H&P is a unique collaboration between the Institute of Contemporary British History at King's College London and the University of Cambridge. We are the only project in the UK providing access to an international network of more than 500 historians with a broad range of expertise. H&P offers a rang…
ONLINE SEMINAR Trade Unions and Employment in a Market Economy Thursday 21 May 2020, 6pm-8pm Andrew Brady will introduce his recent book: Unions and Employment in a Market Economy, Strategy, Influence and Power in Contemporary Britain (Routledge 2019) Other speakers included Sir Ian McCartney and Tom Wilson. The Seminar was chaired by Helen Hague Andrew Brady was awarded his PhD from the University of Strathclyde in 2017. He has held various positions within Unite the Union and is currently based in Scotland in the union’s Political, Research & Campaigns Unit. Sir Ian McCartney was Shadow Minister, Minister of State, and Cabinet Minister 1992–2007 and led the Labour Government’s work on employment and employment rights. Tom Wilson was Director of Unionlearn at the TUC until 2017. He has also worked for the GMB, the Labour Party as Trade Union Liaison Officer, the AUT and Natfhe (now UCU). Helen Hague is a journalist and has recently worked on a history of the Fire Brigades Union.
Brexit and workers’ rights 1 October 2019 - 18:30 pm - 20:30 pm Keating Chambers, 15 Essex St, Temple, London WC2R 3AA Chaired by Sarah Veale Professor Michael Gold and Professor Simon Deakin talk on ‘What the UK's membership of the EU has entailed for workers’ rights and how the UK might achieve dynamic alignment of these rights after Brexit.’
Brexit and workers’ rights 1 October 2019 - 18:30 pm - 20:30 pm Keating Chambers, 15 Essex St, Temple, London WC2R 3AA Chaired by Sarah Veale Professor Michael Gold and Professor Simon Deakin talk on ‘What the UK's membership of the EU has entailed for workers’ rights and how the UK might achieve dynamic alignment of these rights after Brexit.’
9 September 2019 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Anatomy Museum, King's College London, 6th floor, King's Building, Strand, London WC2R 2LS Over the past twenty years, a growing number of countries have established national inquiries in relation to historic child abuse, encompassing investigations of abuse in residential institutions and foster-care, as well as abuse in the context of particular types of institution or specific child welfare programmes. Historical researchers have engaged with these inquiries in a range of different roles – as members of inquiry secretariats, consultants, expert witnesses and, in at least one case, as the director of a national inquiry (Prof Pirjo Markkola in Finland). This panel brings together speakers with a range of expertise across these different roles to explore what we can learn from a range of international examples about the relationship between historical research and child abuse enquiries. Amongst the questions to be explored in this session are: How important is historical knowledge for the setting of the remits and scope of inquiries? What are the challenges and limitations of using different kinds of historical material in child avuse inquiries? In what ways can inquiries succeed or fail as forms of public history in increasing public understanding of historic abuse? Speakers: Professor Pirjo Markkola (Tampere University and former director of the Finnish national child abuse inquiry) Professor Eoin O’Sullivan (Trinity College Dublin; his work with Mary Raftery on the history of abuse in Irish industrial schools led to the setting up of the Ryan Commission) Professor Johanna Sköld (Linköping University and former member of the secretariat for the Swedish Inquiry into Child Abuse and Neglect in Institutions and Foster Homes) Professor Shurlee Swain (Australian Catholic University and contributor of historical research to numerous abuse inquiries in Australia) Event organiser: Gordon Lynch is Michael Ramsey Professor of Modern Theology at the University of Kent. He has undertaken a range of research and public history projects in relation to the history of UK child migration programmes, including a national museum exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood and the musical project, The Ballads of Child Migration. He has served as an expert witness for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and continues to serve in this capacity for the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
9 September 2019 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Anatomy Museum, King's College London, 6th floor, King's Building, Strand, London WC2R 2LS Over the past twenty years, a growing number of countries have established national inquiries in relation to historic child abuse, encompassing investigations of abuse in residential institutions and foster-care, as well as abuse in the context of particular types of institution or specific child welfare programmes. Historical researchers have engaged with these inquiries in a range of different roles – as members of inquiry secretariats, consultants, expert witnesses and, in at least one case, as the director of a national inquiry (Prof Pirjo Markkola in Finland). This panel brings together speakers with a range of expertise across these different roles to explore what we can learn from a range of international examples about the relationship between historical research and child abuse enquiries. Amongst the questions to be explored in this session are: How important is historical knowledge for the setting of the remits and scope of inquiries? What are the challenges and limitations of using different kinds of historical material in child avuse inquiries? In what ways can inquiries succeed or fail as forms of public history in increasing public understanding of historic abuse? Speakers: Professor Pirjo Markkola (Tampere University and former director of the Finnish national child abuse inquiry) Professor Eoin O’Sullivan (Trinity College Dublin; his work with Mary Raftery on the history of abuse in Irish industrial schools led to the setting up of the Ryan Commission) Professor Johanna Sköld (Linköping University and former member of the secretariat for the Swedish Inquiry into Child Abuse and Neglect in Institutions and Foster Homes) Professor Shurlee Swain (Australian Catholic University and contributor of historical research to numerous abuse inquiries in Australia) Event organiser: Gordon Lynch is Michael Ramsey Professor of Modern Theology at the University of Kent. He has undertaken a range of research and public history projects in relation to the history of UK child migration programmes, including a national museum exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood and the musical project, The Ballads of Child Migration. He has served as an expert witness for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and continues to serve in this capacity for the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
