What is the social democratic response to AI? @darlingtom.bsky.social argues progressives must ditch an ostrich-like AI denialism that risks blinding us to the transformative changes (and real dangers) to come, while also challenging an 'AI safety' paradigm rooted in Silicon Valley techno-utopianism

On social democracy in the age of increasingly intelligent machines

In these pages in 2022, David Klemperer and Morgan Jones authored a piece about a group called Labour for the Long Term, an attempted entry of Effective Altruists (EAs) into the UK Labour Party. I rem...

renewal.org.uk

New on Renewal Online: John Denham (@jydenham.bsky.social) considers Labour's past and current relationship with the wider progressive intellectual eco-system, and calls for a pro-active strategy to foster new strategic thinking renewal.org.uk/blog/labour-...

Labour, intellectuals and progressive politics

Progressive parties are sustained by vision, aspiration, energy, commitment and organisation. But none last long without ideas. Labour, however, is remarkably uncurious about where its ideas come from...

renewal.org.uk

Where and how does Labour get its ideas? And could it do better?

Labour, intellectuals and progressive politics

Progressive parties are sustained by vision, aspiration, energy, commitment and organisation. But none last long without ideas. Labour, however, is remarkably uncurious about where its ideas come from...

renewal.org.uk

Some reflections on @yuanfenyang.bsky.social's brilliant Rita Hinden memorial lecture hosted by @renewaljournal.bsky.social on ending 40 years of neoliberalism. dysfunctionalprogramming.substack.com/p/embracing-...

Embracing Uncertainty

Reflections on the 2nd Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture by Yuan Yang

dysfunctionalprogramming.substack.com

A fantastic Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture delivered to a packed room, in which @yuanfenyang.bsky.social offered an exciting vision of a post-neoliberal settlement based on devolution, pluralism, participatory democracy, and local experimentation

There are a dozen tickets still remaining for tomorrow's Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture, so do sign up if you haven't yet

Yuan Yang@yuanfenyang.bsky.social · 3w ago

I’m honoured to be giving this year’s Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture for @renewaljournal.bsky.social, discussing what the “end of neoliberalism” means and the opportunities Andy Burnham’s premiership brings for fresh economic ideas. (1/2)

I’m honoured to be giving this year’s Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture for @renewaljournal.bsky.social, discussing what the “end of neoliberalism” means and the opportunities Andy Burnham’s premiership brings for fresh economic ideas. (1/2)

Andy Burnham & his mentor, David Blunkett, have both cited communitarianism as a key strand in connecting people with progressive politics. "We need to", as Burnham said in his 2025 essay, "rediscover communitarianism" renewal.org.uk/blog/redisco... @renewaljournal.bsky.social @iprnickp.bsky.social

Rediscovering communitarianism

“We need to rediscover communitarianism afresh as a defining but often overlooked strand of the Labour tradition. From the co-operative movement to trade unions, Labour’s greatest achievements have co...

renewal.org.uk

This year's Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture will be delivered by @yuanfenyang.bsky.social. The Lecture will be held at City St. George's University of London's Clerkenwell Campus on Wednesday 9 September. Register for free here: www.eventbrite.com/e/rita-hinde...

Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture: Yuan Yang MP

Dear Subscribers and Friends of Renewal. We are delighted to announce this year's Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture will be given by Yuan Yang MP. Yuan Yang is the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, and c...

renewal.org.uk

This year's Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture will be delivered by @yuanfenyang.bsky.social. The Lecture will be held at City St. George's University of London's Clerkenwell Campus on Wednesday 9 September. Register for free here: www.eventbrite.com/e/rita-hinde...

Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture: Yuan Yang MP

Dear Subscribers and Friends of Renewal. We are delighted to announce this year's Rita Hinden Memorial Lecture will be given by Yuan Yang MP. Yuan Yang is the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, and c...

renewal.org.uk

I’m in @renewaljournal.bsky.social this morning talking about the electricity grid. Upgrading our creaking grid is not only essential for decarbonisation. It’s also essential to unlock new housing, bolster national security and deliver the reindustrialisation agenda. renewal.org.uk/blog/the-gri...

