After a decades-long absence, class is once again central to our understanding of ailing Britain. But what does it mean to be working class today?  Questions of class have often been replaced by talk of race and geography. Meanwhile, a collective identity capable of pushing for change has become increasingly weakened and sidelined.

Retelling the story of the working class over the last forty years — from Thatcher’s war against the unions to New Labour neoliberalism – Marvin will outline how power and capital have combined to shatter a radical identity into many parts: white, male, northerner, homeowner, immigrant, unemployed, disabled. These fragments are then set in conflict against each other. Blending political analysis with an account of his own experiences of class in London and the rustbelt Midlands, Marvin will show how the working class have been demonised and man­aged into impotence.

The working class is more than just an identity. As Marvin will argue in this talk, it embodies a collective will to demand change, one that can — and must — be rekindled.

Jonas Patrick Marvin is a writer, researcher and campaigner based in Stoke-on-Trent. He regularly contributes to Salvage and Novara Media and is a host of the popular podcast Life of the Party.

Refreshments included