Update for Monday 17th September 2018

An evening of talks and discussions which brings together local creatives together to address how Beautiful world, where are you? engages, supports and represents women. Local creatives Grrrl Power Liverpool, stand-up comedian Sian Davies and actress Gillian Hardie will discuss their practices and what it is to be a creative woman in 2018.

Registration required.

To commemorate the centenary of the passing of The Representations of The Peoples Act 1918, our annual public lecture series this year celebrates women from the north west of the U.K whose work impacted on the lives of generations in the 19th and 20th centuries.

With Dr Michael Lambert, University of Liverpool

The struggle for women’s rights was one of many pressing issues which faced late Victorian and Edwardian Liverpool from 1890 to 1920. Political clashes between Protestants and Catholics were increasingly redirected to the police and the city’s mercantile elite, culminating in a general strike in 1911. Economic changes were dramatically altering the face of Liverpool’s waterfront, and affected the lives of dockers and those dependent upon shipping for a living. Social change was also afoot with the increasing involvement of women in public life, and the rise of labour organisation. Drunkenness, slum housing, prostitution and crime meant Liverpool obtained a reputation as the ‘Black spot on the Mersey’. This lecture offers an overview of work, life and leisure in Liverpool during the time of Suffrage.

Registration required.

In a port city that has always adapted and thrived from change throughout the ages Liverpool is in a unique and unusual situation in the 21st century. How much can preservation of the wonderful groundwork structure of the area still encourage growth and what features can we add to instead of replacing? How much has the mindset changed over the years and what influences can we gain from various similar example sites around the country?

Dave Chetwyn will give a presentation to Merseyside Civic Society guests to ask questions around the development of Liverpool and pose two viewpoints and perspectives to the debate.

Ticket required.

Ignite showcases Liverpool's movers and shakers, creators, thinkers, tinkers, innovators and doers, makers and dreamers in a fast paced format designed to inspire.

Ignite has hosted hundreds of inspring talks in front of thousands of people, given by people just like you.

Do you want to be inspired? Do you need to get your creative juices flowing? Then Ignite Liverpool is just for you.

Registration required.

A truck load of plastic every minute ends up in our oceans; 85% of all ocean litter. And as Blue Planet powerfully showed the nation, plastic is not only destroying our environment its polluting the food chain. But, change is happening. The EU has announced plans for a ban on single use plastics within two years. Business and charities have started to commit to phase out single use plastics. But, we need rapid action at all levels and a comprehensive plan covering all plastic waste, not just single use packaging, but tyre dust, nurdles and microfibers.

What should we be doing to lead the way? How can we stop the Government dragging its feet, as it did on a plastic bag tax? How can we build an ambitious Labour response? And can we ban single use plastic at Labour conference?

Registration required.

If you had £20 billion to spend on the NHS where would you spend it?

Join the Fabian Society and Unions 21 to explore the role of collective voice in tackling the challenges facing the health sector. From pay deals to patient care, what is the role of the representative, local agreements and national deals in creating an NHS ready for another 70 years?

Registration required.

Most would agree that a Labour government would seek to maintain and enhance peace throughout the world. But for this to happen, Labour needs to think carefully about how we can best develop the peacekeeping role of the United Nations and the effectiveness of NATO. With Britain leaving the EU and America wanting Europe to contribute more to its own defence, there is a need for us to consider what military co-operation a future Labour Government would have with other European countries.

Registration required

Join a group of parliamentarians, activists and researchers as they debate the key issues affecting disabled people. The event will be thought-provoking and will include a discussion involving the entire audience. It will be an informal, relaxed environment with opportunities to network and meet like-minded people.

Confirmed speakers:

Dr Paul Darke (Director, Outside Centre)
Julie Ward MEP (North West Labour Party Member of European Parliament)
Ruth Gould (Artistic Director, DaDaFest)
Janet Price (Researcher and Activist)
Simon McKeown (Artist)
Miro Griffiths (Researcher and Activist)
Pam Thomas (Liverpool Councillor)

How can we address the marginalisation of disabled people? What action is required to challenge the hostile government policies that sustains discriminatory practices encountered by disabled people and their families? What ideas do you have to create a fair, socially just and safe society?

Registration required.

SERA - Labour's Environment Campaign in partnership with VRM Tech and UK100

Urgent action is needed across business and from all levels of government to clean up toxic air and decarbonise our energy. The opportunity and benefits of moving to clean energy can help us tackle the dangers of polluted air that contributes to thousands of premature deaths, and a health issue particularly for some of the country’s poorest areas.

