John Kampfner Braver New World: The Countries Daring to Do Things Others Wont

About

At a moment when British politics seems paralysed by caution and national debates are dominated by what cant be done, John Kampfner offers a radically different perspective: around the world, countries are confronting the very challenges we avoidboldly, creatively and successfully.

Drawing on his acclaimed new book Braver New World, Kampfner takes the audience on a gripping journey through ten nations that have refused to accept stagnation. In Japan, he explores inter-generational care homes that restore dignity and connection in later lifewhile Britain continues to delay social-care reform. In Vienna, he discovers subsidised housing so successful that 60% of residents choose it, producing thriving, mixed communities without stigma. Taiwans smart, affordable health system achieves 90% satisfaction rates at a fraction of the NHS cost.

He travels through Finland, where schools prepare children for an unpredictable future rather than teach to the test, and Morocco, where vast Saharan solar plants generate clean energy for millions of homes. These arent hypothetical modelstheyre working systems already changing lives. What unites these countries, Kampfner argues, is not wealth but courage: the willingness to attempt solutions that others shy away from.This talk is a wake-up call and an invitation. The ideas exist. The question for Britain is whether we are brave enough to learn.

John Kampfner is an award-winning author, broadcaster and foreign-affairs commentator with one of the most distinguished journalistic careers of his generation. He began reporting from East Berlin during the fall of the Wall and from Moscow during the collapse of communism, covering history as it unfolded for The Telegraph. After returning to Britain, he covered domestic politics for the Financial Times and the BBC before becoming Editor of the New Statesman. A regular presence on television and radio, Kampfner has made numerous documentaries and written six previous books, including the bestselling Blairs Wars. His book Why the Germans Do It Better was a top-ten bestseller, named Book of the Year in The Guardian, The Economist and The New Statesman, and has sold over 150,000 copies across all editions. His most recent work, In Search of Berlin, was published in 2023.

A Q&A Session will follow.