England, 2017 It’s 5:15am and the alarm goes off. My husband Daz is very disciplined in the morning and leaps out of bed to pull on his hoody and road-smelling…
03 Feb, 2017
30 Jan, 2017
What progressives need to do in 2017 and the following years: communicate, discuss, exchange
After a terrible 2016 for neoliberalism, 2017 is also going to be a very dangerous year, for what is perceived by many as democracy, by others as the dominant establishment.…
27 Jan, 2017
Black women, Gender Equality and Universal Basic Income
Feminist debates have been central to discussions on the benefits and pitfalls of a Universal Basic Income for women and what this would mean for gender equality. Much of this…
23 Jan, 2017
Could Northern Umbrella be our ‘Progressive Alliance’?
There’s lots of discussion on the centre-left about the idea of a ‘progressive alliance’ that could offer a united alternative to the increasingly rightward drift of the Tories and of…
20 Jan, 2017
Coming off the fence on UBI?
I’ve always sat on the fence when it comes to universal basic income (UBI). There’s much that is attractive in an approach that, in its pure form, does away with…
19 Jan, 2017
Between ‘liberal elites’ and ‘lost heartlands’ – coordinating the renewal of the left
The last Labour government (1997-2010) has fallen decisively out of favour, and may well be judged harshly by history. Despite its achievements (minimum wage, educational maintenance allowance, Good Friday Agreement,…
06 Jan, 2017
Universal Basic Income: Security for the Future?
Our blog series 'Universal Basic Income: Security for the Future?' is a series exploring the idea of universal basic income. We hope this series will help you familiarise with the…
13 Jan, 2017
Universal Basic Income and Women’s Liberation
From 1971 to 1978, the UK women’s liberation movement held ten national conferences at which it formally adopted a total of seven key demands. The fifth of these demands, added…
12 Jan, 2017
Progressive Alliance: wide or narrow?
The idea of “Progressive Alliance” has really taken off now, especially with the defeat of Zac Goldsmith in the Richmond Park by-election. As with most good ideas it is accumulating…
10 Jan, 2017
Building on Bauman’s legacy
Forgive me, this is as personal as it is political. I don’t know what to do. A world that was getting darker suddenly turned pitch black. Zygmunt Bauman is dead.…
06 Jan, 2017
Universal basic income: further dismantling of the Welfare State?
A Universal Basic Income (UBI) is: A cash benefit that is: universal – paid to everyone in the population; individual – paid to each adult rather than as a single…
05 Jan, 2017
Neoliberal technology is shaping our world. Let’s turn the tables on it
Neoliberal technology is shaping our world and is likely to make us narrow-minded and easily manipulated. At the same time, neoliberal technology is making the wealthy more powerful while little…