Speakers

John is shadow chancellor of the exchequer, and a long-term socialist.

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Author, journalist and film maker. After 15 years as a journalist, he just decided to tell it straight.

Paul will be leading sessions on economics, media and propaganda, international struggles, and how a socialist government can keep power in the face of an establishment backlash.

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Activist and musician Billy Bragg will be playing the music gig on the Friday night.

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Author, activist and editor of Red Pepper. Hilary has been an implacable voice for participatory democracy.

She will be speaking on A New Politics From The Left – about how power for the benefit of ordinary people has to come from ordinary people, and not wielded on their behalf from Whitehall.

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Councillor, anti-racism campaigner, and member of Labour’s NEC.

Film maker and lifelong campaigner for social justice. Ken will be involved in several sessions, subject to his filming schedule.

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Comedy legend and socialist, Mark Steel has produced TV and radio shows, currently writes a column in the Independent.

Mark will be headlining the comedy gig on the Thursday night.

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Jamie is the North of Tyne Mayor, co-founder of Talk Socialism and co-author of The Way of The Activist.

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Talk Socialism is a political eduction group with a purpose:
To change the framework in which millions of people think about political questions.
To that end, we are building a group of people who want to go out into the Labour Party, the wider Labour movement, into community groups, into public forums online, comments sites, at work, at uni – everywhere – and champion socialist policies.

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We Are Our Media is a collective of people from across the North East who believe we deserve better than what is currently being offered to us, by way of the main stream media.
We seek to develop an alternative to our current media, which is mostly owned by the powerful to make a profit at any cost, creating content that divides communities and spreads hatred and fear.

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We Can Win are some of the finest leadership and community organising trainers there are.

They deliver empowering and inspiring training that equips everyday people with the practical skills and strategic support to lead local change and win big.

They draw on our team’s experience of campaigning and community organising to develop tailored training packages for community groups, local activists and progressive candidates.

Lead Trainer: Sotez Chowdhury

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The Women’s Banner group plan to celebrate the achievements of women in trade unions and politics.

Women in the mining community have always dutifully come out and fought the fight when it was necessary. What we’re fighting for now is the recognition for what women have done and what they can do in the future.

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Momentum is a people-powered, vibrant movement. We aim to transform the Labour Party, our communities and Britain in the interests of the many, not the few.

Our proposition is simple: if more of us come together, we can use our skills and energy to tackle every challenge head on. Using our collective power, our campaigning, networks and tech, we can transform society for the better.

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ACORN is a community based social justice union, organising low & moderate income communities to build people power and fight for the common good

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A strong democracy is an inclusive democracy. It’s a society where no-one is invisible and every voice is heard.

Culture can be the preserve of the privileged few, or instead it can be the building block that strengthens our democracy, celebrated as a basic human right, helping to create a world where all people are free to enjoy the benefits of self-expression, access to resources and community.

Our goal is to ensure that culture for all, by all, comes to permeate all corners of our social lives and political institutions.

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The World Transformed organises political events. But they don’t look like any you’ve seen before. We mix big names with the most inspiring grassroots voices. We tackle topics others overlook. We offer free tickets so that anybody can attend. And we bring together art, music and design to build a unique and exciting atmosphere. We care about creating experiences that appeal to people outside of the political bubble.

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Red Pepper is a bi-monthly magazine and website of left politics and culture. We’re a socialist publication drawing on feminist, green and libertarian politics. We seek to be a space for debate on the left, a resource for movements for social justice, and a home for open-minded anti-capitalists.

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General secretary of the Communications Workers Union.
As well as being a supporter of Chelsea Football Club, Dave is also a keen blues guitarist and cites Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards and US slide guitar wizard Ry Cooder among his musical heroes.

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The Peoples Assembly Against Austerity (PAAA) is a non-party political movement formed to fight all government spending cuts nationally, regionally and locally in the UK. Anyone can join no matter what political party/group or trade union (if any) you belong to; if you are against cuts then you are with us!

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National co-ordinator for Momentum, Laura will be speaking about The New Kind of Politics and reaching into left behind communities.

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Nigel is chair of the Co-operative College and will be running a session on how to set up a co-op.

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Emma is MP for South Shields, and a campaigner on food poverty. She’ll be talking about her Food Insecurity Bill and the charity she has set up with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

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Clive Lewis is Shadow Minister for the Treasury, Lead on Environmental Economics and Sustainable Finance.

Since being elected the Labour MP for Norwich South in May 2015, Clive has held the positions of Shadow Minister for Climate & Energy Change, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence and Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. He is currently Shadow Minister for the Treasury, with a focus on Environmental Economics and Sustainable Finance. Before entering Parliament, Clive was Vice President of the National Union of Students, a BBC TV political reporter as well as Army reservist infantry officer, serving a combat tour of Afghanistan in 2009.

