Collaborative Democracy Network: The new democratic emergency and what to do about it

Democracy is not working for people. Trust in politics, politicians and political institutions is in freefall as the system fails people. Stepping into the breach are populists, on the rise in America and Europe, whose message that they speak for the ordinary person who feels ignored and betrayed by the elite is winning out when people are suffering the cost of living crisis and the failure of basic services.

If we’re not careful, democracy will be fatally undermined. With no more than four years till our next general election, there is an urgency to finding ways to give people confidence that democracy can work for them and give them power and agency over the decisions that affect their lives. This requires a radical reconception of democracy. If it’s not about maintaining the status quo, do we need to reform our democracy or radically disrupt it?

Join us for this Collaborative Democracy Network event where a panel of forward-looking thinkers grapple with ideas on populism, power, and disruption. We will discuss what needs to be learnt from America, Europe and, closer to home, how the BNP were fought off in Barking.

Speakers:

• The Rt Hon. the Baroness Hodge of Barking DBE, MP for Barking 1994-2024
• Peter Hyman, Project to Counter Far Right Populism and former senior adviser to Keir Starmer
• Ieva Česnulaitytė, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law
• Miriam Levin, Director of Participatory Programmes, Demos (Chair)

Register here

Doors open from 17:30 and the panel will begin at 18:00.

The Collaborative Democracy Network is supported by Carnegie UK and Impact on Urban Health.