Our December Discussion Meeting

             Dronfield Labour Party Discussion Meeting
 
Topic: The Future of Progressive Politics
Speaker: Prof. Andrew Gamble
Time: 8pm to 9.15pm
Date: Sunday 9th December
Venue: Contact Club, Snape Hill Lane, Dronfield, S18 2GJ.

Andrew Gamble is Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield and Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge. He has written extensively on British Politics, political economy and political theory. He was a lecturer and Professor at the University of Sheffield from 1973-2006. Between 2007 and 2014 he was Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge, becoming the Head of the newly formed Department of Politics and International Studies. He has now returned to the University of Sheffield and his current work is focused on the politics of the welfare state and the politics of austerity.

He will address us on the topic of the Future of Progressive Politics - Taking Back Control. It will follow on from the talk he gives to the ILP in Sheffield on Saturday 8th December. Everyone is welcome to attend whether they attended the ILP session or not.

He will speak about his new book, “Open Left: The Future of Progressive Politics” in which he puts forward his ideas on how to create a social democracy fit for the twenty first century arguing that:

The ten years since the financial crash have been lean years for progressive politics of all kinds. Now Brexit in the UK, Trump in the US, and the rising tide of national populism in Europe pose new dangers. Parties of the Centre-Left are in retreat. Old bases of support have declined, old policies are out of touch, old assumptions no longer hold. At the same time new thinking, new innovations, new forces are turning the world upside down. We face great dangers but also great opportunities.

How should those who still want a progressive future respond? This book argues that the first priority is an Open Left. We must abandon the idea that one tradition of progressive thought has all the answers. We need openness to new policy ideas, openness to learning from past mistakes and other’s experiences. We should be prepared to listen to very different voices and very different intellectual traditions. We must find ways to engage with people from a wide range of communities and backgrounds.

An Open Left also recognizes we cannot retreat from the world, or ignore economic and political realities. We need a dialogue with progressive movements from many different countries, learning from their experiences of putting progressive ideas into action. The idea of progress can still inspire change, but it needs updating.

(2) As usual Dronfield and District Labour Party Branch will be meeting on the second Wednesday in the Month, on Wednesday 12th December at 7.30pm in the Contact Club, Snape Hill Lane. Dronfield S18 2GJ.

All welcome. Hope to see you all there!

Rosie Smith
Dronfield Labour Party Political Education Officer

Our October Discussion Meeting

                 DRONFIELD LABOUR PARTY DISCUSSION MEETING

TOPIC :            REPORTS FROM THE LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE

SPEAKERS :   CHRIS PEACE and PAUL SCARROTT.

TIME :               8pm to 9.15pm.

DATE :             SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14th,

VENUE :          CONTACT CLUB, SNAPE HILL LANE, DRONFIELD, S18 2GJ.



Chris Peace is Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North East Derbyshire and attended the recent Labour Party Conference in that capacity. In addition to attending formal conference proceedings whenever possible, she was also involved in a wide range of fringe activities. She will, therefore, give her impressions of what happened overall and of the direction in which Labour are moving, having met with Jeremy Corbyn to discuss the situation in North East Derbyshire. She is a Sheffield City Councillor for Gleadless Valley and lives within easy reach of NE Derbyshire, making very full use of the opportunities this provides. She is a former legal aid lawyer and campaigns for bodies such as Youth Justice, Access to Justice and the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign.



Paul Scarrott attended the recent Labour Party Conference as delegate on behalf of the Sheffield Heeley Constituency Labour Party and also has past experiences in that capacity. He is his Constituency's Political Education Officer. He has been a member of the Labour Party since the early 1980s. At the time of the Iraq war he chaired both Sheffield CND and Sheffield Stop The War. He has been a leading activist with Unite Against Fascism since 2003 and has spoken at numerous Labour meetings as a spokesperson for the Labour Assembly Against Austerity. At our last meeting in September he set the scene for the then coming events at Conference. He will now report on the decisions that were made and their potential impact.