9 September 2019 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Anatomy Museum, King's College London, 6th floor, King's Building, Strand, London WC2R 2LS Over the past twenty years, a growing number of countries have established national inquiries in relation to historic child abuse, encompassing investigations of abuse in residential institutions and foster-care, as well as abuse in the context of particular types of institution or specific child welfare programmes. Historical researchers have engaged with these inquiries in a range of different roles – as members of inquiry secretariats, consultants, expert witnesses and, in at least one case, as the director of a national inquiry (Prof Pirjo Markkola in Finland). This panel brings together speakers with a range of expertise across these different roles to explore what we can learn from a range of international examples about the relationship between historical research and child abuse enquiries. Amongst the questions to be explored in this session are: How important is historical knowledge for the setting of the remits and scope of inquiries? What are the challenges and limitations of using different kinds of historical material in child avuse inquiries? In what ways can inquiries succeed or fail as forms of public history in increasing public understanding of historic abuse? Speakers: Professor Pirjo Markkola (Tampere University and former director of the Finnish national child abuse inquiry) Professor Eoin O’Sullivan (Trinity College Dublin; his work with Mary Raftery on the history of abuse in Irish industrial schools led to the setting up of the Ryan Commission) Professor Johanna Sköld (Linköping University and former member of the secretariat for the Swedish Inquiry into Child Abuse and Neglect in Institutions and Foster Homes) Professor Shurlee Swain (Australian Catholic University and contributor of historical research to numerous abuse inquiries in Australia) Event organiser: Gordon Lynch is Michael Ramsey Professor of Modern Theology at the University of Kent. He has undertaken a range of research and public history projects in relation to the history of UK child migration programmes, including a national museum exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood and the musical project, The Ballads of Child Migration. He has served as an expert witness for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and continues to serve in this capacity for the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
9 September 2019 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Anatomy Museum, King's College London, 6th floor, King's Building, Strand, London WC2R 2LS Over the past twenty years, a growing number of countries have established national inquiries in relation to historic child abuse, encompassing investigations of abuse in residential institutions and foster-care, as well as abuse in the context of particular types of institution or specific child welfare programmes. Historical researchers have engaged with these inquiries in a range of different roles – as members of inquiry secretariats, consultants, expert witnesses and, in at least one case, as the director of a national inquiry (Prof Pirjo Markkola in Finland). This panel brings together speakers with a range of expertise across these different roles to explore what we can learn from a range of international examples about the relationship between historical research and child abuse enquiries. Amongst the questions to be explored in this session are: How important is historical knowledge for the setting of the remits and scope of inquiries? What are the challenges and limitations of using different kinds of historical material in child avuse inquiries? In what ways can inquiries succeed or fail as forms of public history in increasing public understanding of historic abuse? Speakers: Professor Pirjo Markkola (Tampere University and former director of the Finnish national child abuse inquiry) Professor Eoin O’Sullivan (Trinity College Dublin; his work with Mary Raftery on the history of abuse in Irish industrial schools led to the setting up of the Ryan Commission) Professor Johanna Sköld (Linköping University and former member of the secretariat for the Swedish Inquiry into Child Abuse and Neglect in Institutions and Foster Homes) Professor Shurlee Swain (Australian Catholic University and contributor of historical research to numerous abuse inquiries in Australia) Event organiser: Gordon Lynch is Michael Ramsey Professor of Modern Theology at the University of Kent. He has undertaken a range of research and public history projects in relation to the history of UK child migration programmes, including a national museum exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood and the musical project, The Ballads of Child Migration. He has served as an expert witness for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and continues to serve in this capacity for the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
Peter Ackers, co-editor, Alternatives to State-Socialism, Palgrave 2016. In Place of Strife (1969): Trade Union legal rights & responsibilities revisited 27 April 2019 - 11:00 am - 16:00 pm Modern Records Centre, Warwick University 50 years ago, the conflict between the Harold Wilson Labour Government & the trade unions over the Barbara Castle White Paper ‘In Place of Strife’ was one of the pivotal moments of post-war British Industrial Relations. It pitched voluntarist ideas of ‘free collective bargaining’ against ideas of economic planning & public policy concerns about strikes, inflation and restrictive practices. The white paper followed the 1968 Donovan Report & preceded Heath’s Conservative 1971 Industrial Relations Act. In response to Peter Dorey’s new book on In Place of Strife, this seminar has two parts. In the morning there is a historical reassessment of the political episode. In the afternoon, we consider the implications for current Labour Party policy on trade unions, as the Manifesto promises to ‘roll out sectoral bargaining’. The seminar is held at the Modern Records Centre, the largest UK trade union & industrial relations collection, which will be introduced to us.
Joe Dromey, author, Power to the People: How stronger unions can deliver economic justice, IPPR 2018 In Place of Strife (1969): Trade Union legal rights & responsibilities revisited 27 April 2019 - 11:00 am - 16:00 pm Modern Records Centre, Warwick University 50 years ago, the conflict between the Harold Wilson Labour Government & the trade unions over the Barbara Castle White Paper ‘In Place of Strife’ was one of the pivotal moments of post-war British Industrial Relations. It pitched voluntarist ideas of ‘free collective bargaining’ against ideas of economic planning & public policy concerns about strikes, inflation and restrictive practices. The white paper followed the 1968 Donovan Report & preceded Heath’s Conservative 1971 Industrial Relations Act. In response to Peter Dorey’s new book on In Place of Strife, this seminar has two parts. In the morning there is a historical reassessment of the political episode. In the afternoon, we consider the implications for current Labour Party policy on trade unions, as the Manifesto promises to ‘roll out sectoral bargaining’. The seminar is held at the Modern Records Centre, the largest UK trade union & industrial relations collection, which will be introduced to us.
Roger Jeary In Place of Strife (1969): Trade Union legal rights & responsibilities revisited 27 April 2019 - 11:00 am - 16:00 pm Modern Records Centre, Warwick University 50 years ago, the conflict between the Harold Wilson Labour Government & the trade unions over the Barbara Castle White Paper ‘In Place of Strife’ was one of the pivotal moments of post-war British Industrial Relations. It pitched voluntarist ideas of ‘free collective bargaining’ against ideas of economic planning & public policy concerns about strikes, inflation and restrictive practices. The white paper followed the 1968 Donovan Report & preceded Heath’s Conservative 1971 Industrial Relations Act. In response to Peter Dorey’s new book on In Place of Strife, this seminar has two parts. In the morning there is a historical reassessment of the political episode. In the afternoon, we consider the implications for current Labour Party policy on trade unions, as the Manifesto promises to ‘roll out sectoral bargaining’. The seminar is held at the Modern Records Centre, the largest UK trade union & industrial relations collection, which will be introduced to us.