Labour leadership and action is seen from London to Liverpool. In this year’s local elections, Labour manifestos had bold pledges on air quality and renewables, Labour cities are putting in place policies and practical solutions to tackle air pollution and decarbonise energy, despite the Government failing to give funding or powers that council’s need.

The Government is failing to act, and has been taken to court for not meeting air pollution targets and Ministers have overseen a slump in investment in clean energy. It is time for change, for action and for the UK to benefit from the clean energy revolution.

Registration required.

This year's Open Labour event at Conference will be about promoting an inclusive Open Left which enables and facilitates diversity

Facilitator: Laura Pascal (Co-Secretary, Open Labour)

Introduction: Rosie Duffield MP (Canterbury MP and Member of Women and Equalities Select Committee)

Panel:
Steve Lapsley (Open Labour National Committee / Jewish Labour Movement)
Jonathan Fletcher, (Chair Project 125 and NEC candidate 2018)
Dr Heather Peto (Trans Officer LGBT+ Labour and NEC candidate 2018)
Cllr Peray Ahmet (Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, Haringey Council)

Open Labour submission to the Labour Party democracy review centred on the need to create a culture of an Open Left within the Labour Party, one that removes societal barriers to participate in the Party. This year's conference fringe takes on the issue of what sort of culture we want as a party and how we can achieve it.

Ticket required.

The aim to change society and to further strengthen democracy, equality and freedom for as many citizens as possible, is a common denominator of progressives throughout Europe. Progressive parties in government and in opposition seek to implement these basic values by means of their manifestos, campaigns and grassroots work.

The challenges they face seem to be ever more similar across borders: inequality in Western societies is growing rapidly, the imbalance between capital and labour threatens the traditional systems of social security and migration and the failure of integration has reawakened the politics of identity and nationalism in Europe.

This session will consider what can social democrats do to cope with these challenges across Europe.

Registration required.

The construction and property industries are of vital strategic importance to the UK economy: they are pillars of growth. Construction faces severe skills shortages that are hampering productivity and holding the industry, and by extension the country, back.

The Government seems certain that offsite construction will reduce our need for skilled workers now and post-Brexit. However, given the demand for domestic refurbishment work, and the UK’s high proportion of heritage buildings, others maintain that we will always require a high number of skilled construction workers.

This panel will ask how we can maximise the potential of offsite construction to make the construction industry more productive while also being realistic about its potential? How can we ensure we have enough people, of the right calibre but not of a homogenous culture and background entering our industry? What are the opportunities and challenges around the T Levels initiative? Why are construction apprenticeship starts falling and how can we encourage more employers to engage in apprenticeship training? Can the Apprenticeship Levy be reformed to ensure it works for industry, including small businesses in the supply chain?

Registration required.

Unlock Democracy's fringe event at this year's Labour Party autumn conference will look at 'Radical solutions to fix broken Britain'.

While Westminster's attention has been fixated on Brexit since the fateful vote to leave the European Union in June 2016, the UK is facing challenges that aren’t going to go away with wishful thinking.

As a country we’ve yet to take a step and ask what we want both for society now and for future generations to come. Systemic challenges need to be met with radical solutions, and we need to tackle head first the big problems facing our society with big solutions.

Panellists will pitch the one big idea they think would bring systemic change to the UK. This will be followed by a Q&A, where audience members will have the opportunity to share the big ideas they think could reshape Britain for the better.

Registration required.

The Brexit Civil Society Alliance would like to invite you to its Labour Party conference fringe event which will bring together leading experts from across the UK to explore the implications that leaving the EU will have on hard-won devolution settlements.

One of the (many) unintended consequences of the referendum result has been the challenges forced on the devolved nations and regions as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

From the many and vexed questions around the future of the border in Northern Ireland and the potential strains placed on the Good Friday Agreement to the refusal of the Scottish Parliament to grant consent to EU Withdrawal Act, it is evident that there are significant constitutional rifts in the UK. Our expert panel will discuss these issues in greater details, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Registration required.

What we eat and how we produce it is firmly in the spotlight. Can we have food that is healthy, sustainable, affordable and leads the world? Can we improve diets and address health-related conditions costing the NHS billions? Can we ensure farming and food production is sustainable and we don’t open the floodgates to lower food standards as some Conservative Ministers advocate? How can Labour’s champion sustainable and healthy food?

Our food doesn’t have to cost the Earth or our health. We can have both. The panel discussion will examine changing diets, the impact our food has on our environment and our health, and the policies that will contribute to sustainable food.

Registration required.

