Campaigning group Compass is organising a one-day national conference on Saturday 31 May to examine a radical version of Labour’s general election promise to kickstart “a decade of national renewal”.
Billed as an imaginative and hopeful day of political ideas and debate, the event will look at what radical renewal could look like in practice and how such a “transformative, progressive and realisable vision” can “set us on a path to a good society”.
“With right-wing populism on the march at home and abroad, and voters impatient for change, developing an answer to this question becomes more urgent every day,” said Compass director Neal Lawson. “The stakes could not be higher.
“Last July, Labour promised us a decade of national renewal. We’re seven months in and some good progress has been made on workers’ rights, GB Energy, and returning the railways to public ownership.
“Yet recent announcements on social security have rightly caused alarm, and news about Rosebank and a new runway at Heathrow suggests that Labour’s climate plans are at risk of being deprioritised in pursuit of a dubious economic growth pipe dream.
“We need to strengthen our sense of where we’re going and how we should get there,” he added.
The conference promises “something for everyone”, including workshops, panels and cultural events. Headline speakers include Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Energy Consumers Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, former Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford and Sheffield Healey MP Louise Haigh, while economist James Meadway and Guardian columnists Polly Toynbee and Zoe Williams are among the other invited names.
Change: How? A Decade of Radical Renewal will be held from 10am to 5pm at the Ministry of Sound in Elephant & Castle, south London.
Standard tickets are £30 (£10 concessions), while while ‘solidarity’ and ‘super solidarity’ tickets are £60 and £100 respectively.
Until 12 April, all standard, solidarity and super solidarity tickets come with a six-month membership of Compass providing access to live podcasts, book discounts and a members-only discussion channel.
Further details and booking is here.
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