Transformations: A Festival of Ideas Past, Present and Future

The way politics can effect change is being transformed

A day of amazing speakers presenting their ideas on how the past, present and future of how politics effects change.

TRANSFORMATIONS : A Festival of Ideas Past, Present and Future

Our event on Saturday 22 November in Lewes combines history, voter analysis and ideology in three very different contexts for an unmissable day of ideas.

PAST

1945 and after: how the peace was won and a post-war consensus established

The day opens with a keynote talk by Jon Cruddas author of A Century of Labour, his study of Labour in government between 1924 and 2024. Jon is a former Labour MP, served as deputy political secretary to Tony Blair and was one of the key organisers of the Hope Not Hate campaign that defeated the BNP in Barking in 2010. Jon will provide an historical account and practical insight into how Labour established a post-war consensus that lasted until Thatcherism overthrew it in 1979.

PRESENT

The end of the two-party system as we knew it?

04.07.2024 marked an unprecedented fracturing of the previously almost impregnable Labour versus Conservative two-party system. Huge gains were made by the Liberal Democrats, there were breakthroughs by Reform UK and the Green party, independent candidates led by Jeremy Corbyn won seats off Labour and the SNP revival in Scotland continued. The result was a Labour 'landslide' in terms of seats won, but a Labour government elected on just 33.7% of the vote.

With Reform UK currently leading the polls, the rapid growth of support for the Green party after Zack Polanski's election as leader, plus the launch of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's party, is the two-party system finished? Tim Bale, one of the country's leading academic experts on voting patterns and co-author of new book The British General Election of 2024 will present an exclusive insight into the findings from his book. Jess Garland, director of research and policy at the Electoral Reform Society joins Tim to examine the implications of a three-, four-, five- or six-party system for elections designed for just two.

FUTURE

How to square a circle that is pragmatic, radical and social-democratic

The Labour party of Clement Attlee that 'won the peace' and Harold Wilson of the 'white heat of a scientific revolution' was superseded by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's 'New Labour'. Keir Starmer who has publicly declared "there is no such thing as Starmerism and there never will be" has in turn replaced 'new' with the practicalities of a 'mission-driven' government.

For a very special conversation, we have brought together Rafael Behr, columnist on the Guardian and author of Politics A Survivor's Guide: How To Stay Engaged Without Getting Enraged with Stella Creasy MP, a unique voice on the Labour benches, combining her feminism with being chair of the Labour Movement for Europe, and 1990s indie music as foundational political influences. Together with Rafael and Stella, we invite you to sit tight for a stimulating intellectual journey towards politics as the art of the possible.

TRANSFORMATIONS

What are the prospects for a politics that can effect change

We conclude with a roundtable discussion of diverse views and experiences. Andrew Fisher was the director of policy for the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn between 2015 and 2019; Bella Sankey is Labour leader Brighton & Hove City Council; John McTernan who served as Tony Blair's director of political operations, special adviser to two ministers in Gordon Brown's cabinet and was director of communications for Australian Labor prime minister Julia Gillard; and Lise Butler, co-editor Renewal: A Journal of Social Democracy. Chaired by Mark Perryman author of The Starmer Symptom.

PLUS

Our Lewes Labour pop-up bookshop, Ideas Market, Keir Hardie Café for lunch, tea, coffee cake (and more cake) followed by afters at the Lewes

SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER

10am to 5.30pm.All welcome, our only entry qualification an open mind

TICKETS

£12 solidarity rate. Standard rate tickets are now sold out. .The solidarity rate enables us to offer low-price standard rate tickets.Thanks

PRESENTED BY

Lewes Constituency Labour Party in association with ASLEF the train drivers' union.