Fixing Britain’s Failed State

Join Insights North East and the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) for this exciting event debating Sam Freedman’s book ‘Failed State: Why Britain Doesn’t Work and How We Can Fix It’.

Sam Freedman will present the arguments from his book that Britain’s state is failing due to hyper-centralisation, the executive dominance of Number 10 and the Treasury, and media-driven policymaking. To fix the problems, Sam proposes rebuilding local government, strengthening parliamentary scrutiny, and rethinking the civil service.

Sam will present the arguments and potential solutions and engage in debate with our panellists:

• Martin Brookes, Chief Executive, VONNE
• Adrian Dougherty, Assistant Director, Inclusive Futures, North East Combined Authority
• Sarah Longlands, Chief Executive, Centre for Local Economic Strategies
• Sajda Nawaz-Bhatti, Head of Policy and Performance, Newcastle City Council
• Andy Pike, Sir Henry Daysh Chair of Regional Development Studies, Newcastle University
• Chair: Professor Jo Fox, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle

We look forward to welcoming you on 15 October.