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Upcoming Seminar...Sustainability and social democracy



Sustainability and social democracy

A seminar to debate how the centre-left and the environmental movement can share goals, policies and approaches.

Progressives have been torn by how to respond in principle, in practice and politically to increased global temperatures and the rise of environmental politics. Compass has produced an e-book looking at whether and how the traditions of social democracy and sustainability might be squared. A range of authors examine exactly how social democracy should respond to the imperative of sustainability.

Compass with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung is holding a morning seminar of key Labour, union and environmental politicians, thinkers and activists to discuss the e-book and begin a more fundamental debate about whether and how the social and democratic can be reconciled with the sustainable. This UK focused seminar is a precursor to a bigger European seminar being planned for the Autumn 2012 in London as part of the Compass/FES ongoing Building the Good Society debate.

The Sustainability and Social Democracy Debate

Thursday 14th July 2011
At the London Office of the FES
66 Great Russell Street London WC1B 3BN


Agenda

Speakers will introduce the topics briefly which will allow for maximum discussion time.

9.00 Welcome and Introduction
Neal Lawson (Compass)

9.05 General Principles of Red/Green politics. Where do we agree, where do we differ?
Neal Lawson (Compass) Jean Lambert (tbc) (Green MEP for London)

10.05 Coffee Break

10.15 Is Economic Growth Desirable?
Introduction by Victor Anderson (Convener of the Compass Sustainability Panel) Responses from Cllr Rupert Read (Green Party) and Howard Reed (Landman Economics)

11.30 Red/Green Politics in Practice – How to build red/green coalitions
John Hare (Green Party) and Caroline Lucas MP (Green Party)

12.30 Concluding Comments and Next Steps
Victor Anderson and Neal Lawson

12.45 End




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