Progressivism: Past and Present
Progressivism: Past and Present Conference
Date: 3 July 2012
Location: Senate House, London
This one day conference will bring together academics, policy-makers, politicians and journalists to examine the meanings and limits of the word 'progressive' in modern British politics.
At the 2010 General Election, all three main parties portrayed themselves as the primary progressive party. All three also appealed to the idea of a 'progressive tradition' in British politics. This conference will test the basis of that tradition, from the late nineteenth century to the present day. It will also seek to establish whether there are any limits to either the use or the appeal of progressivism. Can we all be progressives? Should we even want to be?
Programme
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9.30 -11.00
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Progressive as a Political Word
Dr Emily Robinson (Nottingham): Progress and Progressivism: Contested Concepts
Dr David Blaazer (UNSW Canberra): An idea whose time has gone? The British Progressive Tradition reconsidered
Joe Twyman (YouGov): Public understandings of ‘progressive’
Chair: Anne McElvoy (Economist)
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11.00-11.15
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Break
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11.15-12.15
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Can anything be described as ‘progressive’?
Cross-party roundtable. Participants:
Max Wind-Cowie (Demos, Progressive Conservatism Project)
Prof. Richard Grayson (Liberal Left)
Paul Richards (Progress)
Prof. Tim Bale (Sussex)
Chair: Martin Kettle (Guardian)
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12.15-1.00
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Lunch (not provided)
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1.00-2.30
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Liberals and the Progressive Tradition
Prof. Michael Freeden (Oxford): Liberalism and Welfare: Recasting an Ideology
Peter Sloman (Oxford): Partners in progress? The Liberals and the Labour Party since 1918
Seth Alexander Thevoz (Warwick and History of Parliament Trust): Realignment of the Left 1956-2001: why it never happened
Chair: Mary Ann Sieghart (Independent)
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2.30-2.45
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Break
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2.45-4.15
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Progressive Conservatism
Dr Robert Page (Birmingham): The 'Progressive' Turn In Post-1945 Conservative Social Policy?
Philip Begley (Lincoln): ‘We are the Social Democrats now’: Sherman, Thatcher and the electoral appeal of the Conservative Party
Dr Simon Griffiths (Goldsmiths): Cameron, Thatcher and ‘Progressive Conservatism’
Chair: Rt Hon. Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE
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4.15-4.30
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Break
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4.30-6.00
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Labour and the Progressive Tradition
Jon Cruddas MP: Title tbc
Steve Van Riel (former Labour Party policy director): Struggles to maintain political momentum: progressivism in the Labour party since 2005
Craig Johnson (Newcastle): The electoral position of progressive politics
Chair: Paul Richards (Progress)
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For further information, please see: http://progressivismpastandpresent.wordpress.com