In the UK today, primary care providers are under significant strain from rising demand, reduced investment, and a lack of capacity for planning proactive, integrated care. Many providers are already operating at the limit of their resources, leaving the future of primary care uncertain. The profiles and needs of communities are changing, demand for healthcare is rising, but local provision is struggling - even though the Health and Social Care Act 2012 was meant to provide a blueprint for a decentralised, community-focused health service.

Labour have committed to increasing GP funding and halting cuts to community pharmacies; but with demographic changes meaning that demand will continue to rise, bold new ideas for the future of primary care are needed. Innovative measures will be necessary to address the pressures facing primary care, and health services more broadly, to ensure the needs and priorities of patients and communities are met.

Registration required

In 2016, a House of Lords economic affairs committee recommended the building of 300,000 homes a year – the minimum annual amount required to meet demand in England and stem the inordinate surge in house prices. Using traditional building methods, accomplishing this task would be no mean feat. In the post-Brexit era, assuming freedom of movement is significantly curtailed, the construction industry may struggle to attract workers with the necessary skills to increase the rate of building to the levels required. And in addition, productivity growth in the building sector has flat-lined for decades while growing in other sectors and across the economy as a whole. Fulfilling Britain’s housing needs therefore requires urgent action and a radical approach that looks at new ways to work towards the 300,000 homes a year target.

Join to discuss how innovation and the use of new technologies can help solve Britain's housing crisis.

Registration required.

The final terms of the Brexit negotiations are still unclear, leaving businesses uncertain about their future ability to recruit the global talent and workers they need to succeed. Policy makers are caught between the need to respond to voters’ concerns about immigration, whilst also ensuring the country has access to people and skills that the economy relies upon.

Big cuts to adult skills budgets since 2010 have meant that UK workers are falling behind their European counterparts. Britain has a long way to go in order to create an education and skills system that can produce the talent needed by many industries.

The Labour party has committed to a ‘fair and reasonable management of migration’ based on economic needs and identifying specific labour and skill shortages, but how will this work in practice? How can we guarantee the UK will remain a hub for global talent? What skills will the economy of the future require and how can the UK better support and nurture homegrown talent?

Registration required.

At NEF's conference event, what a new economy should look like will be discussed, how to get there and NEF's role, past and present, in helping to bring that about. It will be an evening celebration of NEF's work and the new and exciting things we are planning for the future, including our recent publication of a manifesto for developing a new economy.

Registration required.

Join political commentator and comedian Ayesha Hazarika 'in conversation' with Nan Sloane to mark the publication by I B Tauris of Nan's new book The Women in the Room: Labour's Forgotten History at the end of September. This tells the story of the founding of the Labour Party from the perspective of the women involved as well as the men, and celebrates the activism of women socialists and trade unionists as well as Labour suffrage campaigners.

Registration required.

From trade deals to fracking, when it comes to making political decisions, few countries are more centralised than the UK. Brexit is about to exacerbate the problem when environmental protection, farming regulations, workers rights and a host of other EU laws become the gift of a handful of ministers.

Unlock Democracy thinks it's time to demand #newpoliticsrules, where people and communities have a real say in big decisions affecting them.

Registration required.

From trade deals to fracking, when it comes to making political decisions, few countries are more centralised than the UK. Brexit is about to exacerbate the problem when environmental protection, farming regulations, workers rights and a host of other EU laws become the gift of a handful of ministers. Unlock Democracy thinks it's time to demand #newpoliticsrules, where people and communities have a real say in big decisions affecting them. Join us - and tell us who you think should decide issues as big as trade deals, and as local as fracking under your house, and find out what fellow Liverpool residents think too.

Registration required.

In 2016 the Labour party announced that it would establish a Minister for Peace and Disarmament (MPD) if it formed the next government. Fabian Hamilton MP was appointed the Shadow MPD to develop the role and work on a ‘peace doctrine’ to outline the post’s underlying principles and remit. In order to raise awareness of the role and encourage public debate on the topics involved, Conscience commissioned Dr Tim Street to write a report on the MPD. This report, published last July, examines the MPD idea, assesses its strengths and weaknesses and considers the political opportunities for and obstacles to the role being a success

The panel for this event will discuss the findings of the report and examine the policy areas that the MPD might focus on, such as nuclear disarmament, arms export controls, defence diversification, conflict prevention/resolution and peacebuilding, as well as how the MPD could work with other government departments to ensure the UK has an ethical foreign policy and the overall implications of the MPD post for Labour.

