After much agonising, extensive research, a great deal of work, and help from friends in Sheffield, we have decided to abandon plans to hold our proposed event there or anywhere else in the next couple of months.
I wrote recently about my concerns regarding staging such an event, and those concerns have only intensified. See my post about the oil price this morning. My fear is that by the time the event might take place, we could be facing further rising fuel prices, actual fuel shortages, and the very obvious of another cost-of-living crisis. In those circumstances, committing around £3,000 upfront to venue costs looked increasingly risky. The real concern was simple: would people be willing, or able, to travel and spend money on attending an event if household finances were coming under renewed pressure?
We explored alternatives to our original venue when it offered no cancellation options that would mitigate our risk. That search ended up pushing the event into July, but even then, the alternative venues could not meet our needs in terms of timing and room size, or financial risk. We could not justify proceeding as a result.
So we have decided to cut our losses, for now.
Instead, we are exploring the possibility of shorter online events that would be cheaper to run, easier to access, and far less risky for everyone involved. If, by some miracle, the economic outlook improves over the summer and the risks attached to staging an in-person event diminish, we may revisit the idea of holding something in September or October.
James put a huge amount of effort into this process, for which I am very grateful. He also conducted some informal, ad hoc market research that broadly confirmed our suspicions: people are understandably reluctant to take on discretionary spending commitments right now.
That matters. It tells us something important about the economy as it really is, not as politicians insist it must be. When people are hesitant to commit relatively modest sums for events they would like to attend, it is a sign of widespread insecurity. That insecurity is itself a political issue.
We need to respond to that reality, not ignore it. That may mean rethinking how events are delivered so that they are more affordable, more accessible, and less dependent on people having spare cash they increasingly do not possess. For now, online may be the better option. We are looking at that.
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Fair enough and understood.
Don’t take what I am about to say the wrong way but this is how austerity is supposed to work – the economic shock treatment is supposed to make it harder for people to organise and defend themselves from exploitation by capital – it is about divide and conquer and profit. It is deliberate rule on behalf of capital under the false flag of democracy. The politics of care attempts to reclaim democracy.
I see exactly where you are coming from, I have just booked tickets for
https://www.kingswearcastle.org/news/31st-march-2026-totnes-fundraiser/
(Shameless Plug, I have done it for the last two years running and its delightful)
While at the same time wondering if I will be able to get there – if there is no petrol then train tickets might be hard to come by as well.
May I suggest that if you do an on line event you give some thought as to how its presented, sitting in front of my laptop for a day isnt an attractive option based on my experience to date but spreading it over a few evenings might work better
Ancient, deaf, and in Brighton says YES to online, particularly in smaller doses.
Zoom has a really good online transcript option
Noted
Hello again Richard. I was lucky enough to listen to you at ScotEconFest this year… but surprised by how few people attended that event. I even missed the start of Warren Mosler’s talk because I’d been searching for a ‘Carnegie Hall’-sized venue instead of ‘a dozen nerds gathered in a bar’. However, for me at least, quality wins over quantity every time. I was glad to have the chance to say how much I appreciate the variety of subjects you cover in your blog and to thank Jacqueline for her input about dietary matters on TaxResearch.org.uk. Hopefully, more people will stumble upon MMT thanks to your political commentary, advocacy for action on climate-change… or maybe even bird watching!
If you do ever decide to ‘take to touring’, please consider the many Friends’ Meeting Houses scattered around our country. Many are situated in city centres e.g. Liverpool or Birmingham (where the FMH is adjacent to a tramline accessed via New Street railway station) and almost all are steeped in the history of our Quaker movement. Last year, when passing through town, I was made very welcome at Brighton Friends’ Meeting House. Teas & coffee can be had for a token sum and all volunteers are naturally of a positive disposition. In the past Richard, you and I have discussed London Euston FMH which houses a variety of conference facilities. Once upon a happier time I attended a packed Jeremy Corbyn gig there. Good vibes!
A good idea
Huddersfield might be a good location for a northern event as it’s on the Trans Pennine Express line that runs from Liverpool through Manchester, Leeds and other smaller towns to Newcastle. Just a thought. Sheffield doesn’t seem as accessible based on our experience of living in Huddersfield for six years or so.
The cheapest form of mass transit is coach, and the most accessible manned coach station is Milton Keynes Coachway.
The town also has the added advantage of being half named after one of the world’s best economists, and a direct rail link to Oxford (sadly with no trains because the unions don’t believe in single manning).
If you’re on the side of the unions the Aloft Hotel in Birmingham was built by Unison and has conferencing.
At some point you have to take the plunge and the risk that goes with it no matter how capitalist it is to be a risk taker seeking rewards.
Thank you.
But no, I don’t have to take the plunge. I can decide it is not worth the risk.
Hi Richard – online could work very well. An alternative would be for universities to invite you to speak – so you don’t have to carry the cost of booking venues etc. In the last few weeks here in Buckingham, the University has had Jeremy Corbyn and Claire Fox to speak. We have also had Richard Tice and the past Cuban Ambassador to the UK, Bárbara Montalvo Álvarez. (It’s a diverse list!) I would expect other universities have similar arrangements…
I do such events – Cambridge, Keele and UEA of late. Thanks
Just a thought, with the increasing costs and risks associated with running and attending events of this nature, would it be a good idea to run them alongside other groups such as Compass.
You could share the costs and risks, while at the same time reaching a wider audience.
I would be very carteful about partnering. I think it quite different from appearing at someone else’s event.