David Lyddon, co- editor journal Historical Studies in Industrial Relations In Place of Strife (1969): Trade Union legal rights & responsibilities revisited 27 April 2019 - 11:00 am - 16:00 pm Modern Records Centre, Warwick University 50 years ago, the conflict between the Harold Wilson Labour Government & the trade unions over the Barbara Castle White Paper ‘In Place of Strife’ was one of the pivotal moments of post-war British Industrial Relations. It pitched voluntarist ideas of ‘free collective bargaining’ against ideas of economic planning & public policy concerns about strikes, inflation and restrictive practices. The white paper followed the 1968 Donovan Report & preceded Heath’s Conservative 1971 Industrial Relations Act. In response to Peter Dorey’s new book on In Place of Strife, this seminar has two parts. In the morning there is a historical reassessment of the political episode. In the afternoon, we consider the implications for current Labour Party policy on trade unions, as the Manifesto promises to ‘roll out sectoral bargaining’. The seminar is held at the Modern Records Centre, the largest UK trade union & industrial relations collection, which will be introduced to us.
Peter Dorey, author Comrades in Conflict: Labour, the Trade Unions & In Place of Strife (1969), Manchester 2019 In Place of Strife (1969): Trade Union legal rights & responsibilities revisited 27 April 2019 - 11:00 am - 16:00 pm Modern Records Centre, Warwick University 50 years ago, the conflict between the Harold Wilson Labour Government & the trade unions over the Barbara Castle White Paper ‘In Place of Strife’ was one of the pivotal moments of post-war British Industrial Relations. It pitched voluntarist ideas of ‘free collective bargaining’ against ideas of economic planning & public policy concerns about strikes, inflation and restrictive practices. The white paper followed the 1968 Donovan Report & preceded Heath’s Conservative 1971 Industrial Relations Act. In response to Peter Dorey’s new book on In Place of Strife, this seminar has two parts. In the morning there is a historical reassessment of the political episode. In the afternoon, we consider the implications for current Labour Party policy on trade unions, as the Manifesto promises to ‘roll out sectoral bargaining’. The seminar is held at the Modern Records Centre, the largest UK trade union & industrial relations collection, which will be introduced to us.
Dr Andrew Blick (King’s College London and Director, History & Policy) Professor Simon Szreter (Cambridge and Managing Editor, History & Policy)
Dane Kennedy (National History Center): Brexit and the Legacies of Empire Although Britain lost its empire some fifty years ago, this talk will argue that the legacies of its imperial past have helped shape the debate surrounding Brexit and Britain’s future. I intend to (1) note the historical forces that brought an end to Britain’s empire and led to its belated and ambivalent entry into the European Union, (2) point out how postcolonial demographics and politics within British society gave rise to sharply divergent interpretations of the nation’s imperial past, and (3) make the case that these interpretations have shaped arguments about Britain’s future, particularly for Brexit’s most vocal advocates, whose repeated evocations of the imperial past have served as proxies for their vision of a ‘global Britain’. Dane Kennedy is Director of the National History Center of the American Historical Association and the Elmer Louis Kayser Professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University. He is a historian of the British imperial world whose publications include The Imperial History Wars: Debating the British Empire (Bloomsbury, 2018), Decolonization: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford UP, 2016), The Last Blank Spaces: Exploring Africa and Australia (Harvard UP, 2013), and The Highly Civilized Man: Richard Burton and the Victorian World (Harvard UP, 2005). As the NHC’s director, he oversees a congressional briefing program and other initiatives designed to bring historical perspectives to policy issues.
David Lowe (Australian Policy and History): Trump tumult and the Australian-American alliance in historical perspective The Trump phenomenon has caused many governments to think hard about the nature of their relationships with the United States. In the case of Australia, amidst the shock and confusion, it may even trigger the sort of questioning of the ANZUS Security Pact (1951) that historians have thus far been unable to stir. To date, ANZUS and the oft-recalled memory of 1 million American soldiers passing through Australia in the Second World War, have constituted mnemonic foundation stones for thinking about the intertwining of American and Australian security. But just as the numbers of US war veterans have rapidly dwindled, so too does ANZUS suddenly look fragile. While it would be rash to say recent events have opened up a new space for historians in public conversation – such has been the continuing bipartisanship on the virtues of the American alliance – they have invited greater reflection. I suggest that historical perspective has much to offer at this time. Through analysis of Australian foreign policy-making and Australian-US relations at different times since the creation of ANZUS, I venture that, far from a stable ‘insurance policy’, the security pact has often shifted ground for Australian leaders. This has produced both anxiety and opportunity. The imprecision in the Australian-US security relationship has encouraged Prime Ministers to narrate its importance in ways that strengthened their leadership. The arrival of Trump might break an executive hold on the story, and enable a healthier sense of historical perspective that informs policy thinking about next steps in the relationship. David Lowe is Chair in Contemporary History at Deakin University and co-founder of the Australian Policy and History Network. He has published widely on Australia in world affairs and modern international history, including the recent book with Carola Lentz, Remembering Independence (Routledge, 2018) and the edited book The Unfinished Atomic Bomb: Shadows and Reflections (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018) with Cassandra Atherton and Alyson Miller. He is currently working on three projects: histories of Australian overseas diplomatic posts; a history of Australia’s foreign aid program; and an international history of the Colombo Plan for aid to South and Southeast Asia.
Klaus Neumann (Deakin University, Melbourne): Forced migration, policy making, and the uses and abuses of history Drawing on examples from Germany and Australia, I reflect on the role of historicized and remembered pasts in the recent so-called refugee crisis. I am particularly interested in why and how the events of 2012-2013 (in Australia) and 2015-2016 (in Europe) were interpreted as an unprecedented crisis, and how particular readings and memories of the past facilitated or hampered responses to that “crisis”. Klaus Neumann works for the Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture on a project about local public and policy responses to refugees in Germany. He is also an honorary professor at Deakin University (Melbourne) and an adjunct research fellow at the Hannah Arendt Institute (Dresden). He has written numerous articles and books (most recently, the award-winning Across the Seas: Australia’s Response to Refugees, 2015), and contributes regularly to Inside Story and other non-academic fora.
