Why are spaces like The World Transformed So Important?

The World Transformed is a left-wing political festival, set up in 2016, that runs alongside the Labour Party Conference. The organisers' aim was "to create a space in which ideas can be freely exchanged and collectively developed" and over the years this space has become more necessary than ever.

A 2015 study found that only 66% of the UK population feel they have a duty to vote compared to 76% in 1987. These statistics are extremely concerning and display a clear issue with political disengagement in this country.

Politics has been hijacked by the far-right and is no longer about fighting for social justice and what is best for the country, but an outright attack on the most marginalised members of society. The government and mainstream media seem to have made it their mission to divert all political discourse from the Conservative’s inability to run the country to ‘let’s attack everyone that is ‘other’ as a distraction’. Divide and conquer has always been their tactic but this is reflected within our society more than ever.

With the propaganda the UK mainstream media is constantly putting out there it is becoming increasingly worrying that the majority of our working-class population have little to no political education.

Media literacy is also a harrowing issue as rumours run rampant on social media - with people taking information that is not verified as hard facts. The context feature on 'Twitter', the app officially known as 'X', is an initiative that will help tackle such disinformation.

Let's be real for a minute - in school, we are socialised into government propaganda. If you have ever heard of the term “Little Englandism”, you will be aware that the curriculum in schools is ethnocentric and catered to paint our country in the best light. We are trained to trust our government, so surely you can’t blame the general public for soaking up Conservative lies, especially given that the Tories don’t provide political education as it is not in their favour to do so.

In addition to this, Jeremy Corbyn MP has once again been facing backlash even given his independent back-bencher status. I can't help but believe this ongoing and constant attack on his character and the insistence that he is 'anti-Semitic' is more so a vehicle for the media to stamp socialism out of existence, with him being the face of the movement in this country. There is no other reason for their constant bombardment given that he is no longer in a position of significant power.

Given all of these points, you can see why spaces such as The World Transformed are vital. Left-wing discourse has almost been wiped out of modern-day politics, especially given the fact that the Labour Party has been taken over by centrist MP, Sir Keir Starmer (who has recently given his full support to Israel and its war crimes against the Palestinian people).

The World Transformed has become the voice of the Political Left. Without it I don't think I'd feel that there were many people out there who politically align with me - but the festival gives me hope for the future. The Left is very much alive even if mainstream politics doesn't have a space for us at the moment.

Being able to hear the new generation of politicians, activists and journalists speak on important topics such as Trans Rights, Reimagining Education and The Future of the NHS displays that the people in these industries DO actually care about our future. What is essential though is to encourage the general public to politically engage themselves and really fight for what they believe in.

There is also an emphasis on respectful debate, where no one's opinions will be silenced which I would like to see reflected more throughout society. Political education allows for people to interact within these spaces, giving them a voice and the knowledge to eloquently put across one's opinions.

TWT actively encourages political participation, critical thinking and intellectual curiosity through political education and engagement and we need more spaces like this. We need to organise and challenge mainstream narratives together or we have no

power.

In a world where politics is becoming a device to take away people's human rights and encourage hate and violence whilst condemning anyone who questions the status quo, regardless of where you land on the political spectrum, it is VITAL to engage in political discourse or there is no hope for the future.