Progressive London conference – who’s coming?
Former mayor Ken Livingstone’s re-election strategy concerted attempt to hold Boris accountable kicks off this Saturday with the Progressive London conference. I’m not in favour of him standing again for Mayor but want to see what it will be all about.
Of this parish, Adam Bienkov of ToryTroll and Jess McCabe of F Word will be speaking, as will be our comrades from BorisWatch (represented by Tom), Noel Hatch of Compass Youth and Sam Tarry from Hope Not Hate. Anyone else going?
The fully unveiled agenda is below…
10am-11.30am sessions
Progressive policies for a progressive London
Tessa Jowell MP, Minister for the Olympics; Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, General Secretary MCB; Christine Blower, Interim General Secretary NUT; Jenny Jones AM, Green Party; Mike Tuffrey AM, London Assembly Liberal Democrat Leader; Richard Ascough, Regional Secretary Southern Region GMB. Chair: Murziline Parchment, Former GLA Director Major Projects and Service Delivery.
What we should learn from the election of Barack Obama
Sir Robert Worcester, Founder of IPSOS Mori; Dawn Butler MP; Seth Reznik, Blue State Digital. Chair: Joy Johnson.
Investing in public services for a progressive city
Karen Buck MP; Linda Perks, Regional Secretary Greater London UNISON; Mick Shaw, President Fire Brigades Union; Cllr Steve Cowan, Labour Group Leader, LB Hammersmith and Fulham. Chair: Claude Moraes MEP
Lessons of London Elections
Steve Hart, Regional Secretary, Unite; Julia Clarke, IPSOS MORI; Redmond O’Neill, former GLA Director of Transport and Public Affairs. Chair: Simon Fletcher, former Chief of Staff to Ken Livingstone
11.45am-1.15pm Sessions
Question time: “Forward March of Cameron halted?”
Billy Hayes, General Secretary, Communication Workers Union; Dawn Butler MP; Chris McLaughlin, Tribune Editor; Neal Lawson, Chair, Compass. Chair: Kevin Maguire, associate editor Daily Mirror
Emergency discussion on Gaza and Justice in the Middle East
Tony Benn; Jeremy Corbyn MP; Kate Hudson, Chair, CND; Cllr Salma Yaqoob, Respect; Anas Altikriti. Chair: John Haylett, political editor Morning Star
Respect in the city – Civil Iiberties and justice
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC; Lembit Opik MP; Deborah Littman, London Citizens; Cllr Pav Akhtar. Chair: Bruce Kent, Vice President, CND
Transport for a progressive London
Val Shawcross AM, London Assembly Labour Transport Spokesperson; Christian Wolmar; Steve Hart, Regional Secretary, Unite; John Murphy, Unite; ASLEF speaker to be announced. Chair: Redmond O’Neill, Former GLA Director of Transport and Public Affairs
The global economic crisis
Seumas Milne, Guardian columnist; John Ross, Former GLA Director of Economic and Business Policy; Graham Turner, author “The Credit Crunch”. Chair: Jude Woodward, former GLA Adviser on Culture and Creative Industries
Young London for a progressive future
Discussion hosted by Compass Youth
David Lammy MP; Nii Sackey, Director, Bigga Fish; Bell Ribeiro-Addy, NUS Black Students’ Officer. Chair: Sam Tarry, Compass Youth
Making democracy work for London
Len Duvall AM, London Assembly, Labour Group Leader; Mike Tuffrey AM, London Assembly, Liberal Democrat Leader; Cllr Romayne Phoenix, Green Party, LB Lewisham; Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Opposition Leader, Westminster City Council. Chair: Murziline Parchment, former GLA Director Major Projects and Service Delivery
2pm-3:15pm – The Age of Change
Ken Livingstone; Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP; Professor Eric Hobsbawm; Bonnie Greer, writer and broadcaster. Chair: Jon Cruddas MP
3:30-4:45pm Sessions
The emerging world of the 21st Century
Ken Livingstone; George Galloway MP; Samuel Moncada, Venezuelan Ambassador; Jean Lambert MEP; Professor Doreen Massey. Chair: Kate Hudson, Chair, CND
Homes – cracking the crisis
Jon Cruddas MP; Adam Sampson, Chief Executive of Shelter; Cllr Navin Shah AM; Martin Gould, President of SERTUC. Chair: Anthony Mayer, Chair, Tenants’ Services Authority
Green cities
Nicky Gavron AM, Labour; Darren Johnson AM, Green Party; Tony Juniper; Charles Secrett; Bairbre De Brun MEP (member European Parliament Environment and Climate Change Cttee). Chair: Mark Watts, Former GLA Adviser on Climate Change
7 million Londoners, 1 London – Multicultural City
