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.
Wednesday 14th January, ‘UK dentistry in the 21st century - back to the future?' By Tom Thayer, Consultant in Oral Surgery.
About the talk:
Tom’s talk will address the following key issues:
1. How dentistry fits in healthcare as a whole (mentioning hospital and public health).
2. The family dentist - and the funding structures
3. The disease burden presently facing the profession - and why
4. The impact this has on services - and the nation as a whole
5. Solutions that may help - or not!
6. Where will dentistry be in 10 years?
About the speaker:
Tom is a Consultant and honorary Lecturer in Oral Surgery at the Royal Liverpool University Dental School and Hospital. Tom has had an eclectic career – family dentist and practice owner in Bradford and Skipton, Hospital surgical training, community dental service specialist, university clinical teacher, and - eventually - hospital consultant. He has been known to say that the only thing not on the CV is the armed forces – but he did learn to drive a tank when at school! His present areas of interest are education and assessment in (NHS) postgraduate dentistry, (mis)diagnosis of pain and chronic facial pain issues, and he has recently been involved in developing the latest national guidance information on managing jaw joint problem.
Wednesday 11th February. `Cleaner, Cheaper, Fairer - why public ownership will stop sewage pollution'. A talk by Professor Becky Malby, Visiting Professor at York University
About the Talk
The water industry is in crisis with the taps running dry in many towns and villages in the South, Drought orders across England, Soaring water bills and pollution everywhere. Gone are the days when you could book a seaside holiday in Britain and be able to get in the sea without checking a sewage discharge map. The water industry has paid out more in dividends and debt payment to its shareholders than it has had invested from them, it has neglected its assets blaming the regulators, and there is no national water strategy to conserve and protect our waters. The public has no say over how our water is run, and non-payment of water bills for not delivering services is met with prosecution. Every water company in England is under criminal investigation. In this context,the imminent Water Reform Bill will not fix the problem, as the government has excluded any exploration or optional appraisal of other ownership models. Across the world, the majority of water is in public ownership with remunicipalisation the norm. England is an outlier in sticking with a failed privatised system. The People's Commission on the Water Sector was set up in parallel to the governments 'independent' Commission (run by Defra) run by 4 academics, including Professor Malby, taking research-based evidence in public. The results show that water is cleaner, cheaper and fairer in public ownership. Prof Malby will share her story of how she had to move upstream from finding shocking sewage pollution in her local river to challenging successive governments on their unwillingness to tackle the root cause, and the solutions proposed by The People's Commission.
About Professor Malby
Professor Becky Malby is a Visiting Professor in health systems leadership and innovation at York University, London South Bank University and Huddersfield University. She is non-executive at West Yorkshire Ambulance Trust, and an honorary fellow of the Royal College of General Practice. She has made sustained and demonstrable impact through her work on the quality of health services with global reach. Becky is the Chair of the Ilkley Clean River Group, Founder of the Sewage Campaign Network, and Chair of The People's Commission on the Water Sector. She also chairs the Ilkley Pool and Lido Community Group, and leads the Ilkley Free School Meals holiday provision. She secured the first river with Bathing Status and the Ilkley campaign has led to a circa £60m infrastructure improvement to clean up the river. She is a vociferous campaigner delivering government, regulator and the water industry’s responsibility to them.
Wednesday 11th March, `Beyond Net Zero: What Wartime Britain Can Teach Us About Rapid Social-Ecological Transition'. A talk by Dr Richard Baernthaler, Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds
About the Talk:
The world is on track for dangerous levels of global warming – far beyond the 1.5C limit scientists say is safe. Current policies could lead to 2.5–3C of warming by the end of the century, and incremental change is no longer enough. At the same time, the global political order is shifting, creating new challenges for cooperation and climate action. This talk explores why traditional “net zero” strategies are failing and argues for a rapid transition to a sufficiency economy – one that guarantees a decent standard of living for all while setting limits on excessive production and consumption. Achieving this will require strong state action, democratic planning, and bold industrial policies. To illustrate what this might look like, we draw lessons from history: the radical economic mobilisation in the UK during World War II, which restructured production, consumption, finance, and labour at unprecedented speed and scale – while improving health, reducing mortality, and leaving lower social strata better off than before the war. Could similar principles guide a just and fast eco-social transition today?
About the speaker:
Richard Baernthaler is a political ecological economist at the Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds, where he leads the Economics and Policy for Sustainability (Econopol) research group. He serves on the board of the European Society for Ecological Economics, is an associate editor at Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, a lead author for the Austrian Panel on Climate Change, and an expert member of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures.
Wednesday 8th April. AI and the Future of Work in the UK - employers' adoption and use and the implications for workers. A Talk by Professor Mark Stuart
About the talk
It is commonly assumed that artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize the world of work, but current evidence is limited. The talk will draw on novel data and analyses to reveal the extent of employer investment and use in AI, the types of AI that are being adopted and the implications of this for workers across different types of businesses and sectors. The potential benefits and drawbacks for those at work will be considered along with the challenges that are holding back digital transformation across UK industry.
About the speaker
Mark Stuart is the Montague Burton Professor of Human Resource Management and Employment Relations at the University of Leeds. He is the co-director of the ESRC Research Centre for Digital Futures at Work (Digit), which has a ten-year research programme investigating digital transformation and the future of work. Mark has published extensively across many issues related to the world of work, employment and employment relations and conducted numerous research projects for government departments in the UK and Europe, trade union and practitioner bodies, and international agencies such as the OECD and ILO. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
Wednesday May 13th, The case for wealth taxation in the UK. A talk by Caitlin Boswell.
About the talk
With wealth inequality spiralling and an ongoing cost of living crisis intensified by the war on Iran, this talk will consider the case for a wealth tax in the UK, as well as forms of taxation supportive of climate action. The talk will also focus on the wider political context we find ourselves in, with the rising popularity of both the Greens and Reform, the implications this has for the wealth tax debate, and set out why Tax Justice UK believes this to be the right moment for progressive tax reform.
About Caitlin Boswell
Caitlin Boswell is Interim Deputy Director of External Affairs at Tax Justice, the UK's leading organisation campaigning for a fairer and more equal tax system to benefit all our communities, not just the super rich and powerful. She has been at TJUK since October 2024 and oversees the organisation's campaigns, movement, policy and advocacy work. Before working on economic justice, Caitlin spent almost a decade working on migrants' rights, first as a Support Worker, and then leading campaigns and policy research to advance the rights of migrant workers and undocumented people. She has also spent time working on disability justice, as a researcher and support worker at summer camps for children with learning disabilities. Before working life, she studied History & English at the University of Leeds, and then did a MA at SOAS in Gender Studies and Law.
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.