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Clare is regional secretary of Unison.

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Owen has over ten years’ experience campaigning on economic justice and corporate power. He currently leads War on Want’s Stand with Migrant workers: End Precarious Contracts campaign which includes support work for the McStrike workers.

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Sarah-Jayne is director of Jubilee Debt Campaign and campaigns against the role of the global financial system in creating economic injustice.

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Mary is one of the most knowledgeable people about voting systems around, and is a member of the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform.

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Deborah is a leading grassroots activist, community campaigner and political educator. She’ll be involved in the sessions on food poverty and the political educators’ network.

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Catherine is deputy leader of Gateshead Council, and a founder Bensham Community Food Co-op, an initiative that not only feeds the hungry with dignity, but builds binds between refugees and local communities.

An independent community collective, campaigning for social justice, political reform and positive change – by singing! 🙂

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Unite Community is open to everyone, even those in precarious work or not employed.
They’ve run campaigns against Sports Direct, solidarity action with TGI Friday workers whose tips are being taken by the firm, and support people struggling with benefit appeals.

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Chris is MP for Derby North and former council leader. Chris will be running and interactive workshop on low pay with us.

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Beth is the national training officer for Momentum.

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The Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) is the largest independent Trade Union in the food sector in the British Isles. First established in 1847, we have over 175 years of experience in representing employees in the food sector, from production at factories through to sales at shops.

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Adam is a professional marketing consultant by day, and socialism advocate by night. He founded Digital Army in the 2017 general election, raised £1,000 and reached 4.7m people. He also advises Momentum on their Digital Marketing activities , including advising on the communications around the GE in 2017 and training staff on the best use of email and social media and data analysis.

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War on Want works directly with inspirational grassroots groups of people who are on the front line of the battle against poverty and injustice.

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Mike Phipps is a long-standing member of the editorial board of Labour Briefing, a founding member of the Labour Representation Committee and a regular contributor to the website Left Futures. A long-term anti-war activist, he was a founder member of Iraq Occupation Focus and has edited its fortnightly e-newsletter for several years.

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Hazel is a key activist within the One Million Climate Jobs campaign. After a decade as a charity housing advisor, Hazel spent eight years as a housing association Board Member, leading on strategies for reducing emissions while tackling poverty. She also initiated the Cumbria-wide bedroom tax campaign. An internationalist and eco-socialist, Hazel was a founder member of both Carlisle Refugee Action Group and Sustainable Carlisle. She witnessed the start of the Egyptian Revolution and supported the 2015 ‘OXI’ campaign in Greece. She is currently Chief Executive of climate change charity, Cumbria Action for Sustainability.

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Aaron often hosts Novara FM. He also presents regular videos reports, interviews and his opinion series IMOBastani. Aaron holds a doctorate in political science from Royal Holloway’s New Political Communications Unit and is currently working on a book about Fully Automated Luxury Communism

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Jessie Joe Jacobs is founder and former chief executive of the women’s charity A Way Out, has written for various regional and a national publications including the Guardian and New Statesman, runs a grassroots media project We Are Our Media which produces The Eclipse Newspaper and works part time for the TUC in policy and campaigns.

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Anne Scargill is legendary for her role in Women Against Pit Closures during in the miners strike.

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REfUSE is Durham’s branch of The Real Junk Food Project: a rapidly growing network of organisations challenging criminal levels of food waste. We intercept food before it becomes waste and turn it into healthy, accessible meals, served on a ‘Pay As You Feel’ basis.

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Dan is director of Labour’s Community Organising Unit, and founder of community organising trainers, We Can Win.

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Sotez is lead trainer for We Can Win, one of the best community organising trainers there is. He is now lead organiser at Labour’s Community Organising Unit.

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Health Campaigns Together is not just another health campaign.

It is an initiative to enable many of the campaigns that have been formed to liaise together, share experiences and lessons, and where possible work together on issues of common concern.

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NEON is a network of over 1,600 UK organisers from 900 different civil society groups. We run powerful trainings and support campaigns to help progressives win social, economic and environmental justice.

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Andrew is a World Transformed Organiser and parliamentary researcher in Jon Trickett’s office.

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Andrew Simms is an author, political economist and campaigner. His most recent book is Cancel the Apocalypse: The New Path to prosperity. He co-founded the New Weather Institute, leads on ‘rapid transitions’ in the face of climate change for the Centre for Global Political Economy, University of Sussex, and was policy director for New Economics Foundation for many years. He has written and broadcast often for national and international media including The Guardian and BBC. New Scientist magazine called him a ‘master at joined up progressive thinking.’

