purpose (173kb PDF)

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How can British politicians latch on to this year's American election euphoria? In a new Fabian Freethinking paper - based on ground war campaigning experience from the battleground states - Will Straw and Nick Anstead argue that a mix of technology and trust hold the key to reinvigorating Labour as a progressive movement.

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Now is the time for Gordon Brown to restate Labour's commitment to a social Europe argues former Blair adviser, Roger Liddle. If the EU is to be economically successful, politically sustainable and gain the legitimacy to be effective in the wider world, there must be a renewed focus on Europe's social mission. Liddle argues that European member states face common social challenges that demand an effective response from the EU. But facing rising tides of Left and Right populism across Europe, it is unable to meet the challenge of shaping globalisation with social justice. Political leaders across Europe must lend their support to a new social europe.

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On the day the General Election would have been held, this Fabian Freethinking Paper argues that Gordon Brown must define his vision if he is to win another term in office.

"The Prime Minister can powerfully rebut the charge that his government has no clear idea about what it wishes to do with power. To do that, he must paint a clearer public picture of the Britain which his government strives to create by 'going public' with his vision of a fairer and more equal society" says Sunder Katwala, Fabian General Secretary, in The Vision Thing.

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A new national day for Britain is one of the proposals in a Fabian pamphlet by Communities and Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne. A Common Place argues that our liberalism and tolerance have never been unconditional and also suggests that migrants work towards earning citizenship with credits awarded for voluntary work and deducted for law breaking.

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Liam Byrne MP draws on Labour Party's detailed analysis of Britain's most complex British post-war election and warns party not to exaggerate the LibDem threat in this new Fabian freethinking paper.

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Senior statesmen and civil society leaders across the Middle East have acclaimed a new publication on how peace in the region is within the grasp of the current leaders. The essay How Peace Broke Out in the Middle East sets out the steps to peace based on the current positions of regional leaders. Former Israeli foreign minister Professor Shlomo Ben-Ami responded by saying: "The conditions are ripe - what is lacking is the political will and leadership." While former Palestinian negotiator Dr Ahmad Samih Khalidi called it "a tantalizing vision".

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A new independent body should oversee a government promise to keep future pensions at an adequate level, argues John Denham MP. The paper builds from the argument of his earlier pamphlet on the politics of pension reform (Friday 17th March 2006).

Government should set a target that the future value of state pensions will be around a third of average earnings and create a new independent body to oversee this promise, argues former Pensions Minister and Fabian Executive member John Denham MP this freethinking paper.

This freethinking paper argues that the Labour Party must work out what comes after New Labour. A vigorous questioning, of the nature undertaken by Gaitskell and the leading social democratic revisionists half a century ago offers vital lessons for Labour's renewal today. Equality, Patrick Diamond writes, must be at heart of Labour's agenda. Yet a clearer vision of more equal society is needed to inspire voters.

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Paul Hilder asks whether and how the EU can recover from the post-traumatic shock of the collapse of the draft Constitutional Treaty. A democracy package would signal that the EU and its leaders are prepared to listen, learn from and engage with its peoples.

The division between the Labour Government and the Labour Party over stock transfer is undermining the interests of tenants and preventing many of our worst estates from being improved. A policy of universal stock transfer, rather than disenfranchising tenants, could give them real control over the management of their homes and restore a degree of democratic accountability that no longer applies to local authorities.