A good reading list

I spoke at a meeting of Croydon Trades Council last Thursday on the current economic situation, and a full write-up will follow of the debate and discussion around the origins of the debt and deficit, the attack on public sector pensions, tackling unemployment through investment in capital spending projects, and what to do about the banks and the stock markets.

But this is just a quick post with some of the books that came up in the debate from those in attendance:

• Injustice by Danny Dorling
  
• The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett
  
• The State and Local Government by Peter Latham
  
• There is an Alternative by PCS
• Treasure Islands by Nicholas Shaxson

It's an impressive and excellent contemporary reading list for anyone trying to understand our current situation.

What other contemporary books have you found useful? Let us know in the comments.

Videos from LEAP conference 'Capitalism Isn't Working'

Here's the first selection of videos from the morning plenary session of the LEAP Conference 'Capitalism Isn't Working' which took place on Saturday 25th April at Birkbeck College, London.

There's the opening address from LEAP Chair John McDonnell MP, followed by excerpts from the opening plenary 'Who Pays for the Crisis?' with panellists Penny Cole, Rahila Gupta, Richard Wilkinson, and Matt Wrack.

LEAP Conference 2009 - this Saturday, 25th April

The LEAP Conference 'Capitalism Isn't Working' takes place this Saturday, 25th April at Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London (map here, nearest tube: Russell Square).

A full agenda is available to download. The day begins with an opening address by LEAP Chair John McDonnell MP, author of Another World is Possible, and also Chair of the LRC and Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.

From there we move into the morning plenary - a panel discussion Who Pays for the Crisis? with panellists including:

• Penny Cole (co-author of Running a Temperature - an action plan for the eco-crisis)
• Rahila Gupta from Southall Black Sisters (author of Enslaved - The New British Slavery)
• Professor Richard Wilkinson (co-author of The Spirit Level)
• Matt Wrack (General Secretary of the FBU).

After a break for lunch, in which there is a free fringe with Richard Wilkinson, about his pioneering research on inequality for The Spirit Level - why more equal societies almost always do better, we break into four sub-plenary workshops:

1. Resisting the Recession & Defending Jobs will be facilitated by Professor Gregor Gall and Jerry Jones (author of Halting the Decline of Britain's Manufacturing Industry) and will look at the industrial agenda during the recession. Download the LEAP Factsheet for this session.


2. Where's our bailout? will be facilitated by Andrew Fisher (LEAP Co-ordinator) and Colin Hampton (National Unemployed Centres Combine). Download the LEAP Factsheet for this session.


3. What to do with the City? will be facilitated by John Christensen (Tax Justice Network), and Gerry Gold (co-author of A House of Cards - From Fantasy Finance to Global Crash). Download the LEAP Factsheet for this session.


4. Neoliberalism Isn't Working - fighting the ideological battle, facilitated by Paul Feldman (co-author of A House of Cards - From Fantasy Finance to Global Crash) and social psychologist Rosamund Stock. Download the Factsheet for this session.

Then it's the final plenary session - a panel discussion on The Economy We Want & How to Get There, with panelists including:

• Bob Crow (RMT General Secretary)
• John Hilary (War on Want)
• John McDonnell MP (LEAP Chair)
• Graham Turner (author of The Credit Crunch)

Then we start fighting for it, maybe via the pub first . . . hope to see everyone there on Saturday.

p.s. I recommend two very good articles in Friday's Morning Star - one's my own: 'Devil in the Detail' and the other by Gregor Gall 'How to fart and chew gum', both analyses of this week's Budget.

Equality - why it matters

There's a review of 'The Spirit Level' - the new book by Professor Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in today's Morning Star.

As the review states, "The authors, who are both epidemiologists, produce a wealth of graphs based on official statistics to show that the more unequal countries are, the worse are their health and social problems.

"This is done by comparing the records of the richest 23 countries in the world on levels of trust, mental illness, life expectancy, infant mortality, obesity, children's educational performances, teenage births, homicides, imprisonment rates and social mobility.

"Britain, the US and Portugal are the most unequal countries with the worst health and social problems, while Japan and the Scandinavian countries, especially Sweden, are the most equal with the least problems."

Professor Wilkinson will be a panellist in the morning plenary session 'Who Pays?' of the LEAP Conference 'Capitalism Isn't Working' and hosting a lunchtime fringe presenting research from the book.

Research by LEAP, The Real Story of UK Inequality, published in October last year shows how inequality has continued to grow under New Labour.

Richard Wilkinson to speak at 'Capitalism Isn't Working'

We are pleased to announce that Professor Richard Wilkinson will be speaking at the LEAP Conference 'Capitalism Isn't Working' on 25th April 2009.

Richard will be taking part in the morning plenary session 'Who Pays?' and then holding a free lunchtime meeting on his new book The Spirit Level - why more equal societies almost always do better (pictured left). The Guardian recently featured the findings of the work - which you can download here.

For years, Professor Wilkinson has done pioneering research work on the effect that inequality has on societies - and contributed to the March 2007 LEAP Red Papers '10 Years On: Whatever happened to equality?' (free download, Wilkinson's paper is on p.6).

You can register online for the LEAP conference. Full agenda details will be published soon.