It's Bloody Complicated - A Compass Podcast

Zack Polanski’s victory in the Green Party leadership election has hailed in a a new political moment and couldn’t have arrived at a more turbulent time. With Reform surging in the polls, the Labour government struggling to gain any traction, the Conservatives fighting for relevance and the Liberal Democrats looking to capitalise in their heartlands, the Greens find themselves balancing their own member’s interests between dynamic leftism and seat-winning localism. But with Polanski defeating MP’s Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay by 20,411 votes to 3,705, his mandate for ‘eco-populism’ couldn’t be clearer.Yet the formation of a new Left party by Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn threatens the cut-through of a Polanski-led Green Party. So what are they to do now and what does Polanski’s victory mean for the future of politics in Britain?To discuss this, Compass Director Neal Lawson is joined by former Green Party co-leader, Jonathan Bartley. Jonathan led the Greens between 2016-2021 alongside Caroline Lucas, and then Sian Berry, and was a councillor in Lambeth between 2018-2022. But taking a step back from frontline politics has allowed him to develop a thoughtful, nuanced perspective on the Green Party – you won’t want to miss this one.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. 

The launch of a new left party by Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn is all anyone is talking about in the political world right now. An out-and-out left-wing party hasn't existed in Britain for quite some time, let alone seen any Parliamentary success, and for all of us in the progressive space its potential success will be fascinating to watch.But how could it succeed? What are the implications? To discuss this, Compass Director Neal Lawson sat down with campaigner Laura Parker, Professor Alan Finlayson and economist James Meadway.This episode is split into two sections: the discussion with Laura Parker (02:37) and a seperate discussion with Alan Finlayson and James Meadway (33:45).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. 

Under Mark Drakeford’s leadership, Labour in Wales bucked the party’s national trend in 2021, winning a working majority of 30 seats in the Senedd, worked with Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats, and pushed genuinely innovative, exciting, unapologetically progressive policy: the UK’s first a universal basic income (UBI) trial, a Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, changing the voting system to a form of Proportional Representation, and taking Welsh rail services back into public hands.We talked to Mark about his vision of a good society, what’s next for Labour nationally and in Wales, and his proposal of a ‘union of solidarity’.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. 

In this special BONUS episode of It's Bloody Complicated, Compass Director Neal Lawson is joined by John McTernan - former Director of Political Operations to Tony Blair - and Compass Board Member, Baroness Ruth Lister.Following the extraordinary action by the Labour Party to suspend the whip from four MPs last week - Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell - for alleged 'repeated breaches of party discipline', the question had to be asked: where do we go from here?This episode covers the whip withdrawals, situates it in Labour's past and brings about a keen discussion of the party's future.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. 

Caroline Lucas spent 10 years at the helm of the Green Party between 2003-2006, 2007-2012 and 2016-2018, as well as being the party’s first and only solely-elected MP for 14 years between 2010-2024. In that time, she became the face of green politics and one of the foremost voices for progressive politics in the country, laying the groundwork for the emerging climate discussion and leading the way in advocating against the ongoing climate catastrophe.In that time the Green Party went from receiving just over 250,000 votes in the 2005 General Election to nearly 2 million last July, returning four MP’s for the first time in its history. Lucas stepped down at that election, paving the way for the new generation of green voices.But with the Greens now undergoing a seismic leadership election, as well as intense public criticism of the Government’s net zero policy platform and disillusionment with Labour from the left, Lucas’s perspective remains just as valuable as it has been for the past two decades in public life.Don’t miss out on this fascinating conversation between Frances Foley, Deputy Director of Compass and Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party and former MP for Brighton Pavilion.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. 

From their leader’s bungee-jumping stunts, their best general election result ever, and leading the fight for social care, the Lib Dems have had a good year.But in the political narrative, their place as the ‘third party’ outside the Labour-Tory duopoly has been threatened by Reform UK’s ascendancy. Coupled with their perennial struggle to be a party that fights for a progressive vision of the future while representing some of the most affluent, small-C constituencies across the country, the future of the Lib Dems feels unclear.To pitch their versions of the future of the party, on this episode of It’s Bloody Complicated, Lena will be joined by two progressive champions in the party, Roz Savage MP and Cllr Carl Cashman.Dr Roz Savage was elected to be an MP for South Cotswolds in the 2024 General Election. Before that, she earned a law degree at Oxford and was a management consultant for eleven years, before an environmental awakening led to her setting out on a life of adventure. She holds four Guinness World Records for ocean rowing, including first woman to row solo across three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian, using her adventures to raise awareness of environmental issues.  She is also the founder of the Sisters, a global network bringing women together to create a more resilient future. Since being elected, she has been a progressive leader in parliament, fronting the fight for the Climate and Nature Bill.Carl Cashman is the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Liverpool City Council, as well as the Councillor for Church ward since 2023. This victory, with over 50% of the vote, was the first Lib Dem gain in a Wavertree seat for over 13 years. He was previously elected as a Councillor on Knowsley Council in 2016 and also worked as a mortgage broker in this time. He is an outspoken proponent of liberalism, advocating for both his party and his beliefs throughout the media.Don’t miss out on this urgent conversation with our two guestsSupport 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. 

