Michael Wayne - Understanding the British Crisis: 2008 to the present.

As part of our 60th Anniversary celebrations, we are thrilled to welcome you to our new series of Inaugural Lectures. This lecture will feature Professor Micheal Wayne from Media and Film and the author of Gramsci and the Struggle for a Democratic Communism (2026 Bloomsbury).

In ten years, the UK has had six Prime Ministers and at the time of writing, a seventh may soon be in post. The political establishment is in turmoil. Neither the main parties or the breathless news reportage of the trials and tribulations of successive PMs seems able to get beyond a superficial diagnosis of the problems. It is not of course about ‘personalities’ but something much deeper and more fundamental.

In this talk Professor Michael Wayne will argue that the commitment of the Westminster parties to a project of distributing wealth from the rest to the rich, lies behind the crisis of political representation. Our economic model is broken but our political cultures and the state cannot contemplate a return to social democracy, that is a reverse redistribution of wealth from the rich to the rest. To paraphrase the famous Italian political philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, this is a time for a deep ‘pessimism of the intellect’ which looks reality squarely in the face, rejecting technological or national boosterism and establishing what the problems are. Only then can we have a genuine ‘optimism of the will’.

Professor Wayne hopes you will join him for a drinks reception after the lecture.

What is an Inaugural Lecture?

An Inaugural Lecture marks a significant milestone in any academic career. Join us as we celebrate the extraordinary careers and research excellence of our academic colleagues, recently joined or promoted to Professor.

In these special open lectures, our professors welcome family, friends, colleagues and members of the public for a memorable evening unpacking their research expertise and offering insights from their career journey.

The Inaugural Lecture Series showcases a wide range of subjects and professorial expertise. These beacons of Brunel’s research community are leaders in their wider field, presenting their expertise, free and open to all.

All ages are welcome - we request that those under 18 are accompanied by an adult.