Can conservatives be progressive? | John Bercow, Guy Standing, Camila Vergara, Nadhim Zahawi
85John Bercow, Guy Standing, Camila Vergara, and Nadhim Zahawi discuss if the concept of progress is still useful for us or what we must do to recover it.
Have we stopped progressing? And does that even matter?
With a free trial, you can watch the full debate NOW at https://iai.tv/video/peril-and-progress?utm_source=YouTube
Originally to be progressive was to believe in progress and to imagine there was a right side to history. But times have changed. What it is to be progressive looks increasingly in question. Science and technology, once the dream of early 20th-century socialism, are now often the focus of attack. Some of the most radical favour a return to a pre-industrial world. Meanwhile, stability and security, once the rallying cry of conservatives, are now endorsed by many who see themselves as progressive. And across Europe the young, traditionally the drivers of progressive change, are increasingly voting with the right.
Do we have to recognise that without a clear vision of progress we have also lost the idea of what it is to be progressive? Is there a new vision around which a progressive politics can be built? Or was the idea of progress always an illusion, a means of imposing on history the idealistic prejudices of the time?
#politics #ukpolitics #progress
Camila Vergara is a critical legal theorist, historian, and journalist writing on the relation between inequality and the law. Nadhim Zahawi is a politician who served in various ministerial positions including as Chancellor, Secretary of State for Education and Chairman of the Conservative Party. Nadhim Zahawi is a politician who served in various ministerial positions including as Chancellor, Secretary of State for Education, and Chairman of the Conservative Party. John Bercow is the former Speaker for the House of Commons, former chancellor of the University of Essex and current professor at Royal Holloway. Guy Standing is a labour economist known for his support for Universal Basic Income.
Mary Ann Sieghart hosts.
00:00 Introduction
00:12 Guy Standing on the problem with today's politics
01:29 Nadhim Zahawi on measuring progress
01:40 Camila Vergara on redefining progress
01:59 Guy Standing on economic rights
03:44 John Bercow on helping the less privileged
05:07 Can conservatibes be progressive?
The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics. Subscribe today! https://iai.tv/subscribe?utm_source=YouTube
For debates and talks: https://iai.tv/
For articles: https://iai.tv/articles
For courses: https://iai.tv/iai-academy/courses