Caroline Lucas and George Monbiot to speak at events in Scotland

thenational.scot · Feb 15, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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SPEAKERS including the Green Party’s first MP and one of the UK’s foremost left-wing journalists have been announced for an upcoming festival in the capital. Former Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas and writer George Monbiot will speak at events in Edinburgh organised by a new group called Make Hope Possible. Irish journalist and intellectual Fintan O’Toole will speak about the prospect of Irish reunification, which some commentators have suggested represents the most immediate threat to the current makeup of the UK. READ MORE: We want to Make Hope Possible with politics events in Scotland It follows on from 2023’s Break Up of Britain? conference, which was arranged in tribute to the death of the leading Scottish thinker Tom Nairn the same year. Organisers said that “at a time when the break up of Britain looks ever closer, it is important that we nurture a movement that can create a better Scotland”. Lucas will discuss her book Another England: How To Reclaim Our National Story, in the context of the relationship between Scotland and its neighbour to the south. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (left) and leader of Plaid Cymru Rhun ap Iorwerth take part in the BBC Election Debate She said: “The UK is veering towards a constitutional crisis. After May's elections, we might very well be in a position where Plaid Cymru lead the government in Wales. alongside some Greens, Sinn Féin leads the Northern Irish executive, and Scotland has elected an SNP/Green majority with a mandate for another independence referendum. “This leaves obvious questions about what Englishness means in an increasingly fragmented UK. Yet, at the moment, almost the only story being told about that comes from the toxic right in the shape of Reform UK. READ MORE: Palestine Action wins High Court challenge in legal battle over ban “That’s why I'm excited to be coming to Scotland to talk about how we challenge Nigel Farage's far-right populism by telling more compelling stories about who we are, and how English progressives can learn from Scottish progressives about what an inclusive national identity might look like.” Monbiot will speak about the role of neoliberal ideology, which has defined the political landscape of the West since the 1980s, in shaping the current climate. A view of Edinburgh from Calton Hill (Image: Colin Mearns) He said: “Scotland is the political brain of the UK. It is where many of the greatest ideas are hatched, the best projects pioneered, the strongest community groups developed. “It is always an inspiration for me, and whenever I’ve visited, I come home feeling recharged and excited about what we can achieve.” Lucas will speak at the Gordon Aitken lecture theatre at Edinburgh University 7pm to 9pm on March 10 and at the same time the following day at Cottiers Theatre in Glasgow. Venues are yet to be announced for Monbiot’s events. If you cannot make it to the talks, The National will be covering them as an official media partner so you will be able to follow wherever you are on our website thenational.scot Tickets for Lucas’s talk “Why Scotland needs another England” are available here.