Speaker

Phillip BLOND

Director - ResPublica

Phillip is an internationally recognised political thinker and social and economic commentator. He bridges the gap between politics and practice, offering strategic consultation and policy formation to governments, businesses and organisations across the world. He founded ResPublica in 2009 and is an academic, journalist and author. Prior to entering politics and public policy, he was a senior lecturer in theology and philosophy, teaching at the Universities of Exeter and Cumbria. He is the author of Red Tory (Faber and Faber 2010), which sought to redefine the centre ground of British politics around the ideas of civil association, mutual ownership and shared enterprise.

His ideas have strongly influenced the agenda around devolution and public services, and have helped to redefine British and international politics. Phillip’s recent reports, such as Restoring Britain’s City States: Devolution, public service reform and local economic growth (2015), The Missing Multipliers: Devolution to Britain’s Key Cities (2015), and Devo Max – Devo Manc: Place-based public services (2014), have driven policy change in city deals and health devolution.

Further papers he has authored and co-authored while at ResPublica include Ticket to Ride: How high speed rail for Liverpool can realise the Northern Powerhouse (2016), Make or Break: Why Britain needs a manufacturing resurgence and how we can help it to take place(2015) Holistic Mission: Social action and the Church of England (2013), Marriage: Union for the future or contract for the present (2013), Military Academies: Tackling disadvantage, improving ethos and changing outcome (2012), Asset Building for Children: Creating a new civic savings platform for young people (2010), To Buy, To Bid, To Build: Community Rights for an Asset Owning Democracy (2010) and The Ownership State: Restoring excellence, innovation and ethos to the public services (2009).

He has written extensively in the British and foreign press including The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, the Financial Times, Prospect, the New Statesman and The New York Times. As a renowned speaker and communicator, Phillip is a frequent broadcaster, appearing on the BBC and Sky as well as in foreign media. Through both his writing and speaking, he argues for a new economic and social politics based around free association and group formation, new forms of capitalisation and market entry.