# The Big Conversation

This was an exercise by the Labour Party in late 2003. They said they wanted to get the public’s opinion on how the Labour government should move forward. The press seemed to think that is was either an admission that they’d run out of ideas, or a diversionary tactic to convince voters they weren’t ignoring them.

The [web site](http://web.archive.org/web/20031202022342/http://www.bigconversation.org.uk/) set out the agenda, and invited comments in various media (including text messages, which seems ludicrous: can one give a considered opinion of complex issues in 160 characters?).

However cynical the exercise may have been (it’s impossible to tell), the questions to which the Labour Party were soliciting answers were important, and it seemed to me that I really ought to give them serious thought, whether or not I participated in the manner intended. They’re the sort of questions that anyone claiming to be interested in society ought to reconsider from time to time. Here they are:

## 13 questions in the Big Conversation

[How do we build on economic stability?](The Big Conversation: Economics.md)
[How do we do more to tackle poverty and inequality?](The Big Conversation: Poverty.md)
[How do we lead healthier lives?](The Big Conversation: Health.md)
[How do we make our communities safe?](The Big Conversation: Safety.md)
[How do we give every child an excellent education?](The Big Conversation: Education.md)
[How do we balance work and family life?](The Big Conversation: Work and Family.md)
[How do we ensure security and well-being in older age?](The Big Conversation: Old age.md)
[How do we provide a modern transport network?](The Big Conversation: Transport.md)
[How do we create a fair asylum and immigration system that benefits Britain?](The Big Conversation: Immigration.md)
[How do we safeguard our environment for future generations?](The Big Conversation: Environment.md)
[How do we do more to connect politics and people?](The Big Conversation: Politics.md)
[How do we make Britain stronger in Europe?](The Big Conversation: Europe.md)
[How do we develop our concept of international community?](The Big Conversation: International community.md)

## Other relevant links

_Measure your bias with Chris Lightfoot’s [political survey](http://politics.beasts.org/). [A]($url{/People/Alistair})_