When, well, IF in London

It's how I like my conferences. So long as they end up as billed, that is: Relevant, topical, hopefully balanced (you have to look at provenance - COMPASS has a 'leaning') informative... and free.

The title looks fair. Wish I could go. Hope it moves things on.

Can a consumer society stop climate change?

Climate change is arguably the biggest challenge we face, however can it be stopped in an increasingly consumer society? Some have suggested if we continue to consume at the present rate we'd need 4 planets to sustain our current consumption levels.

With the main parties facing growing pressure to live up to their rhetoric on climate change and in the run-up to the climate change bill, Compass has convened a special debate to discuss these issues at: 6pm on Thursday 4 October in Central London (exact venue tbc).

Our high-profile international speaker Clive Hamilton is the executive director of The Australia Institute, Australia’s leading progressive think tank. He's best known for his work on climate change policy, consumerism and the problems of economic growth. In 2004 the Australia Institute teamed up with the IPPR in London and the Center for American Progress in Washington to form the International Climate Change Taskforce. Clive has published extensively, including the best-selling books Growth Fetish and Affluenza (co-authored with Richard Denniss) and What's Left: The death of social democracy. His most recent book is Scorcher: The dirty politics of climate change.

At the debate he'll be joined by Compass chair Neal Lawson who's currently writing a book called All Consuming (www.allconsuming.org.uk) for publication in Spring 2008. More speakers are to be announced and the event will be chaired by Green Alliance Director Stephen Hale.

The event is free to attend, but early registration is essential to guarantee your place. Please email gavin@compassonline.org.uk to register.

More from the Brown mouth.

I just got an invite to another talkfest, again in London. This time from COMPASS, the of the democratic left. I won't be going. Not for any political reasons, but I did a cost/benefit analysis and, even at a reasonable £22, it's too far for what's on offer.

But I did reply to the invite, from the Chair:

Thank you for the invitation; I am afraid I will not be able to attend.

I wish you luck with many of your stated aims.

'in less than a month Gordon Brown will be Prime Minister. Gordon has said he’ll listen and he needs to. '

If this is the best Mr. Brown can manage you are going to need it. I have lost count of the number of occasions where I have heard in person or seen reported that he, or a member of this government 'will listen'. This has fast become code for 'delay as long as possible until it goes away, doesn't matter any more or happens on someone else's watch, preferably after my fellow ministers and I have long gone following a long and comfortable gold-plate funded retirement.' Good for them; not so hot for the rest of us, the country... or planet.

Me, I'd like to see a little more 'doing' all round, and soon. And not the meeting targets kind, the actually doing something good kind.

Maybe you guys can prod them in that novel direction of what public service is supposed to be about again.