I'd guess several hundred people, many young, attended part or all of the “Progressive Economics” conference held by the Progressive Economy Forum (PEF) think tank at Greenwich University on 11 June. There were 150 at the closing plenary. It was an informative and lively event touching on crucial issues and asking important questions. But the dominant politics were not radical and the labour movement as a presence and an idea largely absent.
In the last week some prominent Labour left figures and left economists have called for a £15 per hour minimum wage. Last year’s Labour conference passed a motion calling for this (and for minimum wage-level sick pay). Keir Starmer ordered Shadow Employment Rights Secretary Andy McDonald to oppose it; as a result he resigned. The left buzzed; it seemed like there might be some fuss about the issue in the labour movement and some campaigning. Instead: virtual silence.