Pressure group Compass is calling for a ‘new settlement’ to meet society’s multitude of modern crises big enough in scale and ambition to match that of Labour’s transforming post-war government.
Compass director Neal Lawson will address an in-person meeting in north London on Wednesday 29 March when he aims to unveil “an equally ambitious new narrative in the context of our time”.
“In 1945, a broad society-wide coalition came together to put in place a new settlement that would endure for 30 years,” he says.
We need a New Settlement for our own times, he adds, “a fresh set of economic, environmental and democratic ideas fit for the 21st century capable of tackling the big challenges we face.
“We live in a moment of profound challenge, opportunity and danger. The intertwined challenges of climate collapse and economic upheaval present major obstacles, but they also provide an opportunity for a transition to a more equal and sustainable world – or risk a slide into authoritarian populism if the former fails.
“There is a desperate and urgent need – and demand – for a clearer vision of a better society, one that will lead us through the multitude of crises we are facing today.”
The New Settlement, he says, “is not just about running the UK government and economy, trying to fix these deepening crises within the limits of a five year election cycle.
“It is a long-term, multi-decade process. It is a reparative, forward-thinking and stabilising project that truly gives this country the time it desperately needs.
“This is going to require new forms of collaboration, ambition, negotiation and ideas. I’ve got a plan, and I want to share it with you.”
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