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Clara is a member of the PCS Climate committee and has been a leading Trade Union activist on climate change issues including supporting direct action against fracking and developing the Climate Jobs strategy in the UK and internationally. She has been a PCS rep for over 10 years, served on the National Executive for 4 years and is the President of the Culture Group in PCS, representing 4000 museums workers.

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With 30 years’ experience as an electrician and cable jointer for Scottish Power and over 25 years as a senior shop steward, Willie leads discussions within the trade union movement on tackling environmental, economic and employment issues. He is an active anti-fracking and anti-poverty campaigner, best known for hitting the national news for calling Iain Duncan Smith a ‘ratbag’.

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Andrew is co-founder of We Are Our Media, the group that produces the Eclipse alternative tabloid.

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Andy is MP for Middlesbrough and Shadow Transport Secretary, and has the job of bringing the railways back into public ownership, amongst other things.

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Andy is a poet, performer & literary activist from Middlesbrough now living in Durham.

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Ben Sellers is founder of the People’s Bookshop, a blogger, member of Laura Pidcock’s staff, and the person behind Jeremy Corbyn’s social media leadership campaign.

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Benj is a grassroots activist and campaigner on voting reform.

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Bethany is a singer, composer and community musician, performing her music all over the UK. Bethany studied Folk & Traditional Music and is passionate about the culture, musical heritage and sociopolitical history of the NE region. Bethany is founder and Musical Director of ‘North East Socialist Singers – NESS’ – ‘an independent, community choir of conscience, campaigning for social justice, political reform and positive change’. Bethany is an experienced community arts practitioner, facilitator and committed activist working within communities and alongside trade unions campaigning for regional, national and global issues; disability rights, women’s rights, young people’s rights and calling for more creative approaches to political campaigning – as demonstrated through her protest song work. Exploring the darker side of folk music, Bethany’s eclectic music cites a range of influences which include traditional and contemporary folk, blues and beyond…

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Bill Jones and co-director Ben Timlett met when they were four in Camberwell, South London. In 1998 they formed Bill and Ben Productions to direct, produce and edit independent feature films, documentaries and music videos together. In 2010 both Bill and Ben received two nominations each in the best direction and best production categories of the 62nd Prime Time Emmy Awards for Monty Python: Almost The Truth. Boom Bust Boom is their third feature as co-directors and co-producers. Other credits include A Liar’s Autobiography starring the five remaining members of Monty Python and Absolutely Anything, produced by the pair in 2014 and starring Simon Pegg and Robin Williams.

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AKA Ryan Siddall, Bugman is post-punk pop troubadour, whose work moves effortlessly between well crafted rage & beautifully reported sensitivity, from dark urban narratives to the wryly comic.

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Carl is a national organiser at the TUC, and an expert on union organising strategies.

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Charlotte is a grassroots activist from a working class background who is now a student at Oxford university. She’ll be talking about class and privilege.

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Chris is an arms trade activist.

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Crispin is the driving force behind Stand Up For Labour and JC4PM.

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Dan is director of Labour’s Community Organising unit and founder of We Can Win.

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Dave is a former NUM delegate and a writer on the Miners’ Strike.

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David is Chief Executive of Oasis Aquila Housing.

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Deirdre makes political films dealing with issues of injustice and inequality.

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Eleanor is a Senior Editor at Novara Media and Online Editor at Red Pepper Magazine. She was formerly an associate editor and reporter at openDemocracyUK.

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Ellen is an organiser with ACORN, the Renters’ Union.

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Ellie Mae O’Hagan is an editor at openDemocracy and a freelance journalist writing mainly for the Guardian. She has also written for the New York Times, the Independent, The Times, Vice and others. She tweets @MissEllieMae, and is now working on her first book project, provisionally entitled The New Normal, for Fourth Estate.

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Born in Liverpool, raised in Newcastle, musician Gem Andrews makes music that is deeply rooted in alt-country and British folk, with her fiercely independent voice carrying inflections of Patsy Cline, Lucinda Williams and Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Gem’s powerful new album ‘North’ uses dark country to tackle themes of mental illness, poverty, community and destitution.Through reaching into the darkest corners of her mind, Gem has created an intimate, stirring and above all, furious collection of songs. Running through every song is the North East of England, as subject, backdrop and through tribute to local legends including adaptations of poems by the great, late poet and playwright, Julia Darling. The album captures the energy and warmth of the region as well as the rage felt at a political class who have ignored them and been left to waste. North is out on February 16th 2018 on Market Square Records. Gem lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her wife and small dog.

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Gerry is a writer, improviser, professionally trained clown, and trainer with Talk Socialism.

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Grahame is MP for Easington and chair of the Friends of the Durham Miners Association.

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Isobel is a grassroots activist with the Coal Action Network.

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Jane is a poet & illustrator, originally from South Yorkshire, now based in the North East.

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Jay is a leader of the West Virginia teachers’ strike. He’ll be telling us about the way they engaged their communities to win their strike, and the state of America with Donald Trump as president.

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Joan is a poet, performer & tutor from Tyneside.

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Joe is an activist in the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign.

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Joe Solo is an award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer from Scarborough. His musical odyssey began in 1987 fronting a bash-em-out band at school, and has seen him play seven countries either as lynchpin of pop-punk upstarts Lithium Joe or hammering out his unique brand of Folk, Punk and Blues in his own right.

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John is an organiser for Unite Community.

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Newcastle based comedian John Scott is the driving force behind Sod the Tories.

Sod The Tories (And Have a Nice Week) first played at The stand Newcastle in March 2013. The show now has a strong core following of miners, trade unionists, militants, leftist students, victims of ATOS, Scottish Nationalists, SWP, Black Panthers, former PLO, dubious Irish connections, the ANC, the odd Sandinista, fans of early U2 before it went terribly wrong, Peter Mandelson (A spy we fear) Graham Chapman (It might not be him) Monday night drinkers from the Big Market and morally sound extremists. The panel features a variety of comically enlightened types but our core members are John Scott, John Whale, Vladimir Mctavish, Kath Tanney and our resident rapper Stu Robertson. We are a non profit organisation. But as soon as we figure that one weakness out we would like to dismiss any rumours that monies made will go to arming the poor…They’re going to the disabled

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Julian is a Talk Socialism activist, and digital organiser at Shared Assets, a not-for-profit company with the aim of developing and promoting new models of common good land use.

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Julie is a poet, performer & teacher from Redcar.

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Keir is a lecturer at the University of Leicester, activist and author,

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Laura is one of the organisers of the Women’s Banner Group.

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Liam is a journalist and blogger, who writes regularly for the Independent.

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Lynn is one of the organisers of the Women’s Banner Group.

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Mandy is a poet, performer & organiser originally from Scotland but living in Tyneside.

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Michael is an author and professional economist who wrote the policy for Labour’s National Investment Bank. He’s also a Talk Socialism activist.

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Mike makes political films dealing with issues of injustice and inequality.

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Mim is a twenty-something from London who has migrated to the North (but has unfortunately not found warmer weather). She’s passionate about living sustainably, Christian community, playing scrabble and growing vegetables. She has been known to write songs about disabled mice and rap in French under the alias Mir-I-am (drop a beat now).

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Nadia Idle is an activist from London and the world. She blogs occasionally on crowd politics, space, anxiety, and social media addiction at notaloneintheworld.com. She co-edited Tweets from Tahrir: Egypt’s revolution as it unfolded, in the words of the people who made it, is a member of Plan C, and strategic advisor to Talk Socialism.

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Nev is a tender & lyrical observer of everyday pain & wonder, a fine wordsmith & legend of the local scene.

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Nick is a Talk Socialism trainer and singer with North East Socialist Singers.

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Nick Mahony is the Political Education Officer of Chipping Barnet Labour Party, an independent researcher, a Compass Associate and the new Administrator of the Raymond Williams Foundation, and organiser of the Movement for Cultural Democracy

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Stephen is an organiser of the Movement for Cultural Democracy

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Paul is a Northumbrian poet, performer & literary activist.

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Pete is an activist for Health Campaigns Together.

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Rachel is a trainer with Talk Socialism, co-author of The Way Of The Activist, and organiser of the People, Pits & Politics Festival.

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Richard is a prolific and diverse artist, songwriter and musician who has been performing on the British Folk Scene since the 1980’s.

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Rob is a writer, performer & teacher, originally from Scunthorpe, who now lives in North Shields.

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Rosie is a Greenpeace organiser, Labour councillor and Talk Socialism organiser.

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Ross is a Talk Socialism trainer who likes to test how much beer you can spill on a laptop before it fails.

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Ruairidh is a World Transformed organiser and writer for Red Pepper.

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Sam is policy officer at the Public and Civil Services union, and a campaigner on sustainable industrial strategy and divestment from arms manufacturing.

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Samuel is a grassroots activist against racism and inequality.

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Sam Slatcher is an up and coming singer-songwriter living in Durham, North East England. His honest and reflective songwriting captures the humanity of the people and places he’s encountered, rooted in the social and political landscapes of folk music.

