Navalny makes sense of this divisive character, revealing the contradictions of a man who is the second most important political figure in Russia—even when behind bars. In order to understand modern Russia, you need to understand Alexei Navalny.
Topic:
Authoritarianism, Domestic Politics, Political Prisoners, and Opposition
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
This event from the Mile End Institute, Raphael Samuel History Centre, and Modern British History Seminar will commemorate fifty years since the publication of Gareth Stedman Jones’ Outcast London.
The webinar celebrates the book and featured a panel of experts whose research interests speak to the book’s themes, methods and politics.
Topic:
Development, Labor Issues, Urban, and Industrialization
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
This year is the fortieth anniversary of the 1981 UK Budget Statement, one of the most controversial in British history.
Geoffrey Howe, the Conservative Chancellor in Margaret Thatcher's first government, deliberately increased taxes during a vicious world recession after two years of tight monetary policy and punishingly high-interest rates, to tame high inflation.
Inflation dropped, but the Budget also accelerated deindustrialization and spiralling unemployment, and turbocharged inequality. It has since indelibly shaped memories of ‘Thatcherism’.
Forty years on, the current Conservative government is at a new fork in the road in its economic policy, grappling with pandemic spending legacies, the fallout from Brexit, and post-2008 economics, and with electoral pledges both to fiscal probity and to 'level up' the UK.
Topic:
Economics, Labor Issues, Governance, Budget, Unemployment, and Deindustrialization
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
In 2018, the UPP Foundation established a commission to investigate the civic work of universities. The commission published its findings in February 2019 and recommended that universities set out to co-create Civic University Agreements with other key civic partners in order to beyond traditional civic engagement and become truly civic universities, embedded into their areas.
Topic:
Education, Social Policy, Higher Education, and Civic Engagement
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
Hilary Cooper and Simon Szreter have published a powerful manifesto for change post-Covid-19. It argues that the world needs ‘a new morality’ to recover from the pandemic and to prepare for future crises - and that Britain’s own history points the way.
In 'After the Virus', they show how decades of neoliberalism and austerity left us vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19; they show how important history is for British and global public policy today, going back 400 years to look at Elizabeth I’s innovative Poor Laws, the world’s first universal welfare system; and they present practical proposals, inspired by our own history, that will promote a morality of nurturing, not exploiting, people and the planet.
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
The Living Wage Campaign was launched by London Citizens in Walthamstow, East London, in 2001. Since then, it spread across the country and became a nationwide campaign led by the Living Wage Foundation.
In 2006, Queen Mary became the first accredited university in the UK to pay all staff a real Living Wage, based on the cost of living, not just the government minimum. Queen Mary also improved working conditions so that every staff member at the university – regardless of rank or role – received a minimum of 30 days’ annual leave, access to sick pay, an annually negotiated pay increase, and an employer contribution pension scheme. In 2011, the University became a founding partner of the Living Wage Foundation.
At this event to mark twenty years of the Living Wage Campaign, the Mile End Institute hosted a conversation with Matthew Bolton, the Executive Director of Citizens UK, to revisit the history of the Living Wage and the campaign to establish the living wage at Queen Mary. The event reflected on how the Living Wage is a vital strategy in the fight to end poverty in London and the important role of higher educational institutions in creating a fairer society.
Topic:
Economics, Poverty, Labor Issues, and Standard of Living
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities in Britain published its controversial and widely criticised report on structural inequalities earlier this year. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think-tank in conjunction with Race on the Agenda (ROTA) and the Race Equality Foundation (REF) also recently published a collection of papers in the journal Progressive Review that offer an alternative analysis of structural and institutional racism in the UK.
This event explored different perspectives and contributions to the debate about structural and institutional racism in the UK, using the IPPR/ROTA/REF collection as a starting point to consider the limitations of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities and the analysis it promoted.
Topic:
Race, Ethnicity, Discrimination, and Structuralism
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
Whilst Conservative, Christian democratic and Liberal parties continue to play a crucial role in the democratic politics and governance of every Western European country, they are rarely paid the attention they deserve.
This book reveals a mainstream right squeezed by the need to adapt to both 'the silent revolution' that has seen the spread of postmaterialist, liberal and cosmopolitan values and the backlash against those values - the 'silent counter-revolution' that has brought with it the rise of several far-right parties offering populist answers to many of Europe’s most contentious political problems.
Topic:
Politics, Social Movement, Populism, and Conservatism
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
Our expert panellists discussed Virág Blazsek’s book, Banking Bailout Law: A Comparative Study of the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union, which examines the different bank bailout and resolution techniques and tools through carefully selected case studies.
