Cruddas and Glasman on Statecraft for the Common Good

Source: Together for the Common Good

Is it still possible to build a political economy that serves people rather than systems? Can the reform of state institutions help restore the dignity of the human person?

These are the urgent questions that will be addressed in the second lecture of Staying Human, the 2025 public theology series from Together for the Common Good. The talk, entitled Staying Human: Statecraft for the Common Good, takes place online on Monday 15 September from 6.30-8pm, featuring political thinkers Jon Cruddas and Lord Maurice Glasman in conversation. The event is free to attend and open to all via livestream.

This unique dialogue comes at a time when public life in Britain feels increasingly fractured and ineffective. In the face of accelerating AI, economic insecurity, and the erosion of trust in institutions, Cruddas and Glasman will explore what structural changes are needed to help society stay human in the emerging era. Both speakers bring a deep grounding in faith, philosophy and politics-and a long track record of working with communities at the margins.

"Politics begins with the person, not the system," says Lord Glasman. "We are not data points or market units-we are relational beings, made for community. The Christian tradition has the resources to remind society of this truth, and it's urgently needed in this moment of upheaval."

Jon Cruddas, who served for more than two decades as MP for Dagenham, sees the lecture as part of a necessary rethinking of public life in Britain. "At the heart of political renewal is the restoration of dignity-especially in work, community, and public service," he says. "Our institutions have lost their moral compass. We must recover a vision of politics animated by tradition, virtue and responsibility. Faith communities have a vital role to play."

The event is part of Staying Human, a four-part public theology series exploring what it means to be human in a time of rapid and disorienting change. Organised by Together for the Common Good, the series draws together voices from across Christian traditions to grapple with questions that are becoming ever more pressing: How can we restore our common life? How can we remain truly human in a dehumanising age? What good are human beings?

Founder and Director of Together for the Common Good, Jenny Sinclair, believes Christians must take a leading role in shaping the future.

"We are living through a change of era. As the old order breaks down, we see extreme inequality, loss of meaning, and the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence," she says. "But we also sense that God is calling us into a story of renewal. This series is about helping Christian leaders respond with faith, courage and moral clarity."

All lectures in the series are delivered before a small in-person audience and livestreamed to a wider public.

This series is generously supported by CCLA, the UK's largest charity fund manager, and presented in partnership with Plough Quarterly, CARE (Christian Action Research and Education), and The Catholic Union of Great Britain.

Register now for the livestream of Talk #02: Staying Human - Statecraft for the Common Good
Monday 15 September, 6.30-8pm (BST)
Free and open to all
Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staying-human-statecraft-for-the-common-good-tickets-1535386545489