Hilary Cottam is a world-renowned author, innovator and change maker across a whole range of policy profiles. Between international humanitarianism, education policy, social architecture, welfare and prison reform – amongst many other things – she has been a social innovator committed to getting things done for nearly 40 years.Her latest book, The Work We Need, presents a radical vision of what the future of work in this world can be. She identifies work as a cultural force at the heart of good lives, strong communities and a sense of a shared national destiny, and argues that the combined forces of a technology revolution, an ecological crisis and wider demands for social justice have created the conditions in which we must and can transform work. The Work We Need sets out the principles of good 21st century work – work that will enable people, local places, nature and business to flourish – and she provides a road map as to how we might get there.  This is a book for workers everywhere, for policy makers and for business leaders, drawing on fascinating insights from a whole range of sectors to push towards a work revolution.Don’t miss out on this necessary conversation about the future of the European left and the rise of the right at home and on the continent between Neal Lawson, Director of Compass and Hilary Cottam, author, social innovator and Honorary Professor at the Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London.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. 

The government’s child poverty taskforce is set to release its findings imminently. But with a country that needs widespread reform at-large, what are the necessary steps in tackling child poverty?A new report by Baroness Ruth Lister, and published by Compass, argues for a radical set of new policies ranging from direct provisions, social welfare and wider societal attitudes towards how we view childhood to alleviate the epidemic of child poverty in this country.We were joined by Baroness Lister in the latest episode of It's Bloody Complicated to discuss this report, and more.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.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. 

On this episode of It’s Bloody Complicated, listeners will get a sneak peek of the debate and discussion set to take place at Compass’ upcoming national conference, CHANGE: HOW? A Decade of Radical Renewal, on Saturday 31st May.Last summer, Labour was returned to government promising to deliver ‘a decade of national renewal’. Whilst some positive things have happened since then – especially on GB Energy and returning the railways to public ownership – decisions on oil and gas licenses, cuts to disability benefits and the go-ahead for a new runway at Heathrow have rightly caused alarm.With voters calling for change, and the populist right on the rise at home and abroad, the costs of Labour failing to make good on its promise would be catastrophic. On this episode of the podcast, you’ll get an exclusive preview of the vision for transformative change that we’ll be building together at CHANGE: HOW? A Decade of Radical Renewal, with Jon Cruddas – former Labour MP for Dagenham & Rainham and member of the Compass BoardSupport 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. 

Since its launch in 1992 Renewal: A Journal of Social Democracy has consistently advanced and examined the conditions for a radical and emancipatory vision of social democracy.And now, with its historic ties to Compass Director Neal Lawson and a background of offering new policies, paradigms and strategies to an international readership of citizens, activists and politicians, Compass is delighted that it will be publishing Renewal starting from the next issue at the end of April.Last summer saw Labour returned to government with the promise of ‘a decade of national renewal’. But what exactly would national renewal look like? With right-wing populism on the march, and with voters desperate for real change, it’s crucial that we start to develop the ideas and intellectual basis, as well as the organisation and alliances, required to answer that question and deliver.And it’s not just at home that the left is struggling. They’re facing existential political and electoral challenges, exacerbated by crises of capitalism, climate, technology and the global order, it is clear that a compelling vision of the future is sorely lacking.Which is where Renewal comes in. Whilst maintaining their editorial independence, they will host, initiate and organise reflection not only on short-term challenges, but also on the deeper renewal of their intellectual project, drawing inspiration from both within and beyond our own tradition. To help us unpack what the future holds for the journal and how it will fit with Compass’ plans, our Director, Neal Lawson was joined by two members of the editorial board:Dr Lise Butler, historian of modern Britain at City, University of LondonDavid Klemperer, Research Fellow at the Constitution SocietySupport 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.