Photo (c) JJ Waller
Caroline Lucas:
Another England
How to Reclaim Our National Story
Tuesday 24 September, Zoom, 7pm
Tickets: £6/£4
PLEASE NOTE REVISED DATE FOR THIS EVENT
‘Essential and magnificent. This book fills a yawning gap, showing how we can create the progressive and inclusive sense of Englishness this country so urgently needs.'
- George Monbiot
With the UK more divided than ever, England has re-emerged as a potent force in our culture and politics. But today the dominant story told about our country serves solely the interests of the right. The only people who dare speak of Englishness are cheerleaders for Brexit, exceptionalism and imperial nostalgia.
Yet there are other stories - Another England - equally compelling, about who we are: about the English people’s radical inclusivity, their deep-rooted commitment to the natural world, their long struggle to win rights for all. These stories put the Chartists, the Diggers and the Suffragettes in their rightful place alongside Nelson and Churchill. They draw on the medieval writers and Romantic poets who reflect a more sustainable relationship with the natural world. And they include the diverse voices exploring our shared challenges of identity and equality today.
Caroline Lucas delves into our literary heritage to explore what it can teach us about the most pressing issues of our time: whether the toxic legacy of Empire, the struggle for constitutional reform, or the accelerating climate emergency. And she sketches out an alternative Englishness: one that we can all embrace to build a greener, fairer future.
For this evening's event, Caroline will be in conversation with Adrian Spurrell.
About Caroline Lucas
Caroline Lucas was the MP for Brighton Pavilion from 2010 to 2024, and the UK’s first and only Green Party MP. Caroline also served as leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2008 to 2012, and coleader from 2016 to 2018. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Exeter, where her dissertation was on the role of women readers in Elizabethan literature.
More about Caroline:
About Adrian Spurrell
Adrian Spurrell is an experienced leadership and organisation development consultant. Having spent many years with a leading change leadership and management boutique, he set up his own business in 2012, working with public sector bodies and global businesses as well as small local charities and housing associations. As a consultant, he has helped organisations to address challenges of organisational, behavioural and cultural change, and advised and delivered on issues from personal development to leadership effectiveness.
In parallel with his business career, Adrian became increasingly involved with The Green Party, standing in national and local elections, and twice for the mayor of Bedford. Active in his local party and the regional organisations, he was elected to sit on the Regional Council and subsequently led the drafting and acceptance by conference of the party’s long term political strategy. Having now turned his back on the commercial business world, he is working for the NHS in a diverse London community, and chairs two local charities in Bedford.