Common Knowledge 2026

We live in difficult times;there is a daily struggle to get by for many people, deteriorating health (especially mental),and hyper-exploitative working conditions. We are also facing worsening climate change, ecological destruction and habitat loss, simultaneous serious conflicts around the world, plus a situation that feels like we are hurtling towards a potentially catastrophic global war.

We see an insurgent right-wing here in the UK and across Europe and the US, both on the streets and at the ballot box. They have been extremely successful in harnessing the anger many people rightly feel about the way things are.

The radical left used to be able to harness this anger, but something has been lost. Part of what has been lost is our ability to discuss, analyse, and learn. Some bits of the movement have turned their back on ‘experts’, some have fetishised simple sloganeering answers, and some have given up on trying to make sense of anything.

We think we need to re-build both the organisational, educational, and analytical abilities of the left alongside our ability to communicate our ideas clearly to other people. We want this day of political education to be a part of reclaiming this historial ability to educate ourselves; to listen, to think, and to discuss with each other as equals and as part of the struggle for a better world.

Scroll down for a description of the talks (work in progress)