We are past the point at which reformism can get us out of the existential mess we have created. Power and wealth are being hoovered up by the rich. Wars are concocted to divide and dispose of the poor. Technology now serves to dis-inform and divide at least as much as it helps to inform and heal. And an obsession with outdated, consumption-based economics drives the planet to race past the ecological boundaries that made human life possible.
To survive today’s climate roller-coaster we will have to construct a different approach to economics and democracy – both local, national and international – if we wish open and inclusive societies to survive. That is what the following three talks will explore.
All talks will be given by Alan Simpson, former MP for Nottingham South.
1. Welcome to servitude: the slide from democracy into (corporate) feudalism.
Wednesday 12 February, 2 to 4 p.m.
Clive Granger A40, University Park
2. Climate: the big disrupter or a lifeline for democracy?
Wednesday 26 February, 2 to 4 p.m.
Clive Granger A39, University Park
3. Rebuilding from the base: the ‘me’ and the ‘we’ of democratic renewal.
Wednesday 19 March, 2 to 4 p.m.
Clive Granger A39, University Park
The series is hosted by UCU UoN in co-operation with the Students Union.