On Saturday, 14 February, Bournemouth will host the first Carnival of Alternative Politics (CAP), convened by speechwriter and conference organiser Brian Jenner.
The event is inspired by and in memory of co-operator David Boyle, the former New Economics Foundation editor, who died last year.
Bournemouth is famous for its political conferences, and Jenner wanted “to create something to sustain David’s vibrant ideas and sense of community”.
He said: “He championed many innovative political ideas in his books [but] his work had one broad theme: the importance of human-scale institutions over centralised ones, human imagination over dull rationalism, and the human spirit over technocratic reduction.”
CAP will host talks and debates focusing on alternative visions of the future at the Freemasons’ Hall in Boscombe, including a panel of 20-somethings explaining the problems facing recent graduates, an author outlining the political significance of the Greek myths, and a debate about returning to Europe. There will also be a speaking contest for sixth formers to speak on the subject of ‘The Adult World I Want to Live In,’ judged by a local Labour MP.
Bournemouth is “the spiritual home of Britain’s annual political conferences”, say the organisers, and the event is designed to bring together “the mainstream and the marginal, the old and the new, the top and the bottom”.
“We live in a time of great instability and fear,” added Jenner. “The best thing you can do is get out of the house for a day and listen to what other people are thinking and saying. Anyone who has been to a party political conference knows that they can be fun – a combination of mental stimulation with plenty of socialising on the sidelines.
“This event is a chance to move with the times and provide a platform for those who want to listen and participate in political conversation without being constrained by party politics.”
For more information and tickets, visit thecap.eventbrite.co.uk
