Polly Toynbee

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The Guardian columnist and former BBC Social Affairs Editor remains a strident commentator on political and societal matters. Although seen as the doyen of left-wing commentary, she is frequently critical of all parties. Her book The Lost Decade: 2010–2020 and What Lies Ahead for Britain traces the damaging effects of a decade of austerity and examines what the future holds after one of the most tumultuous of periods in modern British history characterised by national tragedies, Brexit and a growing lack of trust in leadership. 


Biography

Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist and broadcaster and was formerly the BBC's Social Affairs Editor. She has won a National Press Award, has been the What The Papers Say and British Press Awards columnist of the year, and labelled the most influential columnist in the country.

After dropping out of her degree at Oxford, Polly worked in a factory and used this period, as well as time working ‘undercover’ as a nurse and an Army recruit, as the basis of her first book, A Working Life. She also started work at The Observer, before moving to The Guardian and then to the BBC as Social Affairs Editor.

Polly returned to her undercover research for her book Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain over 30 years after A Working Life was published. For a year she took up the challenge of living in one of the most neglected council estates in Britain and taking whatever minimum-wage jobs were on offer at the job centre. In telesales and cake factories, as a hospital porter or a dinner-lady, she worked at a breakneck pace for cut-rate wages, alongside working mothers and struggling retirees. The experience has informed a great deal of her criticism of government, policy and business.

Renown for her often outspoken left-leaning, social democratic stance, Polly is loved and disliked in equal measures by Britain’s political and commentating classes. Seen by some as the epitome of left-wing, politically correct reactionism, Polly regularly inspires the opprobrium of right-leaning press and politicians, although her columns and broadcasting never shirk from criticising all of the major parties. She has written a large selection of books on subjects from social mobility to leadership to analyses of Labour and Tory governments and austerity.

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Books

Book written by Polly Toynbee
Book written by Polly Toynbee
Book written by Polly Toynbee

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Speakers Breakfast

Racing to High Performance with Guenther Steiner and Paul McKenna

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Paul McKenna and Guenther Steiner

Date TBC.  We will be looking at high-performance and mindset with our two excellent speakers.

Guenther Steiner is the Former Team Principal of F1’s Haas, a role he held from the team’s inception until this year. Under his leadership, he grew Haas into one of the sport’s leading independent teams.

Joining Guenther on stage will be broadcaster and behavioural scientist Paul Mckenna, who has written a number of bestselling books, and works on how psychology and mindset can impact achievement.

Please register your interest using the link above for what is sure to be a fascinating and illuminating session.

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Event - 17/09/2024 - 09:00

Speakers Breakfast

Navigating Risk and Chaos – Strategies For Coping With An Uncertain World.

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Clive Myrie, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Rt Hon Lord Parker of Minsmere, and Robin Niblett

On Tuesday 17th September we had the pleasure of hearing from a remarkable panel of speakers, who shared their expertise on the challenges of managing Risk in a chaotic world.

The panel featured esteemed speakers, Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton KFSM (Firefigter and Neuroscience researcher), Lord Parker of Minsmere (Andrew Parker, Former Director General of MI5), and Sir Robin Niblett (Former Director and Chief Executive of Chatham House). The event was hosted superbly by Mastermind and BBC News presenter Clive Myrie.

Over the hour, our panellists explored Risk on multiple levels, from global affairs to business environments and personal everyday challenges. They provided valuable insights into how we can better manage and mitigate Risk in today’s unpredictable world.

 

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87 Barts Close, 87 Bartholomew Close, London, EC1A 7EB

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