Political thinker to discuss ‘Big Society’ with church leaders

A political thinker and commentator, said to be behind the Conservative party’s ‘Big Society’ policy, will be one of three keynote speakers at an event for churches across the East Midlands next week.

The study day called ‘The Big Society and the Church: Theology, Policy and Practice’, on Thursday 19th May at St Ann with Emmanuel Church in Nottingham, will welcome Phillip Blond, director of ResPublica – independent think tank organisation - and author of ‘Red Tory: How Left and Right have broken Britain and How we can fix it’

Phillip is an internationally recognised political thinker and social and economic commentator. He is the director and founder of the award winning public policy think tank ResPublica and an academic, journalist and author. Prior to entering politics and public policy he was a senior lecturer in theology and philosophy – teaching at the Universities of Exeter and Cumbria. He is the author of Red Tory (Faber and Faber 2010) which sought to redefine the centre ground of British politics around the ideas of civil association, mutual ownership and social enterprise. His ideas have influenced the agenda around the ‘Big Society’ and have helped to redefine British politics. He has written extensively in the British press including The Guardian, The Observer, The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, Prospect and the New Statesman. He is also a frequent broadcaster whose ideas have attracted attention both nationally and internationally.

Other speakers at the event will include John Milbank, Professor of Religion, Politics and Ethics at the University of Nottingham and Angus Ritchie, Director of the Contextual Theology Centre in London. Contributors to the day will include the Rt Revd Tim Stevens - Bishop of Leicester, Adrian Pabst - a Lecturer in Politics from the University of Kent and a columnist , Alison Milbank -  Associate Professor of Literature and Theology at the University of Nottingham.

Representatives from churches across the East Midlands are due to attend the day which will run from 10-3.30pm and has been organised by the East Midlands Regional Training Partnership in collaboration with East Midlands Churches Forum..
 

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