The Grid Theory of Everything

The UK’s electricity grid is a problem. It has been underinvested in for decades, leaving it low on capacity and poorly designed to accommodate the rapid rollout of new renewable energy generation. C...

renewal.org.uk

I'm a Housing First evangelist, but this really interesting article shows that it isn't a cure-all. Homelessness is yet another policy problem held back by neglecting the complexity and totality of human experience.

Lise Butler@lisebutler.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Burnham has talked a good game on rough-sleeping but it remains a notoriously intractable policy problem - this piece in @renewaljournal.bsky.social by a front-line homelessness charity worker cuts through some of the well-intentioned rhetoric on the issue and lays out the challenge ahead.

Burnham has talked a good game on rough-sleeping but it remains a notoriously intractable policy problem - this piece in @renewaljournal.bsky.social by a front-line homelessness charity worker cuts through some of the well-intentioned rhetoric on the issue and lays out the challenge ahead.

Renewal@renewaljournal.bsky.social · 2mo ago

NEW ONLINE: Andy Burnham has promised to ‘end rough sleeping’ - but what does that mean and is housing enough? Michael Jones examines the challenges to an admirable policy: renewal.org.uk/blog/can-and...

NEW ONLINE: Andy Burnham has promised to ‘end rough sleeping’ - but what does that mean and is housing enough? Michael Jones examines the challenges to an admirable policy: renewal.org.uk/blog/can-and...

Can Andy Burnham end rough sleeping?

Andy Burnham’s first major policy announcement as Prime Minister was a commitment to ‘end rough sleeping’. No timeframe was given, and we are still awaiting policy details beyond the initial funding f...

renewal.org.uk

A very fair and thorough look at my book on New Labour, from the perspective of what Labour now can learn from the Blair years. Definitely worth a read. 👇 (1/2)

Morgan Jones@morganj0nes.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In February I wrote a long article about what Starmerism took from New Labour. Hopefully Burnhamism learns different lessons: renewal.org.uk/blog/on-its-...

A very interesting read by Louise Haigh in @renewaljournal.bsky.social on some of the fiscal and economic policy thinking in Burnham’s Cabinet. renewal.org.uk/articles/a-n...

A new fiscal framework to renew Britain

03 Renewal_Special Edition_Haigh (1)03 Renewal_Special Edition_Haigh (1).pdf83 KBdownload-circle Published 12/05/2026 For too long, people in our country have felt powerless. Since the Global Fin...

renewal.org.uk

In an essay for @renewaljournal.bsky.social, our Director Rich Bell and @ewallis.bsky.social explore, in a personal capacity, Andy Burnham’s devolution vision and the community-powered philosophy behind Manchesterism. renewal.org.uk/blog/manches...

Manchesterism and the search for a progressive communitarian politics

This week, Renewal will be publishing a series of reflections on the direction that Andy Burnham's new government could or should take. First up, Ed Wallis and Rich Bell highlight the 'progressive com...

renewal.org.uk

New on Renewal Online: @morganj0nes.bsky.social reviews @gsoh31.bsky.social's book on New Labour

On its own terms?

Review of Glen O'Hara, New Labour, New Britain?: How the Blair Governments Reshaped the Country, Manchester University Press, 2026. This review was written in February of this year, as the Mandelson ...

renewal.org.uk

In February I wrote a long article about what Starmerism took from New Labour. Hopefully Burnhamism learns different lessons: renewal.org.uk/blog/on-its-...

On its own terms?

Review of Glen O'Hara, New Labour, New Britain?: How the Blair Governments Reshaped the Country, Manchester University Press, 2026. This review was written in February of this year, as the Mandelson ...

renewal.org.uk

Really enjoyed writing this for @renewaljournal.bsky.social Andy Burnham made restoring a sense of hope a key facet of his Makerfield campaign and rise to No10. If he wants to keep the good vibes going, he can turn hope into something tangible on the high street.

