Progress political weekend

Workshops and seminars to help Labour members debate and define the new centre-ground.

17 and 18 March 2012
Stoke Rochford Hall, near Grantham
£150 per person for Progress members

Bursaries
There are currently 40 bursaries available to Progress members to help with costs. If you wish to be considered for a bursary place – a reduction of £100 to just £50 – please email a 550-word article: Where is the new centre-ground and how does Labour win it? to office@progressonline.org.uk. In order to make these places as affordable as possible, we ask that bursary recipients be willing to share a twin room with another bursary recipient if required.

Apply today
To apply for a non-bursary place at the weekend, please email office@progressonline.org.uk to express your interest.

Agenda

PROGRESS POLITICAL WEEKEND 2012: AGENDA

- SATURDAY -

11.00 REGISTRATION

12.00 LUNCH

12.45 WELCOME SPEECH: Andrew Adonis, chair, Progress

13.00 OPENING PLENARY: Mapping the new centre-ground: Where are the public in spring 2012? Liam Byrne MP, shadow work and pensions secretary and Patrick Diamond, senior research fellow, Policy Network. Chair: Andrew Adonis

14.15 PROGRESS PLENARY DISCUSSION: New Labour and the new centre-ground, chaired by Tim Hames

15.15 BREAK

15.30 PLENARY: ‘Building the new centre ground: Understanding the electorate of 2015’ Douglas Alexander MP, shadow foreign secretary and Graeme Cooke , IPPR. Chair: Andrew Adonis

17.00 BREAKOUT SESSIONS

• Lifting the lid on the party machine Andy Bagnall
  
• Working with the media Matthew Doyle
  
• Working with trade unions Ruth George (Saturday only)
• Making the Labour Supporters Network a success Caroline Badley (Sunday only)
  
• Writing a speech Phil Collins
  
• How to get selected Richard Angell
  
• Labour history Luke Akehurst
  

18.30 BREAK

19.30 RECEPTION Kindly sponsored by the BVCA

20.30 GALA DINNER

- SUNDAY -

07.30 BREAKFAST

09.30 PLENARY: Fiscal realism and the new centre ground: What does social democracy look like in the of austerity? Panel discussion with Gloria De Piero MP, shadow crime reduction minister; John Woodcock MP, shadow transport minister; Hopi Sen, blogger and contributing editor to Progress magazine; Phil Collins, Times columnist and Tony Blair’s former chief speechwriter. Chair: Philippa Roberts, former PPC

10.45 BREAKOUT SESSIONS [As above]

12.00 BREAK

12.15 CLOSING PLENARY: Labour and the new centre ground: what’s the way forward? Ivan Lewis MP, shadow international development secretary. Chair: Cllr Florence Nosegbe, NEC candidate

13.15 CLOSE

The Progress political weekend has kindly been sponsored by the BVCA.