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Wednesday October 8th 2025, `The world in 2030', Professor Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University

The talk will cover the changing causes of international conflict, the relevance of marginalisation, military-industrial complexes and especially climate breakdown and how the risk of further conflict can be limited.

About the speaker:

Paul Rogers is Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University. He is a biologist by original training, lecturing at Imperial College and also working in tropical crop research in East Africa. From later lecturing in environmental science, he moved to Bradford in 1979 and has worked primarily on the changing causes of international conflict, especially in relation to political violence. His recent book, The Insecurity Trap: A Short Guide to Transformation, was published by Hawthorn Press last year.

Wednesday November 12th, 2025, `Energy in the Economy: a perspective on the energy transition', a talk by Tom Hutchinson

About the talk

This will be a talk about the fundamental role energy plays in supporting economic activity. It will explore what a sustainable energy economy would entail by framing the 'energy = activity' relationship in the context of the dissipative nature of energy use, types of energy flow, and what this might mean for the prospect of an energy transition away from fossil fuel use.

About Tom Hutchinson

Tom trained as a Chemist at Durham University and subsequently transferred into finance where he has worked as a Chartered Accountant for almost two decades, with a large part of that time within the energy sector. He has a strong personal interest in ecological issues and their interaction with energy and the economy.

Wednesday 10th December `Some Consequences of Thatcherism on Higher Education', a talk by Dr Hugh Hubbard

About the talk

During March-April 2025 on Radio 4 as part of The History Podcast, David Dimbleby presented a six-part series "Invisible Hands" tracing the history of Free Market Capitalism through Hayek, Keith Joseph, Privatization, the Big Bang of 1986, James Goldsmith to Thames Water. However, this excellent series did not address the impact on education and the rise of managerialism. In this talk I shall explore some of the consequences of the idea of "Free Market Capitalism" on Higher Education and the significant role played by Keith Joseph, Minister of Education 1981-86 and erstwhile MP for Leeds North-East (this constituency!).

Many of the education policies initiated during the Thatcher government did not manifest until the 1990s through to today. This talk will look at some of the seeds sown during the 1980s and the developments during the subsequent decades with the rise of managerialism in Higher Education; the talk will be illustrated through some of the consequences at the University of Leeds.

About Hugh Hubbard

Dr Hugh Hubbard was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Leeds working on materials science and the development of batteries. He has been active within the UCU (University and Colleges Union) and the forerunner union, the AUT, for 30 years.

About Café Économique Leeds

Café Économique is a voluntary organisation whose aim is to provide education for interested members of the public about current economic, social and environmental topics and possible actions so that our economic system works and benefits all in an equitable, democratic and transparent way.

We organise talks, presentations and films about important economic and political issues of interest to the people of Leeds, West Yorkshire and further afield. We host meetings on Wednesdays early in every month between October and June typically starting at 7.30pm at Seven Arts 31A Harrogate Rd, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3PD. Our talks generally last for 30-40 minutes and, following a short break, we re-convene to debate the issues raised during the talk. We aim to make our meetings as inclusive and accessible as possible to the widest range of people and encourage a lively (yet friendly!) debate between our expert speakers and members of the audience.

You can see what we are planning in the future via our 'Forthcoming Events' page and review past events at our 'Recent Events' page.

You can contact use via email at cafeeconomqiueleeds2019@gmail.com, and visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cafeeconomiqueleeds.

If you would prefer to use your phone you can access our Facebook page by scanning the following QR code into your camera:

You can also contact us via our' Contact Us' page, which you access by clicking on the 'More' icon, you can contact us, send us a message or, if you wish, ask to join our mailing list, which we will only use to advertise our own events and events from other organisations which we think you may also be interested in. We would also love to hear your suggestions for topics or speakers for our future events.

We hope to see you at one of our future meetings. With best wishes, the Café Économique Leeds organising team.