Registration required

SERA and the Sustainability Hub will hold an evening reception to discuss Labour and the UK's green economy. This event takes place straight after the SERA Rally so join us before hand for contributions from some of Labour's biggest names.

Registration required.

The Fabian Society has been working on a project (supported by Hanover and Age UK) which asks what the left’s agenda should be for older people’s care, support, independence and wellbeing. The work has asked what ‘offer’ politicians should make on the services and entitlements older people need to live well; what priorities they should adopt with respect to the development, reform and integration of different forms of support; and what funding solutions should be proposed to pay for comprehensive, high quality support in the context of rising demand.

The project has sought to look beyond the current debate on social care funding to consider how to improve all the support that older people and their carers receive at home and in the community: social care, supported housing, community healthcare, social security and more. It seeks to start from the perspective of older people, their carers, their homes and their communities – not service silos. Current funding pressures form part of the backdrop to the work however we are aiming to steer debate away from damage-limitation towards a more future-focused conversation on the positive offer politicians on the left should make next.

Registration required.

With transport a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse emissions and the main source of air pollution in cities, leadership must be demonstrated to green and clean the country’s infrastructure. It can be a win, win - creating jobs, improving our health, and meeting our climate change commitments to slow global warming. But, we must change how and what we build and fund, and how we travel. How can we put the environmental at the heart of infrastructure and deliver sustainable transport

Registration required.

To commemorate the centenary of the passing of The Representations of The Peoples Act 1918, our annual public lecture series this year celebrates women from the north west of the U.K whose work impacted on the lives of generations in the 19th and 20th centuries.

With Michael Gill, University of Liverpool

Michael will discuss the important role that women activists played in the campaign that eventually led to a change in the laws regulating money-lending.

Registration required.

The Changing Work Centre – a joint research initiative from Community and the Fabian Society – is convening a new commission on workers and technology chaired by Yvette Cooper MP. The commission brings together business, trade union, professional and academic expertise to consider the impact of artificial intelligence, automation and other disruptive technologies on workers.

The aim of the commission is to take a ‘worker’s eye view’ of technology change in the workplace and especially the automation of existing job tasks. The commission will look in granular detail at case-study occupations and sectors to draw conclusions on what needs to happen to make new workplace technologies an opportunity not a threat for typical workers.

This event will act as a public launch for the commission, in addition to debating one of the key questions arising from technological change – should we fear the machines?

Registration required.

This panel discussion will focus on how a Labour government’s approach to manufacturing would differ from the Conservatives’ approach, and ask how the Party’s industrial strategy will reenergise the sector and rebalance the economy away from banking and financial services and towards manufacturing and the real economy.

A Labour government’s approach to manufacturing has to be different. It must implement a comprehensive industrial strategy to restore growth to all areas of the country, not just the south east of England. Whether that’s through public investment in infrastructure, reskilling and training the workforce of tomorrow through investment in STEM skills, intervening to protect our struggling industrial base or incentivising productive investment in research and development and high-tech advanced technologies to improve productivity.

This event will analyse Labour’s plans for the manufacturing sector and ask how they will be put into practice. It will explore the benefits of the Labour approach, from higher productivity to more balanced growth across Britain’s regions, and it will evaluate the prospects of the manufacturing industry under a Labour government.

Registration required.

With the UK’s housing crisis showing little sign of abating, and the average cost of a home in London standing at almost 14.5 times the average London salary, there is no doubt that change is needed. Social landlords have the potential to act in tandem with central government, private developers and local authorities to help provide solutions to Britain’s chronic housing shortage. However, some believe that the sector has lost sight of its original, charitable mission in pursuit of growth and efficiency.

Now is the time for the sector to reconnect with its roots. Housing associations should build as many new homes as they can, and as much as possible should be for social housing. At the same time, though, the sector must focus on investment in existing homes and services, listen to residents and support communities. This discussion will look at the part that social landlords, central government and local authorities have to play in the future of the UK’s housing strategy, and will evaluate the ways in which the stigma of social housing can be combatted, changing people’s perceptions of the sector, and showing how it can act as an essential pillar in meeting Britain’s housing needs.

Registration required

This government’s drug policy is letting down the people Labour is set up to represent.

Whether it’s children being exploited by dealers to sell heroin on our estates, BAME people being disproportionately imprisoned for possessing cannabis, or treatment services struggling under the weight of austerity, it’s the most vulnerable who are bearing the brunt of the UK’s failed drug policies

On July 10th, Labour members came together in parliament to launch the Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform. This campaign seeks to provide a forum for discussion for Labour members to debate and shape Labour's drug policy for the future.

