It's Bloody Complicated - A Compass Podcast

In May, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in no uncertain terms that universal basic income is an "idea whose time has come". The SNP have come out in full force for this policy.That's why this week we've invited Ronnie Cowan, SNP MP for Inverclyde and life-long proponent of the idea, to talk to us about what it'll take to make basic income a reality in the UK. What alliances do we need to win it? How do we move the Conservative Party – and Labour – to engage? You'll also hear from Mike Pugh joins us from Basic Income Conversation to share his experiences so far campaigning across the country for BI."It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

In early 2020, Compass launched the Basic Income Conversation to help a public movement for basic income in the UK. A few months later, the pandemic hit and suddenly everyone was talking about BI.It’s been an action-packed year so far, so let’s take a moment to breathe and look at where it all began for us. What exactly is a basic income, and why do we at Compass feel so strongly about it?This week, Cleo Goodman joins us from Basic Income Conversation to break down the idea to its essential parts. We also hear from Jessie Golem, who was a basic income recipient during a major pilot in Canada. Rarely do we get an opportunity to talk about basic income with someone who has experienced it – so naturally we were excited to have Jessie on to share her reflections with us. "It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

It’s ten years since the Greens had their first MP elected, and since then so much has changed. The climate crisis is no longer considered a niche issue; Extinction Rebellion has become a global movement; and the major political parties are busy competing over who can produce the “greenest” manifesto.And yet, the Greens still only have one MP and seem unlikely to achieve a significant electoral breakthrough in the near future.What are the lessons of the last 10 years? Should success in Westminster really matter for a party with such strong representation in local government? Is a progressive alliance the answer, or the source of the problem? We discuss all this and more in this week's episode featuring Green party members Adam Ramsay (Open Democracy), Vix Lowthion (2019 Green candidate for the Isle of Wight), and Nannette Youssef (Green Councillor for Norwich) and more. "It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

This episode we were joined by Director of the Common Weal think tank and Compass Council member, Robin McAlpine.What’s next for the Scottish Independence movement? How, if at all, can Labour solve its “Scotland problem”? What’s the difference between nationalism and patriotism, and why does it matter?Robin is a famously thought-provoking and engaging speaker, and is definitely not afraid to tell it like it is. "It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

Protests, a presidential race and a pandemic. The last few months in the US have thrust questions of racial justice and equality to the fore.As Kimberly Jones, US activist, writer and one of our guests this week, explains in this eloquent and essential video, the social consequences of centuries of systemic racism are truly devastating.As the UK reckons with its own history, and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities, our conversations seem to intersect. What are the parallels between the US and UK contexts? How do we build effective international anti-racism movements which support one another? We're joined by Labour MPs Clive Lewis and Dawn Butler, and US writer and activist Kimberly Jones for a lively, open and highly topical conversation about where we’re all headed…"It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

This episode we were joined by LGBTQ+ and human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell.Peter first began campaigning against injustice and human rights abuses when he was at school. More than 50 years later, as director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, he shows no signs of slowing down.From advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, to challenging imperialism and colonial power, Peter’s passion, energy, and unwavering commitment to human rights across the world has made him something of a legend in Progressive circles."It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

This week we were joined by Sue Goss, long-time friend of Compass and author of Open Tribe.Sue has been writing and thinking about politics, local government, and democracy for over 30 years and we feel incredibly lucky to have her on the podcast. Off the back of her new report Garden Mind, we spoke to Sue about how we should think about society through the framework of gardening, and how this approach should inform our decision making and actions."It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the show (https://www.compassonline.org.uk/podcast/)Support the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

This episode we're joined by former cabinet minister and now Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.Andy knows Westminster politics from the perspectives of both government and opposition, but he also knows what’s it’s like to operate outside that bubble as the mayor of one of Britain’s largest cities.As a staunch supporter of devolution and advocate for the North, we talk to Andy about how a decade of austerity has left communities in the north much more exposed and vulnerable to effects of Covid-19 on health, society, and the economy than many of their southern counterparts.How can we reverse the ever widening inequality in the north-south divide? What are the big ideas and policies which can bring about meaningful change for those who’ve been the hardest hit by the crisis? And, in an increasingly disorienting political landscape, what is the role of the Labour party in all this?"It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcast-signupSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

This week we were joined by writer, political scientist and commentator Miatta Fahnbulleh.Miatta Fahnbulleh is a British economist and Chief Executive at the New Economics Foundation. She is also a key partner in our 350-strong coalition of civil society leaders demanding the Government to #BuildBackBetter, from unions to faith groups to NGOs. Our society can't afford for #BuildBackBetter to be a hollow proposition. With Miatta we dig into what a new social and economic settlement could look like and how we win it - a debate that’s sure to dominate our politics for years to come."It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice. 

This week we talk to the distinguished writer and campaigner for democracy, Anthony Barnett.  Anthony is co-founder of Open Democracy, a website for political writing which tirelessly challenges power and encourages democratic debate.  He is also author of The Lure of Greatness, an unflinching analysis of the devastating loss of trust in political institutions that cleared the way for Trump and Brexit.Anthony has just published a must-read analysis of how Covid-19 has already changed the world in the space of a few months.  In it, he charts the history of globalisation over the past 50 years, and shows how we have created the conditions to replace it.So, join us on the call as we talk to Anthony about epochal change and the moment of crisis."It's Bloody Complicated" is recorded every Tuesday at 6pm BST. Become a Compass Member to join our live recordings and bring your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice.