MAKING CHANGE HAPPEN! 7 – 9 September Kettering
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MAKING CHANGE HAPPEN! 7 – 9 September Kettering ConferenCe ISSUe Hosted by Sandi Toksvig CONTENTS 04 Message from Women’s equality Party Leader 05 Welcome from Women’s equality Party Co-founders 07 Timetable at a glance FOUR PLAY AT 08 & 46 Making change happen 10-11 About the Women’s equality Party 12 About party conference CONFERENCE 13 Map of Kettering 14 - 15 Your guide to conference 16 - 17 Four Steps to taking part in Party Business 18 Kettering Conference Centre floor plan 22 Day 1: What’s on the agenda 23 - 29 Day 2: What’s on the agenda 30 - 31 Day 3: What’s on the agenda 34 Visitor experience Sophie Willan e velyn Mok Sophie Duker Ada Campe 35 Food Stalls Sophie Willan makes nominated for Female Sophie Duker describes Ada Campe’s act blends bold, unapologetic work Comedian of the Year herself as a “sexy- comedy, magic, regret 36 - 37 Exhibitors that is raucously funny and Show of the Year at cerebral comedy and shouting. A devotee and completely original. the 2017 Swedish Stand- underdog” and is quickly of variety and caba- 38 - 40 Who’s who: Women’s equality Party team Her work is political to Up gala, evelyn mok is establishing herself as ret, she has performed the core, but it doesn’t the best thing to come one of the most exciting throughout the UK for feel like it. out of Sweden since… new acts on the circuit. years. 41 - 45 Who’s who: Conference speakers @sophiewillan iKeA? @sophiedukebox @AdaCampe @evelynMok WOMEN’S EQUALITY 7:30pm PARTY COMEDY NIGHT Saturday 8 September 2 womensequality.org.uk Conference ISSUe 2 3 Welcome to the Women’s Equality Party’s second-ever party conference and to Kettering, a town famous according to its Conservative MP Philip Hollobone “as the home of Weetabix breakfast cereal”. Also for at least two seismic political events. had time to draw breath before yet more polls One was the 2016 launch of Grassroots Out, – this year’s local elections and Lewisham Welcome to a world of possibility. the group supported by Nigel Farage, Liam East by-election. Each delivered clear wins, by Welcome to a place where a different kind of politics awaits you. Fox and the aforementioned Hollobone that developing our capacity, our amazing roster promoted Brexit no matter the consequences of candidates and activists, our influence and Welcome to the heart of Britain’s only feminist political party. for women. Another was an uprising in 1607 our reach. In three of our local election seats Welcome to the Women’s Equality Party conference. by the movement known as the Levellers. the candidates received the support of 1 in 4 That uprising failed, perhaps because as local voters and our Islington candidate Nikki You are one of a thousand brilliant activists with one another – all to distill power into the with so many men of the left, they aimed to Uppal secured second place in Hillrise ward. empower men but forgot about women, who for change who are stepping up this weekend hands of a small cabal of angry men. The Women’s Equality Party was founded not to make our party’s blueprint for equality a ended up campaigning on their own. While other party leaders persistently fail to only to make change happen directly but to reality. Over the next few days WE are going see women and understand the root causes Given this history, perhaps the best way open up politics and to push the complacent to equip each other with the information, skills of our oppression; I say to all of you here - this to think of our conference is not just as older parties to do better. Since our first party and training to build the world we want to is our opportunity to challenge tired thinking the party’s most important opportunity to conference, in Manchester in November 2016, see. Our emphasis is on the practical but our with exuberant imagination as we detail the debate and decide policy, but also as a kind WE have succeeded in all respects, working ambition for change has never been greater. vision of our liberation. of exorcism, or as WE Party leader Sophie with other parties and organisations in the Because feminism has never been more Walker likes to say, “they Brexit, WE fix it”. women’s sector to tackle revenge porn, important and more needed than it is Let’s blow closed minds open with the vast This is an opportunity for members to come protect women’s employment rights, force right now. potential of feminist economics. Let’s flood together to figure out how to build a society universal free childcare onto the political the world with the light of bright new ideas The two years since our first conference that works for everyone, of all genders, and agenda and fight for our reproductive rights on trade and immigration. Let’s shake the have brought huge achievements for our that means tackling the monumental mess in every part of the UK. crumbling foundations of failing justice young party, from establishing our network that old politics has made. systems to the ground and demand fairness Even so, and much as we – Catherine and of branches, growing our movement and and respect for all. It’s worth noting that WE would have held Sandi – look forward to the next three days, fielding inspiring election candidates, to a party conference last year if Theresa this is not a time for complacency. We always influencing other parties’ policies, forming non- Let’s celebrate our history by raising the bar May hadn’t called the snap election understood the challenges of operating in partisan partnerships and forcing a national for future generations of women so that we that snapped back at her. WE fought a system designed to exclude many more conversation about the limits of pale, male and no longer settle for crumbs and compromise that election in seven Westminster voices than it includes, and we also knew that stale politics. but assert and achieve what is rightfully ours: constituencies, straight there are tough debates that risk dividing powerful lives that are free from violence. But those same two years have seen a after county feminism and pitting some of the most Let’s fulfil the promise first made to us by our doubling-down by those council elections marginalised against each other. mothers and pledge it anew to our daughters. in Swansea, who oppose equality; the We co-founded this party to bring about the Worcester and cynical engineering of a When I won the leadership election earlier gender equality that both of us had expected Tunbridge Wells national emergency in this year I vowed to be an optimistic feminist. long ago. Instead we see regressive waves that and a by-election in order to take aim at Because I knew that in these tough times threaten to engulf not only the UK but many Sheffield Southey women’s hard-won, we would all need hope more than ever; not other countries, sweeping away some of the Ward as sex-based rights just because hope is our greatest support rights and protections we thought secure. and protections; but because hope is also the ultimate act of well as for There is such an urgency to the work WE an unrelenting defiance, our biggest asset and advantage. Liverpool’s are all gathered here to do. Thank you for assault on the Ours is a movement of joyful resistance. regional your dedication, ideas and spirit. Let the state that is an mayor. WE Look at what we have achieved already and conference begin. And welcome once again. assault on support barely know that WE can change the future. YOU can for women; and change the world. Because you’re here. And a deliberate and because women’s equality is better sustained attempt for everyone. to set the entire electorate at odds With gratitude and love Sandi Toksvig Catherine Mayer Co-founder of the Co-founder of the Women’s Equality Women’s Equality Sophie Walker Party Party Leader of the Women’s Equality Party 5 TIMETABLE AT A GLANCE 19:00 - 19:30 friday Lighthouse Theatre doors open 17:00 - 00:00 19:30 - 21:30 House open We Comedy fUndraiser 17:30 - 19:30 Main registration open sunday 17:00 - 20:00 08:00 - 16:00 food stalls open House open 19:00 - 19:05 08:30 - 09:00 Making Change Happen reports to conference Conference opened by Yvonne Thompson 09:00 - 16:00 CBe food stalls open 19:05 - 19:07 09:00 - 12:55 The Story So far premiere Party business 19:07 - 20:00 09:30 - 16:30 Making Change Happen on abortion Voting open for Steering and Policy 20:00 - 23:00 Committee roles We Voices open mic 10:00 - 16:00 00:00 Marketplace open Venue closes 12:55 - 13:40 Lunch break saturday 13:00 - 16:00 Helping ambitious companies grow 08:30 - 00:00 Party business House open Please see detailed daily programmes and session out- 09:00 - 19:00 lines on pages 20 to 29 for further information. food stalls open Largest independent adviser on AIM and the LSE 09:00 - 18:00 Talks, panel discussions and workshops raising capital and advising ambitious growth companies, 09:00 - 18:00 Mini fringe both public and private, at every stage of development 09:00 - 18:00 Self-organising space open 10:00 - 10:45 Any Questions 10:00 - 18:00 Marketplace open 12:30 - 13:00 finnCap Ltd., 60 New Broad Street, London EC2M 1JJ The Story So far and leader’s speech 18:00 t: 020 7220 0500 Conference closes www.finncap.com womensequality.org.uk Conference ISSUe 2 7 121mining-advert-2018final.indd 1 10/01/2018 09:37 8 9 How We are Making Change Happen • Tackling revenge porn From rising as the UK’s fastest-growing • WEcount, taking on sexual violence, political party to becoming a serious national harassment and abuse ABOUT political force with candidates standing in WE are all here to make change happen.