Here are details of February's Signs of the Times seminar, a forthcoming
seminar series (in March) on crime and policing, and the latest discussion
papers on the website, www.signsofthetimes.org.uk (including a very recent
one by Alan Finlayson on tuition fees)
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February's seminar:

A SPIN TOO FAR: NEW LABOUR AND THE IRRESISTIBLE RISE OF POPULAR DISSAFECTION
Monday February 24th, 7.30pm

With Alan Finlayson. author of 'Making Sense of New Labour' (see:
http://www.l-w-bks.co.uk/titles.htm) and
Hilary Wainwright, editor of Red Pepper (www.redpepper.org.uk)

The Union Tavern, 52 Lloyd Baker Street, London WC1 at 7.30pm. 10 mins walk
from Kings X. Free; donations welcome. No pre-booking required.

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In March we are pleased to present our first full seminar series for some
time: 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: THE POLITICS OF POLICING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Mondays 7:30-9:30pm at the Union Tavern, Lloyd Baker Street London WC1.
----
CAPITAL CRIMES: The Future of Policing in London
Monday 3rd March 7.30pm with
- Lord Toby Harris, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority and
- Professor  Janet Foster, London School of Economics
----
CRIMINAL JUSTICE NOW: ŒMonstrousness¹ and the erosion of civil liberties
Monday 10th March 7.30pm
- Mary Riddell of the Observer inn conversation with
- Prof Phil Scraton, Director of Centre for Studies in Crime and Social
Justice, Edge Hill College of Higher Education
-----
POLICING COMMUNITIES: ethnicity and accountability
Monday 17th March 7.30pm with
- Prof Michael Keith, Department of Sociology, Goldsmiths College
- Eoin O¹Broin, Sinn Fein councillor, Belfast and
- a speaker from Newham Monitoring Project
-----
WOMEN AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Monday 24th March 7.30pm
- Vera Baird MP QC, Chair of the Commission on Women and Criminal Justice
- Dr Katherine Rake Director, Fawcett
- Dr Maggie Wykes, Dept of Law at the University of Sheffield
------
THE FUTURE OF POLICING: privatisation and private security
Monday 31st March at 7.30pm
- Prof Les Johnston, Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of
Portsmouth 
- Prof Gloria Laycock, Director of the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science


All seminars are free ­ no pre-booking is required; donations are welcome.
All are held at The Union Tavern, 52 Lloyd Baker Street, London WC1 - 10
mins walk from Kings X. No need to book in advance, although please check
before bringing a large party. For more information email
[log in to unmask]

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DISCUSSION PAPERS
Recent discussion papers that can be found online at
www.signsofthetimes.org.uk:

Tuition Fees: social engineering for the 'knowledge economy'
By Alan Finlayson, 24th January 2003

Alan Finlayson argues that it is a mistake to argue against tuition fees as
an inegalitarian policy, as this government has no interest in
egalitarianism. Instead, they want to turn us all into risk-taking
knowledge-economy competitors.
-------
Theory, Democracy and the Left
An Interview with Leo Panitch by Carlos Pessoa, 11th December 2002

Carlos Pessoa interviews Leo Panitch, one of the leading advocates of a
revived socialist project for western democracies.
-------
British Immigration Policy, New Labour, and the rights of migrants: A
critical assessment
By Don Flynn, 4th December 2002

Don Flynn explains the current state of British immigration policies and
looks to what alternatives the left can suggest.
--------
The New International: A Report from The European Social Forum
By Jeremy Gilbert, 1st December 2002

Jeremy Gilbert reflects on the implications of the European Social Forum for
the European left.
--------
Creating Alternatives: The ESF, anti-neo-liberalism and fair trade
By Jo Littler, 1st December 2002

Jo Littler considers the discussion about alternative economies at the ESF
and looks for links between direct action, consumer activism and fair trade.
--------
The movement is the message
By Oscar Reyes, 1st December 2002

Oscar Reyes, of the Independent Student Media Project, considers how the ESF
opens up new questions about strategy for the left.

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Signs of the Times is an independent, self-funded collective. We exist to
provide a space for the free exchange and circulation of ideas on the left,
free from sectarian loyalties or ideological dogma. For more information and
resources see http://www.signsofthetimes.org.uk