Renewal@renewaljournal.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Next up: @jesscraig.bsky.social argues for reviving high streets by restoring their civic function

Andy Burnham says he'll deliver ‘good growth in every postcode & hope in every heart’, promising change from the ground up. But governing is hard & economic pressures are real. @jesscraig.bsky.social has written for Renewal this week on what it will take to keep that vision of hope & growth alive 👇

Renewal@renewaljournal.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Next up: @jesscraig.bsky.social argues for reviving high streets by restoring their civic function

I've written a short piece for @renewaljournal.bsky.social with Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council & main architect of the 'Preston Model' of @communitywealth.bsky.social, on what Andy Burnham needs to do if he's serious about changing the British economy. renewal.org.uk/blog/if-burn...

If Andy Burnham is serious about changing the British economy, Community Wealth Building is the way to do it

This week, Renewal are publishing a series of reflections on the direction that Andy Burnham's new government could or should take. In this piece, Preston City Council Leader Matthew Brown and politic...

renewal.org.uk

Great essay by Rich and Ed.

Manchesterism and the search for a progressive communitarian politics

This week, Renewal will be publishing a series of reflections on the direction that Andy Burnham's new government could or should take. First up, Ed Wallis and Rich Bell highlight the 'progressive com...

renewal.org.uk

This week, with Burnham taking office, Renewal will be publishing a short series of reflections on what Burnhamism could or should involve in practice. First up: @ewallis.bsky.social of @locality.org.uk and Rich Bell of @powertochange.org.uk argue for Manchesterism as 'progressive communitarianism'

Manchesterism and the search for a progressive communitarian politics

This week, Renewal will be publishing a series of reflections on the direction that Andy Burnham's new government could or should take. First up, Ed Wallis and Rich Bell highlight the 'progressive com...

renewal.org.uk

Inspirational article by @kirstymcneill.bsky.social for @renewaljournal.bsky.social - on the vital importance of fostering clubs and associations, both as ends in themselves and the foundation for a fulfilling everyday politics of social solidarity. renewal.org.uk/articles/all...

All together, now

03 Renewal 34.2_McNeill03 Renewal 34.2_McNeill.pdf89 KBdownload-circle Solving our solidarity crisis is imperative for social democracy. To do so, Labour must draw on its heritage of membership-bas...

renewal.org.uk

"it's part of something much bigger – the dismantling of the twentieth century compact between social democracy and capitalism, and the concentration of power, decision-making and wealth among a small group of financial insiders" Jack Jeffrey interviews @hettieobrien.bsky.social on private equity

The Billionaire Factory: Interview with Hettie O'Brien

In The Asset Class (2026), Hettie O'Brien charts how private equity became one of the most powerful forces reshaping our economies. In this conversation, she discusses the intellectual origins of the ...

renewal.org.uk

Nigel Farage a fraud who doesn't even like beer, yet weaponises the pint in his political drag. Me and Vallu wrote this for @renewaljournal.bsky.social last year; renewal.org.uk/articles/the...

The man doesn’t actually like beer

A quarterly journal of politics and ideas, committed to exploring and expanding the radical potential of social democracy.

renewal.org.uk

Burnham’s speech is what I hoped to see and what I argued for in the latest @renewaljournal.bsky.social The giant we face in the present is the debilitation of democratic agency. But to tackle that we have to orient ourselves towards the future. Imagine! renewal.org.uk/articles/ach...

Achieving England: why the left needs a more imaginative patriotism

A quarterly journal of politics and ideas, committed to exploring and expanding the radical potential of social democracy.

renewal.org.uk

"I believe there is a special onus on those of us who would characterise ourselves as on the left to worry about the distribution of relationship goods – just as surely as we worry about the distribution of wealth and power" - @kirstymcneill.bsky.social

Renewal@renewaljournal.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Free to read: @kirstymcneill.bsky.social on the "crisis of connection and solidarity", and why social democrats need to rebuild a democratic associational life: renewal.org.uk/articles/all...

This is really really good. For its economic strengths (and the number of Westminster policy people living there) Bristol and the wider SW get such little national attention

Lottie@sellottie.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Really pleased to have written this piece in the latest edition of Renewal! As a proud Bristolian, I have often been less proud of how its politics play out. Looking jealously at Manchesterism, I took a deep (& opinionated) dive into the (non)workings of devolution in the West of England…