Jennifer Crane (Warwick): ‘The NHS … should not be condemned to the history books’: The Place of Activism in History & Policy. In a public event in South Wales in June 2017, one participant stated that the NHS must not be ‘condemned to the history books’ alone. This critical comment raises a series of questions about the relationships between history, policy, and activism, and also about the roles of public history in celebrating, criticising, or condemning public institutions. Drawing on research and engagement work, this paper argues that, throughout the post-war period, activist work has prefigured, reshaped, and represented broader cultural shifts in attitudes to the NHS, particularly through media and, newly, social media networks. Given this, therefore, analysis of activism provides a key mechanism, for historians and policy-makers alike, to understand schisms in public opinion over time, and to analyse how voluntary organisations mediate between public and political thinking. Jennifer Crane is a Public Engagement Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, working on a Wellcome Trust-funded project, ‘The Cultural History of the NHS’. This involves substantial work with Museums, hospitals, campaign groups, and media, particularly around the recent 70th Anniversary of the NHS. She has broader research interests in health, activism, policy, and childhood. Her first book was published this year, entitled Child Protection in England, 1960-2000: Expertise, Experience, and Emotion.
Sally Sheard (Liverpool): Learning from history: NHS plans For the first 26 years, the NHS was left to run without major reform or reorganisation. Although planning emerged as a concern in the 1960s, linked to desires to increase effectiveness and efficiency, it wasn't until the 1980s, and the introduction of general management, that there was the political will or technical capacity to construct detailed, long-term plans. This paper considers the introduction of NHS plans as key political 'sticks' (rather than 'carrots') to improve performance, and discusses the impact of the increasing tension between planning and the service's ability to meet targets, such as waiting times and 'quality' of care. Sally Sheard is the Andrew Geddes and John Rankin Professor of Modern History at the University of Liverpool, with a primary research interest in the interface between expert advisers and policymakers. She currently leads a five-year Wellcome Trust funded project; The Governance of Health: Medical, Economic and Managerial Expertise in Britain since 1948. Her latest book is The Passionate Economist: how Brian Abel-Smith shaped global health and social welfare (Policy Press, 2013). She has also written on the history of hospitals, the finance of British medicine and the development of the NHS. Sally has extensive experience of using history in public and policy engagement and has worked with local health authorities and government organisations. She also has written for and presented television and radio programmes, including the 2018 BBC Radio 4 series National Health Stories.
Roberta Bivins (Warwick): 'Stop reinventing the Wheel: Prompting critical reflection on medical responses to migration' Today, migration is framed as a crisis, and often one of unprecedented scale, complexity and diversity. Yet from a historian's perspective, neither this language nor the phenomena described by it are novel. Globally, the second half of the twentieth century was characterised by mass movements of population. Moreover, medical practices and ideas about 'good' citizenship and 'good' behaviour have been integral to state management of both migrant populations and the ethnic communities that emerged as migrants became citizens and stakeholders. In theory, then, national and international organisations should be able to mobilise fifty years of clinical and public health experience with migrant and ethnic populations. Yet this valuable resource is rarely tapped, or even recognised, by those newly charged with each successive 'crisis'. The outcomes -- positive or negative -- of previous interventions are lost to those who accidentally repeat them. I have found that historical case studies showcasing past experience as a resource for present decision-makers are valued as direct and translatable evidence by workers in the field. Roberta Bivins is a historian of medicine at the University of Warwick. Her first two books examined the cross-cultural transmission of medical expertise, particularly in relation to global and alternative medicine (Acupuncture, Expertise and Cross-Cultural Medicine, 2000 and Alternative Medicine? A History, 2007). Since 2004, funded by the Wellcome Trust, she has studied the impacts of immigration and ethnicity on post-war British health, medical research and practice. In 2015, she published findings from this work as a book, Contagious Communities: Medicine, Migration and the NHS in Post War Britain. With Mathew Thomson, she is now exploring the culture and effects of Britain’s National Health Service in the UK and internationally since 1948.
Roberta Bivins (Warwick): 'Stop reinventing the Wheel: Prompting critical reflection on medical responses to migration' Today, migration is framed as a crisis, and often one of unprecedented scale, complexity and diversity. Yet from a historian's perspective, neither this language nor the phenomena described by it are novel. Globally, the second half of the twentieth century was characterised by mass movements of population. Moreover, medical practices and ideas about 'good' citizenship and 'good' behaviour have been integral to state management of both migrant populations and the ethnic communities that emerged as migrants became citizens and stakeholders. In theory, then, national and international organisations should be able to mobilise fifty years of clinical and public health experience with migrant and ethnic populations. Yet this valuable resource is rarely tapped, or even recognised, by those newly charged with each successive 'crisis'. The outcomes -- positive or negative -- of previous interventions are lost to those who accidentally repeat them. I have found that historical case studies showcasing past experience as a resource for present decision-makers are valued as direct and translatable evidence by workers in the field. Roberta Bivins is a historian of medicine at the University of Warwick. Her first two books examined the cross-cultural transmission of medical expertise, particularly in relation to global and alternative medicine (Acupuncture, Expertise and Cross-Cultural Medicine, 2000 and Alternative Medicine? A History, 2007). Since 2004, funded by the Wellcome Trust, she has studied the impacts of immigration and ethnicity on post-war British health, medical research and practice. In 2015, she published findings from this work as a book, Contagious Communities: Medicine, Migration and the NHS in Post War Britain. With Mathew Thomson, she is now exploring the culture and effects of Britain’s National Health Service in the UK and internationally since 1948.
Carolyn Holbrook (Australian Policy and History): Failure to Attach: Australians and their Federation The Australian federation was hailed as a beacon of democratic governance at the time of its establishment in 1901—a cutting-edge fusion of representative and federal ideals. The shimmer faded rapidly, however. Deficiencies such as service duplication and fiscal imbalance between an enriched Commonwealth and impecunious states, have proved stubbornly resistant to reform. Australians have rejected thirty-six of the forty-four proposed amendments to the Constitution since 1901. This paper examines the link between Australians’ resistance to reform of the federation and their lack of affection for it. It shows that the failure to attach can be traced to the very earliest years after Federation. Carolyn Holbrook is an Alfred Deakin Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Contemporary Histories Group at Deakin University and Director of Australian Policy and History. She published Anzac: The Unauthorised Biography about the history of how Australians have remembered the Great War in 2014 and is working on a policy decision-making history of Australia with James Walter from Monash University and a cultural history of Australian federalism.