Roundtable on diverse London with: Darbinderjit Singh, Sikh Federation; Inayat Bunglawala, Adviser on research and policy, ENGAGE; Edie Friedman, Founder and Chief Executive of Jewish Council on Racial Equality; Ibrahim Dogus, Halkevi Chief Executive; Daf Adley, NUS LGBT Officer; Jon Myles, Editor, Irish Post; Lester Holloway, Editor New Nation; Sabby Dhalu, Secretary, Unite Against Fascism; Chair: Wilf Sullivan, TUC race equality policy officer
Blogging London – the new media and London politics
Martin Hoscik, editor MayorWatch website; Adam Bienkov, ToryTroll blog; Tom Barry, Boriswatch.co.uk. Chair: Prof Ivor Gaber
Culture in the city
Bonnie Greer, writer and broadcaster; Alex Needham, Editor Guardian Culture Online; Jude Woodward, former adviser on Culture and Creative Industries to Ken Livingstone
Women in London
Finn Mackay, Founder of the London Feminist Network; Jess McCabe, Editor the F-Word; Anne Kane, Chair of Abortion Rights; Bell Ribeiro-Addy, NUS Black Students’ Officer. Chair: Anni Marjoram, former Mayor’s adviser on women
4:45pm-5:15pm – The Way Forward
Ken Livingstone; Jon Cruddas MP; Jenny Jones AM; Susan Kramer MP, Liberal Democrats. Chair: Chuka Umunna
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Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments
I’m afraid I’m skiing this weekend, but would have gone.
It’s sounds a real hoot.
Milne, Bungle, Hobsbawm, Galloway…enjoy!
“Emergency discussion on Gaza and Justice in the Middle East”
I bet that will be well balanced.
tssk Sunny … I don’t think you should mix up too much your views on whether Ken should be Labour candidate in 2012 with the potential value of this, even if there may be some link. So its a good thing to flag it up as you have.
This seems to me v.constructive and A Good Thing. They have obviously worked hard to get, and be seen to get, a broad range of progressive voices – a reasonable smattering of Labour left, New Labour, Greens, LibDems, some left of Labour people (and a few proper trots to add to the mix). If there is engagement from lots of perspectives about what ‘progressive london’ could or should mean, then it has potential to be one good plural space to discuss challenging the right, trying to build broader coalitions. And of course openly discussing the tensions that involves.
We all say we are for constructing broad and effective coalitions (much of our conference last Saturday was trying to be about this too) – but we all know that we can often mean as long as they are broadly on our own terms. We probably all need to do much more to dig into the very real difficulties of that.
And if more people can create other such spaces – LC itself is one, but we need real world and one line discussion in a sustained way – then that’s great. Let a thousand flowers bloom and all of that.
“I bet that will be well balanced”
Whaddaya want? The anti-killing kids lobby given equal time with the Woo! Killing kids rocks! lobby?
What precisely might this discussion achieve anyway?
What does it have to do with the governance of London?
But it’s fine by me…the more lunatics the better…as I said, I only wish I could be there!
Its sad that the roots of socialism in London centred on the struggle of the working-classes and now the socialists of 2009 exclude the white working-classes from their vision of ‘One London’.
What a gathering of wankers!
er Chavscum whatcha talking abawt?
Who would you say represent the “White Working Class”
Racist public Schoolboy Nick Griffin?
That is the crux of the problem, Bundist.
I don’t think you should mix up too much your views on whether Ken should be Labour candidate in 2012 with the potential value of this
Mmm… well, I’m trying my best not to. But I did think it was worth pointing out… Let’s see how Progressive London develops.
I should be there for the bloggers bit but I’m not sure about the rest. One can’t press “exit” in the middle of a speech.
“Its sad that the roots of socialism in London centred on the struggle of the working-classes and now the socialists of 2009 exclude the white working-classes from their vision of ‘One London’.”
Oooh, yeah, you should add that to the post, Sunny: white working-class people are barred, no exceptions.
I was going to attend, in part to catch up with some people, but then realised I’ve seen most if not all those speakers at some point over the years and can’t really think they’ll be saying anything new.
I’d love for this to become a fully functioning, locally relevant, vibrant progressive movement for London but not convinced at this point it will.
I’m also unclear what the outcomes will be…
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