The panel explored the pros and cons of the different legal and regulatory options identified by the book to reconstruct a regulatory framework that might better serve countries in future financial crises.
Topic:
Economics, European Union, Finance, Banking, and Bailout
Political Geography:
United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and United States of America
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
n partnership with Progressive Britain, we were delighted to host this live webinar chaired by MEI Deputy Director, Dr Colm Murphy.
Combining the insights of a witness seminar with contemporary analysis, the panel aimed to highlight the similarities (and differences) between the 1981 schism and the contemporary moment, using this anniversary as an opportunity to gain insights into the politics of today.
Topic:
Governance, Leadership, Domestic Politics, and Progressivism
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
The session examined the long-term prospects for the Conservative Party in London following the recent Mayoral and London Assembly elections.
The panel considered how the Conservative party are positioned electorally in London, and how they can attract both younger voters and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. They also discuss the policy issues that are likely to dominate the political debate in London over the next few years in the aftermath of Covid-19, and how London can, and perhaps should, relate to the rest of the United Kingdom in the future.
Topic:
Ethnicity, Domestic Politics, Conservatism, and Urban
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
In partnership with the think-tank Social Liberal Forum, we were delighted to welcome you to ‘Where Next for the Liberal Democrats?’.
The panel considered the recent electoral performance of the Liberal Democrats in UK-wide, national, and local elections, the role of the Party in shaping the policy agenda in British politics, and the broader challenges to political liberalism in the aftermath of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Topic:
Brexit, Domestic Politics, Liberalism, Political Parties, and COVID-19
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
This event launched the report from the project, 'A Future Well and Fair: A Post-Covid Vision for the Welfare State', by Paul Copeland, Mary Daly and Alistair Leitch and is supported by Research England.
The report argues that if the UK is to become a prosperous, healthy, fair and more equitable society, it needs to acknowledge that the current system of welfare is effectively broken. Reforming existing policy areas in isolation of each other will do little to move the welfare state beyond its current limitations. It provides a visionary and realistic future welfare agenda based on five principles: repositioning; reforming; reimagining; regulating, and revitalising.
Topic:
Social Policy, Pandemic, COVID-19, and Welfare State
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
This event launched the report, 'A New Settlement: Place and Wellbeing in Local Government', in partnership with LGiU with support from Research England.
The report outlines a new settlement for place in England built around the insights and the experiences of councils grappling with these challenges across the country.
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
This special event brought together an expert panel to discuss Keir Starmer’s first year as Leader of the Opposition in the aftermath of the major elections that took place in Scotland, Wales, and other parts of the UK.
The session commenced with a presentation by Anthony Wells, Director of Political and Social Research (YouGov), who gave an insight into what the polls say about Labour’s performance over the past year and the present and future challenges facing the Labour leadership.
Topic:
Governance, Leadership, Domestic Politics, and Labour Party
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
With investigations into large technology companies’ allegedly monopolistic behaviour across the globe, competition policy has become a central issue in economics and politics. But can more robust enforcement of our current rules tame the power of the tech giants?
As the role of the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expands with Brexit, how does its proposed approach towards tech platforms compare in an international context – especially vis-à-vis the EU – and can it be effective in making sure markets don’t tip in favour of a single dominant player?
What can the government, academics and the private sector do to tackle the challenges to competition from algorithms that might be prone to collusion, self-preferencing and other harms to fair market outcomes?
Topic:
Science and Technology, Business, Digitalization, and Competition
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
The past two decades have seen some of the most far-reaching changes to the UK constitution since universal suffrage. Many virtues have been ascribed to these reforms. To the extent that criticism exists, it has often been to argue that further reform is necessary.
This online conference adopts a different approach. It aims to provide a critical evaluation of recent constitutional reforms.
Bringing together leading constitutional experts and politicians from the United Kingdom and around the world, the conference will examine the following questions:
Did the reforms deliver what their proponents claimed they would?
Have the reforms generally improved governance, or added further complication?
Have the reforms helped to unite the kingdom or driven further division?
Have reforms enhanced or obscured accountability?
The programme consists of 8 panels spread over two half days, complemented by a keynote address from a senior figure in the UK government. See the outline below and containing more information about panels.
Topic:
Governance, Reform, Constitution, and Domestic Politics
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
Professor Sophie Harman discusses the five traps political leaders can fall into when it comes to a public health emergency as part of the 'Lessons on a crisis' series, presented by Evan Davis, for BBC Radio 4.
Topic:
Governance, Domestic Politics, Public Health, Pandemic, and COVID-19