GUEST POST Social Liberal Forum conference promotes big ideas

Helen Flynn, chair of the Social Liberal Forum, looks forward to its annual conference in London on 28 July.

The Social Liberal Forum’s (SLF's) eighth annual conference is a meeting place for all liberals to talk about big ideas, following on from the successful publication of the SLF’s new book, published in March this year, Four Go In Search Of Big Ideas.

The SLF Council took the decision to publish the book because:

• the Liberal Democrats appear to have fallen into "managerial mode" since the Coalition, and there is a space for Liberals to talk about new ideas that is largely unoccupied;
• the country in general is on permanent hold because of the uncertainty that has been unleashed since Brexit vote, leaving the territory of what we need to do next as a country to look forward and modernise, wide open and empty.    

The book is an attempt to open the debate on the issues we need to be urgently addressing to face -head on - the 21st century and its many challenges.

So we are pleased to be basing our annual conference on the themes of the book: a new Liberal economics; the welfare society; and climate change.

But we shall also have a section devoted to the policy areas we need to be addressing next, and also to look ahead at what a post-Brexit UK may look like.

We are delighted to have Kate Pickett as one of our headline speakers.  Kate is co-author of the influential book, The Spirit Level, and the newly published, The Inner Level.

As well as talking about the social and psychological issues that surround inequality, Kate will also be tackling regional inequality in the UK, which is the focus of one of the contributions in the SLF book.

We also very pleased that Layla Moran MP, our other headline speaker, will give the annual Beveridge Memorial Lecture.  Layla and Kate are joined by a whole host of other speakers, including Ed Davey MP, Amelia Womack (deputy leader of the Green party), Caron Lindsay, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, David Howarth, Alex Marsh and Lucy Salek.

Go to the SLF website to find out more and to register for the conference.

The early-bird registration rate finishes on 4 July, but bookings can be made online or bythe post any time up until the day of the conference, Saturday 28 July, or on the door on the day.

The conference takes place takes place at Resource for London, 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA (two stops from Kings Cross), from 10 am to 4 pm and lunch and refreshments are included in the price.

Helen Flynn is chair of the Social Liberal Forum - follow her on Twitter.