Maya Forstater

Making proposals, commenting on proposals etc is same activity whoever does it. As a society we are better off if able to judge and test solutions without trying to weighing the souls of those involved or decide a solution must be right because it's advocated by the 'right' team.

And another issue is whether activities in support of social change/justice are assessed differently from activities of businesses, non profit making bodies, etc. If so, what are the differences, eg whether and when is it acceptable to personalise?

I think the key is for all those commenting to be clear on their own position, and (if relevant) funding. Then those reviewing the comments can take that into account. But also TIIN process could be improved - numbers often opaque, and rarely reviewed with hindsight.

Most responsible NGOs do. Do you also agree thought that lawyers that are active in policy debates should disclose their clients? I see little difference (other than the fact that lawyers charge more than lobbyists)

There are issues of confidentiality; I would expect a lawyer or accountant to disclose their position (eg “we act for a number of clients in X industry and our view is). 1/?

But I also think it’s valid for a professional to say “ our experience is that this will impose compliance burdens & we think the TIIN does not reflect these” 2/n

And professionals are also free to express personal views (and should make it clear if they are doing so) 3/n

I don’t think there is significant disagreement here - what concerns me (and I suspect others) is the organisations which lobby without disclosing they are doing so, or their funding. 4/4.