There are no policy prescriptions, only a belief that the status quo isn’t working.

Our next stop is Labour conference in Liverpool, where we'll be gathering a panel of experts to discuss Labour's policy on drugs.

Registration required.

Xenofeminism: A Politics for Alienation is a manifesto written in 2015 by Laboria Cuboniks, a working group of six women across five countries. It articulates a feminism adequate to the conditions of complexity and abstraction constitutive of the early 21st century. It recognises that reorienting the systems in which we are now embedded toward broader justice, can be made possible, in part by technology, alienation and the capacity for abstraction, not despite these things. The manifesto ends with the grand claim “If Nature is unjust: Change Nature!”

Led by Diann Bauer

In this series of participatory events, artist Jon Davies extends an invitation to consider the times we are living in and encourages us to share ideas, texts and conversations. Davies begins from the position that in order to change the world for the better, we need to broaden our understanding of work and production, the environment, gender and sexuality, and race and nations. He also considers whether the status quo is stopping us from working towards a better world. Davies and invited guests including artist Diann Bauer, Priya Sharma, Salma Noor will debate the contemporary moment through five provocations: Which Utopia? followed by Dehumanise, Defamiliarise, Decolonise and Deindustrialise.

Ticket required.

As the UK edges closer to leaving the EU huge uncertainties lie ahead for the agriculture sector. Britain’s established policies on animal welfare, nature and conservation, public access to the countryside, public health, supply chains and workers’ rights are being ripped up with Brexit and will be replaced with the Conservative government’s Agriculture Bill.

This event will assess the major challenges facing agriculture in the UK today, and consider what sort of future for farming Labour should be fighting for.

Registration required.

For many years now the Fabian Society has held a ‘Question Time’ style event as its flagship conference event– and this year is no exception.

Taking place on the last night of conference, this event will reflect on the conference and a dramatic year in British politics, allowing attendees a final opportunity to ask questions of politicians and commentators. With the Brexit date rapidly approaching, rising global tensions and Labour and the Conservatives still neck and neck in the polls, it is likely these will be the most pressing questions facing the party and the country.

The event format will be based on BBC Question Time. There will, therefore, be no speeches. We will ask attendees to submit their questions in advance, as well as calling for questions from the audience. The chair will choose questions, and facilitate debate between panellists and the audience.

Registration required.

Welcome journalist, writer, campaigner and activist Michael Segalov to Liverpool to discuss his book Resist! - How To Be An Activist in the Age of Defiance

An indispensable how-to guide for people looking to make a stand, the book contains solid pieces of advice, practical tips and inspirational stories from those who have already successfully stood up and made a difference.

Learn the principles of direct action, discover strategies for tackling social media, unearth ideas for motivating others, and understand how to get access to the people in power and get your message across. It also includes paractical advice on what to do if you get arrested, knowing your rights and debriefing after a demonstration.
Includes a foreword by columnist, campaigner and best-selling author Owen Jones which unravels the political world and underlines why now is the time to act.

Ticket required.

Journalist, writer, campaigner and activist Michael Segalov to Liverpool will discuss his book Resist! - How To Be An Activist in the Age of Defiance

An indispensable how-to guide for people looking to make a stand, the book contains solid pieces of advice, practical tips and inspirational stories from those who have already successfully stood up and made a difference.

Learn the principles of direct action, discover strategies for tackling social media, unearth ideas for motivating others, and understand how to get access to the people in power and get your message across. It also includes paractical advice on what to do if you get arrested, knowing your rights and debriefing after a demonstration.
Includes a foreword by columnist, campaigner and best-selling author Owen Jones which unravels the political world and underlines why now is the time to act.

Michael will be joined on the night by a panel of activists who will discuss what it means to be politically active in the current climate - panellists and guests to be announced soon.

Ticket required.

This event will consider the recent shifts and changes to the ways in which arts and culture are encountered in public and private spaces by day and by night, and in turn, how arts and culture are shaping the public realm and identities of cities. The programme includes:

– The launch of Where Strangers Meet, a publication commissioned by the British Council with essays by artists, commentators and thought-leaders in this field.

– Liverpool Biennial: 20 years of impact on the city of Liverpool – an overview of the role of the Biennial in the transformation of the city by Director Sally Tallant.

– A conversation about the making of Resilience Garden, one of the major works at this year’s Liverpool Biennial.

– Art, cities and encounters in public and private space – a panel discussion chaired by publication editor Claire Doherty with Lynn Froggett, Dave Haslam, Paul Heritage and Nina Edge.

Registration required.