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Sara Hyde is a leading left-wing thinker on women and the criminal justice system. She has worked in prisons for six years and currently works with young women leaving custody.

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Steve is an award-winning singer/songwriter, now based in Co. Durham, with songs of outrage and compassion that take ‘a direct route to the heart’ (R2) and which Folk World said ‘will long survive all of us’. Described by Americana-UK as ‘truly wonderful’, his latest album, Somewhere Between, is a collection of songs of protest, longing and wry humour.

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Thom is a philosopher and lecturer in immigration law. An immigrant from the USA, Thom will be speaking on the cause & effect of the rise of Donald Trump.

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Tim is a regional organiser for Unite the Union.

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Tom is a community organiser for ACORN, the renters’ union.

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Tony is a teacher, socialist, trade unionist, antifascist, anti-war & anti-cuts activist. He is currently chair of North East People’s Assembly and a member of Counterfire.

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Phil was a shop steward at Lucas Aerospace, who dealt with job cuts by turning skills and plant over to socially useful production as an alternative to arms manufacture.

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Heather Mew

India works with Labour’s Community Organising unit.

Jo works with Labour’s Community Organising unit.

Matt Brown is the leader of Preston Council, and the driver of the council’s community wealth building strategy.

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Rowan is a door-to-door poet. Really.

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Nicola is a North East comedian.

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Ian is MP for Wansbeck, National Chair of the Labour Party, and formerly President of the National Union of Mineworkers.

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Marsha Garratt is from Teesside. She is a radio presenter, researcher and lecturer on Institutional racism; legacy of colonialism. She has worked with internationally recognized academics and musicians and spoke on BBC news to share knowledge of the reality of racism.

Actor, writer and activist. On a steep learning curve regarding the necessity of activism while legally observing Durham Constabulary, Steadfast Security and Durham County Council’s collective abuse of their legislative and statutory responsibilities to citizens peacefully protesting against the Banks Mining Group opencast site, which is 350 metres from the bottom of her garden. Not a NIMBY.

Justin works for the Media Reform Coalition.

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Andrew is national political officer of the Communication Workers Union.

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John works for the Ella Baker School of Transformative Organising, and was previously head of organising at Hope Not Hate.

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Tracey is manager of Thrive, who deliver the poverty truth commission in Stockton on Tees.

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Hugo is Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Whitby & Scarborough.

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Sarah Woolley is a full time officer for the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union. Sarah moved the successful motion on climate change last year at the TUC and is now responsible for climate and environmental issues within her union, and produces their newsletter, Greenstuff, on a quarterly basis.

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Stand Up to Racism North East will be holding a networking session where you can find out about their campaigns.

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Michelle Randall ss a former prison resident who now devotes her time to helping women who are trapped in the criminal justice system. She is currently working on a book which tells her story of life on the inside and she how she has stayed out for good.

Hannah Rudidick is an accompanying Rep, Workplace Organiser within 6 ASDA stores, Youth Officer and Recruitment Officer for Branch A61, and TUC YWF Women’s Delegate for the Young Members Network Committee

Ben is from Unite The Union.

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Elif is from Freedom for Ocalan Trade Union Campaign.

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Rohash is from Kongre Star (Women’s Movement of Rojava)

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Julia Heslop is an artist and writer. The potentials for deep participation in (re)creating the urban realm, and in particular housing, are at the centre of her research and practice. Her practice often takes the form of large scale architectural installations in urban space and she often works in collaborative, slow ways with groups and communities. In so doing she uses her practice to ask important questions regarding land and property ownership, housing precarity, urban planning and local democracy.

Darryn works with Sanctuary 21 and the Salvation Army in the front line with the homeless.

Rachel is Momentum’s lead regional organiser, and has worked with activists across the country on proposals for improving democratic participation in politics.

Keith is the original chair of Health Campaigns Together

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Dr Gemma Bone Dodds has a PhD in community finance and will be speaking about how we can set up a People’s Bank.

Simon is a trade unionist, with NASUWT, and is involved in setting up a supply agency that’s run as a co-operative.

Chris is co-founder of Food and Drink North East, an organisation committed to building a collaborative community that celebrates regional food culture, champions positive trade, promotes a sustainable, circular economy and acts as a collective and inclusive voice for the North East food and drink sector.

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Neil is the chief executive of CLES, the leading think-tank on Community Wealth Building.

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Sarah is the Director for European Programs for The Democracy Collaborative and the European Representative for the Next System Project, working out of her home-office in Brussels, Belgium.

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Mike will run us through an amazing community cooperative that is installing its own digital infrastructure in rural Northumberland – Broadband For the Allen Valleys.

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