James Grossman (American Historical Association): History, Public Memory, Celebration, and/or Commemoration: US Confederate Monuments and Public Policy Why does it matter whom we choose to memorialize in public spaces? Are military heroism and sacrifice inevitably tied to the purpose of that war? Jim Grossman is Executive Director of the American Historical Association. He was previously Vice President for Research and Education at the Newberry Library, and has taught at University of Chicago and University of California, San Diego. The author of Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration (1989) and A Chance to Make Good: African-Americans, 1900-1929 (1997), Grossman was project director and coeditor of The Encyclopedia of Chicago (2005; online, 2006) and coeditor of the series "Historical Studies of Urban America" (50 vols, 1992-2015 ). His articles and short essays have focused on various aspects of American urban history, African American history, ethnicity, higher education, and the place of history in public culture. Short pieces have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, Chronicle of Higher Education, and elsewhere. Land of Hope received awards from the Gustavus Myers Center for Human Rights and the Illinois State Historical Society. A Chance to Make Good won awards from the New York Public Library and the National Council for the Social Studies. Grossman was chosen in 2005 as one of seven "Chicagoans of the Year" by Chicago Magazine. Grossman’s consulting experience includes history-related projects generated by the BBC, Smithsonian, and various theater companies, film makers, museums, and libraries. He serves on the boards of the National Humanities Alliance (Vice President), and American Council of Learned Societies.
Pawan Singh (Deakin University, Melbourne): Biometrics, identity and privacy in India In 2018, the Indian Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of mandatory Aadhaar, the Indian government's biometric programme that was launched in 2009 and challenged in the Supreme Court 2010 onwards. Civil society groups, lawyers and pro-privacy activists challenged Aadhaar's mandatory linkage to various state-sponsored benefit databases for the Aadhaar scheme's potential to bring about a surveillance state. This presentation provides an overview of the Indian data privacy debate in the context of Aadhaar and identifies some key policy issues. It also reflects on the place of privacy as a legal right, technological affordance and social and cultural practice in India. Pawan Singh is a media studies researcher and a New Generation Network Scholar in Contemporary Histories at Deakin University. His research concerns issues of privacy, social justice and mediation of identity in India within a transnational framework. History & Policy exists to put historians in touch with policy makers, encourage historically informed comment in public policy debate and put excellent history at the heart of policy making. Although we are the only project of our kind in the UK we are far from being the only one in the world. For this conference, which will be open to policy makers and the public, we are partnering with the American Historical Association and Australian Policy & History for a day of panels and discussion to explore how history informs public policy debate in different countries. What are the success stories, how do policy makers vary in their receptiveness, what can historians learn from each other and from the policy makers they talk to, and have particular topics got more traction in some places than others?
Joanna Cruickshank (Deakin University, Melbourne): History, Law and Treaty-Making with Indigenous Peoples in Australia In February 2016, the Victorian state government became the first Australian jurisdiction to announce its intention to work towards a treaty with Indigenous people. As of late 2018, the treaty process is well underway. In this paper I discuss an Australian Research Council-funded project that is providing context for treaty processes between Australian governments and Indigenous people, by researching the history of lawful relations in Australia since colonization. By making accessible this history through a diversity of outcomes, the project is informing policy and seeking to educate the broader community about the practical activities of conducting lawful relations in the present. Joanna Cruickshank is Senior Lecturer in History at Deakin University and a Chief Investigator on the ARC-funded project Indigenous Leaders: Lawful Relations from Encounter to Treaty. Recent publications include 'Colonial Contexts and Global Dissent' in The Oxford History of Dissenting Traditions (2017). Her book White Women, Aboriginal Missions and Australian Settler Governments will be published by Brill in 2019. History & Policy exists to put historians in touch with policy makers, encourage historically informed comment in public policy debate and put excellent history at the heart of policy making. Although we are the only project of our kind in the UK we are far from being the only one in the world. For this conference, which will be open to policy makers and the public, we are partnering with the American Historical Association and Australian Policy & History for a day of panels and discussion to explore how history informs public policy debate in different countries. What are the success stories, how do policy makers vary in their receptiveness, what can historians learn from each other and from the policy makers they talk to, and have particular topics got more traction in some places than others?
Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell. In his forty-year career, Lord Butler has served as Private Secretary to five Prime Ministers and was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1988 to 1998. In addition to the many momentous political shifts in that time he has overseen an important period of change in the history of the Civil Service and its relationship to the wider world. 14 November 2018 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Council Room, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS The Haldane Report, which sees its centenary this year, was a landmark in early twentieth century thought about how the machinery of modern government should function, the principles that should underpin policy formation, and executive accountability. It famously concluded that: 'in the sphere of civil government the duty of investigation and thought, as preliminary to action, might with great advantage be more definitely recognised.' The report also proposed that Whitehall departments be organised on functional lines; it advocated limited changes in the direction of gender equality within the Civil Service; and tentatively suggested the introduction of specialist committees in Parliament to facilitate more effective oversight of the executive. This is a unique opportunity for historians and practitioners, past and present, to reflect together on how reform comes about in government and how it works - there will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion. Drinks and refreshments will be served. This is one of a series of Whitehall Anniversary events in 2018 – previous events, with audio available, have focussed on the Next Steps Report (1988) and the Fulton Report (1968). Speaker: Professor Vernon Bogdanor is Research Professor at the Centre for British Politics and Government at King’s College London. As one of Britain’s foremost constitutional experts he has written widely on British politics and the constitution and frequently advised governments and parliamentary bodies. Respondent: Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell. In his forty-year career, Lord Butler has served as Private Secretary to five Prime Ministers and was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1988 to 1998. In addition to the many momentous political shifts in that time he has overseen an important period of change in the history of the Civil Service and its relationship to the wider world. Chair: Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow and Resident Historian at the Institute for Government. Dr Haddon specialises in the history of Whitehall and the evolution of civil service reform.
