Demos
Peter Harrington – Head of Communications
Peter joined Demos in January 2007 to head events and publishing. He previously worked as manager of Citizens Against Terror, an international campaign to develop civic engagement with security and human rights. He has also researched energy policy, security, and conflict at the Centre for the Study of Global Governance, London School of Economics, and worked at Practical Action, an international development charity in the UK. Peter studied Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Peters main research interests are in finance and regulation, the environment, international development and identity politics. His regional interests lie particularly in Africa, the Middle-East and Central Asia.
.
Can you give us a brief history of Demos – your achievements and your vision?
Sure. So, founded in 1993, frustrated with politics for being stale and fusty. We were designed to be a network of networks, knitting different people and ideas together to tackle social problems and make politics feel relevant to people. It’s always been about ideas rather than party politics. Our vision is a society of powerful people, and politics that spread power more effectively.
We haven’t achieved that yet!
Whats Progressive Conservatism?
Good question. Our Progressive Conservatism Project is trying to figure that out. It sounds contradictory right? I guess it depends how you define either word. If you say you want to preserve everything as it is then obviously that’s opposed to progress. But if you say you want to strike a balance between keeping what’s good from the past – like certain traditions and values – and changing what isn’t – like inequality and disadvantage – then many might agree with you.
A progressive conservative might tackle poverty (which is a progressive thing to do) by trying to get people on benefits into work (which is based on a more old-fashioned, conservative value of ’something-for-something’). I wouldn’t describe myself as conservative, so I’m interested when the Tories say they want to be progressive.
Can your cultural capital really improve social mobility?
The short answer is yes, but this is not my area so I asked the expert. He said:
“Cultural capital is not a fixed acquisition but more like a commons or a resource from which we can all draw. As important as social mobility is, the issue is really about skills, attitudes and approaches – how can we best be given the opportunity to respond to and shape the culture in which we live? Ultimately, it’s as much about ’sociability’ as social mobility.”
So, er, that’s settled then.
What can the social enterprise sector do that government cant?
Innovate.
How come if your chatting about social and cultural policy someone always says – “Well in Sweden…” ?
Ha. Those clever Scandinavians do seem to have cracked a lot of things – they have a very enlightened take on education, social care, mental health. They’re more holistic, more focused on relationships rather than targets, and braver about thinking long term. That’s not to say Sweden is utopia – they have their own problems like high suicide and fewer jobs. A lot of the difference between Sweden and here comes down to what we expect from our government, and are prepared to pay for. (They also don’t spend billions on massive weapons.)
What do you make of Nudge - Thaler and Sunstein - and the role of social psychology in policy making?
Every so often an idea comes along which catches alight – usually in a well-marketed book with a nifty one-word title. Nudge is good if it gets us closer to policies based on how people actually behave – unpredictable, often irrational, culturally conditioned etc – rather than some abstract, non-existent robot made up by modern economics. What bothers me is if people pretend the Nudge methods aren’t controversial. It’s quite radical to arrange someone’s options so that you manipulate them to choose what you want them to, some would say a bit sinister. There’s got to be honesty about what using ‘nudges’ means for people’s freedom to choose.
Recommended reading – nothing too heavy please?
Hmm. Demos’ thing is power, so I’m going to recommend books which made me think about power in its different forms…
- Anthills of the Savanna by Chinua Achebe – the best novel about politics and power I have ever read.
- One flew over the cuckoo’s nest by Ken Kesey. All about hidden power over people.
- 1984 by George Orwell. No intro necessary.
- Watchmen by Alan Moore – with great power comes great responsibility…
- Children of Our Age by Wislawa Szymborska. Am I allowed a poem?
- The Iliad by Homer. The original story of power. After hubris comes nemesis.
Demos
Peter Harrington – Head of Communications
Peter joined Demos in January 2007 to head events and publishing. He previously worked as manager of Citizens Against Terror, an international campaign to develop civic engagement with security and human rights. He has also researched energy policy, security, and conflict at the Centre for the Study of Global Governance, London School of Economics, and worked at Practical Action, an international development charity in the UK. Peter studied Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Peters main research interests are in finance and regulation, the environment, international development and identity politics. His regional interests lie particularly in Africa, the Middle-East and Central Asia.
Can you give us a brief history of Demos – your achievements and your vision?
Sure. So, founded in 1993, frustrated with politics for being stale and fusty. We were designed to be a network of networks, knitting different people and ideas together to tackle social problems and make politics feel relevant to people. It’s always been about ideas rather than party politics. Our vision is a society of powerful people, and politics that spread power more effectively.
We haven’t achieved that yet!
Whats Progressive Conservatism?
Good question. Our Progressive Conservatism Project is trying to figure that out. It sounds contradictory right? I guess it depends how you define either word. If you say you want to preserve everything as it is then obviously that’s opposed to progress. But if you say you want to strike a balance between keeping what’s good from the past – like certain traditions and values – and changing what isn’t – like inequality and disadvantage – then many might agree with you.
A progressive conservative might tackle poverty (which is a progressive thing to do) by trying to get people on benefits into work (which is based on a more old-fashioned, conservative value of ’something-for-something’). I wouldn’t describe myself as conservative, so I’m interested when the Tories say they want to be progressive.
Can your cultural capital really improve social mobility?
The short answer is yes, but this is not my area so I asked the expert. He said:
“Cultural capital is not a fixed acquisition but more like a commons or a resource from which we can all draw. As important as social mobility is, the issue is really about skills, attitudes and approaches – how can we best be given the opportunity to respond to and shape the culture in which we live? Ultimately, it’s as much about ’sociability’ as social mobility.”
So, er, that’s settled then.
What can the social enterprise sector do that government cant?
Innovate.
How come if your chatting about social and cultural policy someone always says – “Well in Sweden…” ?
Ha. Those clever Scandinavians do seem to have cracked a lot of things – they have a very enlightened take on education, social care, mental health. They’re more holistic, more focused on relationships rather than targets, and braver about thinking long term. That’s not to say Sweden is utopia – they have their own problems like high suicide and fewer jobs. A lot of the difference between Sweden and here comes down to what we expect from our government, and are prepared to pay for. (They also don’t spend billions on massive weapons.)
What do you make of Nudge - Thaler and Sunstein - and the role of social psychology in policy making?
Every so often an idea comes along which catches alight – usually in a well-marketed book with a nifty one-word title. Nudge is good if it gets us closer to policies based on how people actually behave – unpredictable, often irrational, culturally conditioned etc – rather than some abstract, non-existent robot made up by modern economics. What bothers me is if people pretend the Nudge methods aren’t controversial. It’s quite radical to arrange someone’s options so that you manipulate them to choose what you want them to, some would say a bit sinister. There’s got to be honesty about what using ‘nudges’ means for people’s freedom to choose.
Recommended reading – nothing too heavy please?
Hmm. Demos’ thing is power, so I’m going to recommend books which made me think about power in its different forms…
- Anthills of the Savanna by Chinua Achebe – the best novel about politics and power I have ever read.
- One flew over the cuckoo’s nest by Ken Kesey. All about hidden power over people.
- 1984 by George Orwell. No intro necessary.
- Watchmen by Alan Moore – with great power comes great responsibility…
- Children of Our Age by Wislawa Szymborska. Am I allowed a poem?
- The Iliad by Homer. The original story of power. After hubris comes nemesis.
…Couldn’t help myself at the end there. Sorry.