Hansard Society conference in the Guardian - 17 November 2008
John Harris, when discussing class politics in the Guardian, referred to the speech made by Hazel Blears at Hansrad Society's Revitalising Politics conference on 5/6 November. Held jointly with the Universities of Sheffield and Southampton, the conference discussed what Parliament, Government, citizens and civil society can do to engage the public with politics.
He said 'Of course, there are politicians from all sides who are discomfited by
this. A couple of weeks ago, for instance, the secretary of state for
communities, Hazel Blears made a speech to the Hansard Society full of
tough talk. "It is deeply unhealthy for our political class to be drawn
from a narrowing social base and range of experience," she said.
Parliament was in need of "people who know what it is to worry about
the rent collector's knock or the fear of layoff ... in short, we need
more Dennis Skinners, more David Davises, more David Blunketts".'
Read the full article here
Read the full list of press coverage about the conference.
If you would like to read the papers from the conference and join the debate visit the Revitalising Politics website.