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Today the Welfare Reform Bill returns to the House of Commons and to debate on the amendments won in the Lords. To mark the occasion Soundings journal publishes an ebook 'Welfare Reform - The dread of things to come’. 

The journalist Bryan Appleyard incisively noted that in the 1958 film A Night to Remember, about the sinking of the Titanic, the script was essentially about public health and safety. By the time of James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster remake the story had become completely one of the private tragic relationship played out by actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. In those intervening three decades what was sunk was the notion of the public, the public realm and the public interest. All around us today we see signs of attempts to reconstruct a notion of the public interest as we pay the individual and collective price of its destruction.

The next event of the Plan B series takes place on the 7th March at 6.00pm, at the Unite the Union building on 39 Thorpe Road, Norwich, NR1 1ES.

The debate will focus on setting out a vision for an alternative economic direction, building upon the Compass report 'Plan B: A good economy for a good society'. The event will include guest speakers Anna Coote, new economics foundation, Clive Lewis, Labour PPC for Norwich South, Prof Alan Finlayson, UEA and Dr Rupert Read, East of England Green Party Co-ordinator and Howard Reed, Co-editor of Plan B. The Meeting will be chaired by Joe Cox, Compass.

You can register to attend by emailing joe@compassonline.org.uk

Coinciding with the publication of a new book on the issue we would like to invite you to a discussion about the future of European social democracy. The event will take place on Thursday 2nd February from 6.30pm - 8 pm in Committee Room 10 of the House of Commons.

This short and accessible video explains why the Government's economic policy is failing and what a genuine Plan B would look like.

Send it to your friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues to show them that there is a Plan B based on reversing cuts to public sector jobs, raising revenue through a financial transaction tax and creating a British Investment Bank to invest in low carbon housing, transport and renewable energy.

In response to the ongoing economic crisis and in particular the debate around what Labour's response to the budget deficit should be we have today published a briefing entitled ‘White Flag’ Labour? Fiscal policy for the UK’s next progressive Government.

We are hosting a citizens’ assembly next Tuesday at The Southbank Centre (London) that will explore and debate ideas to put the public interest back into the heart of public life. Will you be part of it?

To date, I have been willing to give the two Eds the benefit of the doubt on the grounds that they were putting clear blue water between themselves and Blairite spin. But let’s face it: the Shadow Chancellor’s unwillingness to reverse Osborne’s cuts is a political manoeuvre designed to allay those New Labour diehards who argue that because the public backs the cuts, Labour cannot be seen to do otherwise.

This is a pivotal moment for our country.  A debate is stirring about the nature of our economy and therefore our society. Yesterday the Prime Minister made a whole speech about re-moralising capitalism. It follows Ed Miliband’s much discussed speech on predatory capitalism at the Labour Party conference and his recent interventions about so called ‘responsible capitalism’.

A year ago probably few of us knew where Tahrir Square was. Twelve months on from the start of protests that have became a symbol of freedom and resistance Philosophy Football have produced an anniversary T-shirt. The design is based on the Cairo street signs showing the way to Tahrir, a route hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took in 2011 to demand, and defend, democracy. Available from www.philosophyfootball.com we have 5 to be won in our January competition.