I've been emailed by two enterprising interns in Westminster who have set up something called www.internsnetwork.org.uk, which they describe as

a new organisation working to make internships in the Westminster Village more transparent, fair and fun. There are about 3000 people at any one time working for free in think tanks, parliament, and the political media
- we want to address some of the ethical issues around this standard practice which makes life very difficult for talented graduates from poorer backgrounds.

I'm happy to link to the site, and to flag up the organisation, because they touch upon something which, while affecting a tiny number of people, matters to me. I spent a decade working in Westminster, first in the Commons and then in think tanks. Even now barely a week goes by without someone asking me if I know of 'someone good' who I can recommend for a job of some kind in think tanks.

In my last think tank (last full time, I should say - I am affiliated now to three) we had a 'try before you buy' policy for hiring staff: if an intern was good, and we had a vacancy, we gave them a job or called them back, somethimes a year or two later, with an offer.

It worked: chemistry is critical in a small organisation such a think tank, and if you know already that you get on, that's half the battle. So anything which helps interns find their way around a community which can be very intimiating must, in my book, be a good thing.

UPDATE: Peter Briffa has his own take...