I met Stephen Sedley a number of times when I was on the quaintly named "Theory and Ideology" committee of the old CPGB in the 70s/80s. A pleasant and very sharp individual, who has remained very much a progressive in spite of having been (or being?) a judge (he writes regularly for the "London Review of Books"). Various other interesting individuals were either members of, or visitors to, the same committee: Buzz Goodbody, Martin Jacques, Jeff Sawtell (visitor not member I think), James Klugmann. Pretty much euro in orientation ("ideology" was I think considered Gramscian and reformist by Straight Left and co), but there were exceptions (struggling to remember more names).