Social Solidarity and the Virus

Contributor(s): Tim Dixon, Professor Kate Pickett | Has the sudden, intense common experience of the virus crisis generated a reservoir of social solidarity? How have public attitudes and political culture shifted and what is the significance of these changes for progressive politics? Meet our speaker and chair Tim Dixon (@dixontim) co-founded the More in Common organisation, and was previously an economic adviser and chief speechwriter for two Prime Ministers. He was born in Australia and trained and worked as an economist and a lawyer in the tech sector, as well as founding an educational publishing business that was acquired by Pearson. For the past decade he has worked between the UK and the US, establishing several nonprofits and social movement organisations, working to unite divided societies and strengthen democracy. He has jointly authored eight national reports published by More in Common since 2017. Kate Pickett (@ProfKEPickett) is Professor of Epidemiology and Deputy Director of the Centre for Future Health at the University of York. She is a co-founder of The Equality Trust and Chair of the Greater Manchester Independent Inequalities Commission. With Richard Wilkinson, she is the co-author of The Spirit Level (2009), and The Inner Level (2018). Robin Archer is Director of the Ralph Miliband Programme.