Adrian Wooldridge, Political Editor and “Bagehot” columnist of The Economist.
What binds us and divides us? Are there links to Brexit and our PM?
Brexit Britain is looking increasingly like 1970s Britain: bigger state, higher inflation, less choice, more bureaucracy, shortages of staff and supplies, ignoring the needs of the less-privileged, rampant cronyism.
His latest book “The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World” traces the history of meritocracy. He describes the repeated efforts to compel society to organise itself on lines where not bloodlines or bank balances but merit alone decides who rules.
His book raises debates regarding the future of the Labour Party (“it offers Labour’s only path to victory” according to Wooldridge) and the Government’s “levelling up” agenda.
Where does meritocracy stand in the domestic party political arena? What can we learn from divergent attitudes in Europe and across the world, and where does Brexit fit into the context? This promises to be a fascinating talk.