Professor Vernon Bogdanor is Research Professor at the Centre for British Politics and Government at King’s College London. As one of Britain’s foremost constitutional experts he has written widely on British politics and the constitution and frequently advised governments and parliamentary bodies. 14 November 2018 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Council Room, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS The Haldane Report, which sees its centenary this year, was a landmark in early twentieth century thought about how the machinery of modern government should function, the principles that should underpin policy formation, and executive accountability. It famously concluded that: 'in the sphere of civil government the duty of investigation and thought, as preliminary to action, might with great advantage be more definitely recognised.' The report also proposed that Whitehall departments be organised on functional lines; it advocated limited changes in the direction of gender equality within the Civil Service; and tentatively suggested the introduction of specialist committees in Parliament to facilitate more effective oversight of the executive. This is a unique opportunity for historians and practitioners, past and present, to reflect together on how reform comes about in government and how it works - there will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion. Drinks and refreshments will be served. This is one of a series of Whitehall Anniversary events in 2018 – previous events, with audio available, have focussed on the Next Steps Report (1988) and the Fulton Report (1968). Speaker: Professor Vernon Bogdanor is Research Professor at the Centre for British Politics and Government at King’s College London. As one of Britain’s foremost constitutional experts he has written widely on British politics and the constitution and frequently advised governments and parliamentary bodies. Respondent: Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell. In his forty-year career, Lord Butler has served as Private Secretary to five Prime Ministers and was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1988 to 1998. In addition to the many momentous political shifts in that time he has overseen an important period of change in the history of the Civil Service and its relationship to the wider world. Chair: Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow and Resident Historian at the Institute for Government. Dr Haddon specialises in the history of Whitehall and the evolution of civil service reform.
Dr Jill Pellew FRHistS Senior Research Fellow Institute of Historical Research, SAS University of London WC1E 7HU Wednesday 17 October: 5:00pm - 7:00pm History, Faculty of, Room 6, West Road, CB3 9EF The Grenfell Tower fire is generally agreed to have been the worst tragedy of unnecessary loss of life in Britain since the Aberfan disaster of 1966. In Victorian Britain a number of such disasters struck in various sectors of industry and society as the rapidly changing and largely unregulated profit-oriented economy threw up all manner of hazards from cheap lodging houses to unsafe modes of transport to toxic rivers. The Victorian response to such tragedies was to set-up statutory regulatory bodies, which by the mid-twentieth century had developed into an extensive system of life-preserving regulatory inspectorates overseeing the economy's proclivity to throw-up new and unsafe commercial products and practices. However, British society has now been subject to several decades of economies and cost-cutting reductions of the functions and scope of these publicly-funded bodies, sometimes characterised in the media as 'red tape' holding back 'enterprise'. As the Grenfell Tower enquiry proceeds it seems to uncover an underfunded, broken, fragmented and ineffective regulatory system in modern Britain, signifying the unlearning in recent decades of the harsh lessons learned by our Victorian predecessors: that an insufficiently monitored and inspected free market pays insufficient attention to the protection of human life in its search for profits. This event is hosted by History & Policy.
Due to illness, Ewen Shane talk was given by Professor Simon Szreter. Shane Ewen is Reader in Urban History at Leeds Beckett University. He is Co-Investigator on the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project, ‘Forged by Fire: Burns Injury and Identity in Britain, c.1800-2000’. He has written extensively about the history of Britain’s fire and rescue service. This policy paper is based on a presentation given at the Home Office in January 2018. Wednesday 17 October: 5:00pm - 7:00pm History, Faculty of, Room 6, West Road, CB3 9EF The Grenfell Tower fire is generally agreed to have been the worst tragedy of unnecessary loss of life in Britain since the Aberfan disaster of 1966. In Victorian Britain a number of such disasters struck in various sectors of industry and society as the rapidly changing and largely unregulated profit-oriented economy threw up all manner of hazards from cheap lodging houses to unsafe modes of transport to toxic rivers. The Victorian response to such tragedies was to set-up statutory regulatory bodies, which by the mid-twentieth century had developed into an extensive system of life-preserving regulatory inspectorates overseeing the economy's proclivity to throw-up new and unsafe commercial products and practices. However, British society has now been subject to several decades of economies and cost-cutting reductions of the functions and scope of these publicly-funded bodies, sometimes characterised in the media as 'red tape' holding back 'enterprise'. As the Grenfell Tower enquiry proceeds it seems to uncover an underfunded, broken, fragmented and ineffective regulatory system in modern Britain, signifying the unlearning in recent decades of the harsh lessons learned by our Victorian predecessors: that an insufficiently monitored and inspected free market pays insufficient attention to the protection of human life in its search for profits. This event is hosted by History & Policy.
