Updates and Discussion
How we can fix our Media for a more equal 2027
Imagine a world where the media were unbiased, based their stories on facts and evidence, and were neither in thrall to politicians nor dependent on celebrities for news and endorsement. Sounds fantastic? The best of UK media can rightly claim that they already fulfil...
Corporate Lobbying: fixing the gateway problem for 2027
Everyone has a right to put their point of view to those in power – so in theory there’s nothing wrong with lobbying. In fact, it’s an important part of democracy and has resulted in improvements to health, the environment and human rights. But what happens when it...
Tamasin Cave and Zoe Williams coming to imagine2027 in June!
We're delighted to announce two further speakers to cover two vital topics - how the corporate world misfunctions, and how our media fail us, and what we can do about each of these to bring about a fairer country over the next decade. Tamasin Cave is a campaigner who...
David Willetts on Fair Sharing across Generations in 2027
Intergenerational inequality is not only a subject of academic debate, but a source of misunderstanding and grievance that fuels the increasing divisions of society. But taking a simplistic approach is not going to make things any better by 2027: it’s not just a...
Laurie Macfarlane on fair and affordable housing by 2027
The phrase ‘affordable housing’ has become the butt of jokes on topical game shows and the despair of political commentators. For families on a low or average income. ‘affording’ rent or a mortgage may well mean ‘saving’ on food, heat and other essentials. The problem...
Richard Murphy on why tax can change everything by 2027
Tax is as inevitable as birth and death, but much less exciting to hear about – right? Wrong, according to Richard Murphy, Director of Tax Research UK, and Professor at City University, London. Author of The Joy of Tax, and characterised by the Guardian as an...
Hermann Hauser – Technology for Social Good in 2027
Hermann Hauser – a Doctor of Physics, Honorary Doctor of three universities, Fellow of the Royal Society, and honorary KBE amongst other accolades – must be one of our best known entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Associated with the ‘Cambridge Phenomenon’ from...
Ava Vidal on Intersectional Feminism for a Fairer 2027
Viewing the future through the prism of wry and incisive humour, and likely to create one of our liveliest and most off-beat presentations yet is Ava Vidal on 22 March. A mother at 18 and prison officer for five years, Ava has become a regular presence on television...
George Monbiot on the Politics of Belonging
George Monbiot’s arrival to talk in Cambridge Commons’ Imagine2027 programme on 22 February aroused the most intense media and public interest of all the lectures so far. There is a marked contrast with his pretty un-starlike demeanour, mixing as he does a bottom-up...
Announcing The Cambridge Commons’ New “Civic Vision”
The group behind the imagine2027 initiative is The Cambridge Commons, which exists to raise awareness of, and reduce, inequality in Cambridge. The Commons has just launched its new Civic Vision - High Level Aspirations for Government and Business. The aim of these...