The pandemic has shone a light on deep divides and existing inequalities, not just in UK society but across the world. It has also started honest conversations about what is important to us, what sort of societies we would like to live in, and what can unite us.
In his new book, Fractured, Jon Yates explores how divisions can impact our chance of a healthy, safe and prosperous life, and explains why bringing people together who are different – as defined by age, race, or class, earning power or education – is crucial if we want our democracy, society and economy to thrive.
On the eve of its publication, Jon Yates and SMF Director, James Kirkup discussed the book and its recommendations.
Have exit polls and voter preferences ever taken you by surprise? The people in your social circle might not be the best representative of the wider electorate, and Jon Yates explains why.
About the speakers:
Jon Yates is Executive Director of the Youth Endowment Fund, a £200m charitable fund focused on integrating young people into society. After graduating from the University of Oxford, he started his career as a community worker in the London Borough of Newham, before joining McKinsey and Company, where he advised charities, companies and government on strategy and organisational development. He has co-founded a series of charities and initiatives including The Challenge and More in Common aimed at improving life chances and understanding. These programmes now reach 1 in 6 Britons in their lifetime.
James Kirkup is the Director of the Social Market Foundation, responsible for the overall management and work of the think-tank. He joined the SMF in 2017 after a 20-year career in journalism, most of it spent at Westminster covering government and politics. He was Political Editor and Executive Editor at the Daily Telegraph and a correspondent for The Scotsman and Bloomberg News. He is a regular columnist for publications including the Spectator, the Times and Unherd, writing about politics and public policy.