15 October 2018 - 18:30 pm - 19:30 pm River Room, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS As Brexit negotiations proceed, all eyes are on the actions and perspectives of the UK government and the European Commission – but how do the perspectives of other major EU member nations feed into the process? British history has often been deployed by participants in the debate, but how might other national histories have brought us to this moment? And what does the political class in France make of the post-Brexit future? SPEAKER: Dr Sophie Loussouarn is an Assistant Professor in British History at the University of Amiens and a Visiting Professor at the University of Alicante in Spain where she gives a seminar on Brexit. She is an alumna of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm) and Oxford (Wadham College). She graduated from the Institute of Political Science in Paris and published a biography of Tony Blair (2009) and of David Cameron (2010). Sophie is often interviewed on British politics and Brexit on French television and radio. She organized an international conference on the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in Amiens in December 2015. Her article on “Gillray and the French Revolution” was published in National Identities in June 2015. RESPONDENT: The Rt Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP is Conservative Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield and has taken a prominent role in the Brexit debate both within and outside Parliament. He is President of the Franco-British Society and a recipient of the Légion d'honneur. Note: Mr Grieve has unfortunately had to withdraw from the event and has sent his apologies. CHAIR: Michael Jay, Baron Jay of Ewelme is a crossbench member of the House of Lords, and previously served as the UK Ambassador to France and Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
15 October 2018 - 18:30 pm - 19:30 pm River Room, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS As Brexit negotiations proceed, all eyes are on the actions and perspectives of the UK government and the European Commission – but how do the perspectives of other major EU member nations feed into the process? British history has often been deployed by participants in the debate, but how might other national histories have brought us to this moment? And what does the political class in France make of the post-Brexit future? SPEAKER: Dr Sophie Loussouarn is an Assistant Professor in British History at the University of Amiens and a Visiting Professor at the University of Alicante in Spain where she gives a seminar on Brexit. She is an alumna of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm) and Oxford (Wadham College). She graduated from the Institute of Political Science in Paris and published a biography of Tony Blair (2009) and of David Cameron (2010). Sophie is often interviewed on British politics and Brexit on French television and radio. She organized an international conference on the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in Amiens in December 2015. Her article on “Gillray and the French Revolution” was published in National Identities in June 2015. RESPONDENT: The Rt Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP is Conservative Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield and has taken a prominent role in the Brexit debate both within and outside Parliament. He is President of the Franco-British Society and a recipient of the Légion d'honneur. Note: Mr Grieve has unfortunately had to withdraw from the event and has sent his apologies. CHAIR: Michael Jay, Baron Jay of Ewelme is a crossbench member of the House of Lords, and previously served as the UK Ambassador to France and Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary 6 October 2018 - 10:00 am - 17:00 pm Lecture Room 3, Bush House (North East Wing), King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG In 1868, while suffering under major legal restrictions, the British trade unions teamed up to found a central body to lobby for their wider social and industrial aims and rights. Today, when unions are again subject to severe legal disadvantage, it is timely to recall the first Trades Union Congress (TUC) and unions’ achievements, and to look forward on union prospects for the future. A History & Policy Trade Union and Employment Forum conference, with speakers and chairs including: Sarah Veale, former Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC Paul Nowak, TUC Deputy General Secretary Nick Jones, journalist and broadcaser, and former BBC industrial and senior political correspondent Lord John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993-2003 Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, UNITE Laura Cohen, CEO, British Ceramic Confederation Mark Curthoys, research editor, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography John Edmonds, former General Council chair and GMB General Secretary Dr James Moher, a former union official and historian of the Labour movement Peter Ackers, Visiting Professor, Loughborough University Michael Gold, Professor of Comparative Employment Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
20 June 2018 - 18:00 pm - 20:00 pm Room K-1.56, King's College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS In spite of Equal Pay Laws and House of Commons Resolutions, there is still a gender pay gap in Britain - and hear an analysis of the recently gathered gender pay reports of large companies from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. History and Policy’s Trade Union and Employment Forum is holding a seminar at King's College London featuring: Helen Glew, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Westminster, who will explain the history of Equal Pay in Britain, and Sue Coe, Employment Head at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who will analyse the results from the gender pay reports from organisations with over 250 employees.
20 June 2018 - 18:00 pm - 20:00 pm Room K-1.56, King's College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS In spite of Equal Pay Laws and House of Commons Resolutions, there is still a gender pay gap in Britain - and hear an analysis of the recently gathered gender pay reports of large companies from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. History and Policy’s Trade Union and Employment Forum is holding a seminar at King's College London featuring: Helen Glew, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Westminster, who will explain the history of Equal Pay in Britain, and Sue Coe, Employment Head at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who will analyse the results from the gender pay reports from organisations with over 250 employees.
Professor Kevin Theakston, Professor of British Government at the University of Leeds, and co-author of William Armstrong and British Policy Making (Palgrave Macmillan 2018). Armstrong was the inaugural head of the Civil Service Department, the establishment of which Fulton recommended, and was charged with implementing the Report. Reforming the Civil Service: the Fulton Report, 50 years on 9 June 2018 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Room 2.03, Bush House (South Wing), King's College London, Strand WC2R 1ES The Report of the Committee on the Civil Service, commissioned by the Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson and chaired by Lord Fulton, appeared in June 1968. It was critical of the underlying philosophy of Whitehall, suggesting that the Civil Service operated as a “cult” of the generalist or amateur, that it lacked skilled managers, and overlooked scientists, engineers and other specialists for promotion. It made important recommendations for changes in the structure and practices of the Civil Service, some of which were implemented while others were not – and the themes it raised are still debated today. This is a unique opportunity for historians and practitioners, past and present, to reflect together on how reform comes about in government and how it works - there will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion. Drinks and refreshments will be served. One of a series of Whitehall Anniversary events in 2018. This event is the second in a 2018 series marking a number of anniversaries of key events in the history of the UK Civil Service, including also the Next Steps (1988) and Haldane (1918) Reports.
Richard Wilson, Baron Wilson of Dinton is a crossbench peer and former Head of the Civil Service. His 36-year career there began in 1966 (the year the Fulton Committee began its deliberations) at the Board of Trade, and has included service in the Department of Energy, the Cabinet Office, the Department of the Environment and the Home Office before becoming Head of the Civil Service in 1998, a position he retired from in 2002. Reforming the Civil Service: the Fulton Report, 50 years on 9 June 2018 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Room 2.03, Bush House (South Wing), King's College London, Strand WC2R 1ES The Report of the Committee on the Civil Service, commissioned by the Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson and chaired by Lord Fulton, appeared in June 1968. It was critical of the underlying philosophy of Whitehall, suggesting that the Civil Service operated as a “cult” of the generalist or amateur, that it lacked skilled managers, and overlooked scientists, engineers and other specialists for promotion. It made important recommendations for changes in the structure and practices of the Civil Service, some of which were implemented while others were not – and the themes it raised are still debated today. This is a unique opportunity for historians and practitioners, past and present, to reflect together on how reform comes about in government and how it works - there will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion. Drinks and refreshments will be served. One of a series of Whitehall Anniversary events in 2018. This event is the second in a 2018 series marking a number of anniversaries of key events in the history of the UK Civil Service, including also the Next Steps (1988) and Haldane (1918) Reports.
Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow and Resident Historian at the Institute for Government. Dr Haddon specialises in the history of Whitehall and the evolution of civil service reform. Reforming the Civil Service: the Fulton Report, 50 years on 9 June 2018 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Room 2.03, Bush House (South Wing), King's College London, Strand WC2R 1ES The Report of the Committee on the Civil Service, commissioned by the Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson and chaired by Lord Fulton, appeared in June 1968. It was critical of the underlying philosophy of Whitehall, suggesting that the Civil Service operated as a “cult” of the generalist or amateur, that it lacked skilled managers, and overlooked scientists, engineers and other specialists for promotion. It made important recommendations for changes in the structure and practices of the Civil Service, some of which were implemented while others were not – and the themes it raised are still debated today. This is a unique opportunity for historians and practitioners, past and present, to reflect together on how reform comes about in government and how it works - there will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion. Drinks and refreshments will be served. One of a series of Whitehall Anniversary events in 2018. This event is the second in a 2018 series marking a number of anniversaries of key events in the history of the UK Civil Service, including also the Next Steps (1988) and Haldane (1918) Reports.
Sir Richard Mottram 22 May 2018 - 18:15 pm - 19:45 pm Council Room, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS In 1988 the official report Improving Efficiency in Government: The Next Steps appeared in its final form. It led on to one of the most substantial reconfigurations the UK machinery of government has seen, with the allocation of a wide range of functions to executive agencies. Kate Jenkins, former head of the government's Efficiency Unit and co-author of the report, will provide her perspective on the exercise and its significance, followed with a response by Sir Richard Mottram, whose forty-year career in the Civil Service included a spell in the early 1990s as Permanent Secretary at the Office of Public Service and Science within the Cabinet Office, where his responsibilities included public service change and management. Joining the discussion from an academic perspective will be Dr Andrew Blick (King's College London). Dr Catherine Haddon (Institute for Government) will chair.
Kate Jenkins 22 May 2018 - 18:15 pm - 19:45 pm Council Room, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS In 1988 the official report Improving Efficiency in Government: The Next Steps appeared in its final form. It led on to one of the most substantial reconfigurations the UK machinery of government has seen, with the allocation of a wide range of functions to executive agencies. Kate Jenkins, former head of the government's Efficiency Unit and co-author of the report, will provide her perspective on the exercise and its significance, followed with a response by Sir Richard Mottram, whose forty-year career in the Civil Service included a spell in the early 1990s as Permanent Secretary at the Office of Public Service and Science within the Cabinet Office, where his responsibilities included public service change and management. Joining the discussion from an academic perspective will be Dr Andrew Blick (King's College London). Dr Catherine Haddon (Institute for Government) will chair.
Alex Loktionov of Robinson College, Cambridge. 22 February 2018 - 16:00 pm - 18:00 pm Room 1.03, Bush House (North East Wing), 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG How can the past - even the ancient past - help democracy advocates understand the societies they are working in? Mariam Memarsadeghi, Iranian-American human rights and democracy advocate and co-founder of Tavaana: E-learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society, will talk about the contemporary position in Iran and the work of her organisation in promoting democracy there. Alex Loktionov of Robinson College, Cambridge will discuss the ancient history of Egypt and the lessons that might be derived for contemporary democracy promotion. Dr Andrew Blick, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Contemporary History, DPE, and Director of History & Policy was the chair.
Mariam Memarsadeghi - Tavaana: E-learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society 22 February 2018 - 16:00 pm - 18:00 pm Room 1.03, Bush House (North East Wing), 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG How can the past - even the ancient past - help democracy advocates understand the societies they are working in? Mariam Memarsadeghi, Iranian-American human rights and democracy advocate and co-founder of Tavaana: E-learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society, will talk about the contemporary position in Iran and the work of her organisation in promoting democracy there. Alex Loktionov of Robinson College, Cambridge will discuss the ancient history of Egypt and the lessons that might be derived for contemporary democracy promotion. Dr Andrew Blick, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Contemporary History, DPE, and Director of History & Policy was the chair.
Carole Spary - University of Nottingham 9 February 2018 - 10:15 am - 14:45 pm Palace of Westminster, London SW1A 2PW How can global and historical movements for women’s political rights provide models for achieving racial and gender equality in the British political arena? On the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, this one-day workshop will explore the ways in which past and contemporary movements, especially featuring women of colour and women in the global south, can be applied to current issues regarding voting and parliamentary representation. The session will include papers delivered by a number of historians and social scientists, whose discussions will draw upon examples that include Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean, India, and South Africa. Sam Smethers (Chief Executive, Fawcett Society) and Frances Scott (Founder, 50:50 Parliament) will also provide discussion on current policy and campaigning practices. Through collaborative discussion between academics, policy-makers and political activists, the session will consider the ways in which these global and historical movements can be used to attain greater equality and diversity in the British political arena.
Sam Smethers - Fawcett Society 9 February 2018 - 10:15 am - 14:45 pm Palace of Westminster, London SW1A 2PW How can global and historical movements for women’s political rights provide models for achieving racial and gender equality in the British political arena? On the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, this one-day workshop will explore the ways in which past and contemporary movements, especially featuring women of colour and women in the global south, can be applied to current issues regarding voting and parliamentary representation. The session will include papers delivered by a number of historians and social scientists, whose discussions will draw upon examples that include Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean, India, and South Africa. Sam Smethers (Chief Executive, Fawcett Society) and Frances Scott (Founder, 50:50 Parliament) will also provide discussion on current policy and campaigning practices. Through collaborative discussion between academics, policy-makers and political activists, the session will consider the ways in which these global and historical movements can be used to attain greater equality and diversity in the British political arena.
Frances Scott - 50:50 Parliament 9 February 2018 - 10:15 am - 14:45 pm Palace of Westminster, London SW1A 2PW How can global and historical movements for women’s political rights provide models for achieving racial and gender equality in the British political arena? On the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, this one-day workshop will explore the ways in which past and contemporary movements, especially featuring women of colour and women in the global south, can be applied to current issues regarding voting and parliamentary representation. The session will include papers delivered by a number of historians and social scientists, whose discussions will draw upon examples that include Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean, India, and South Africa. Sam Smethers (Chief Executive, Fawcett Society) and Frances Scott (Founder, 50:50 Parliament) will also provide discussion on current policy and campaigning practices. Through collaborative discussion between academics, policy-makers and political activists, the session will consider the ways in which these global and historical movements can be used to attain greater equality and diversity in the British political arena.