Some weeks, I’ll readily admit that I do question the wisdom of committing to writing a weekly newsletter, to an unshakeable publishing schedule, tightly focused on a single (if culturally rich) part of London, all for minimal remuneration.

But occasionally, doing all this does deliver experiences that redress the balance, somewhat.

An invite for a cuppa and a chat around at the former Labour Party leader’s Tufnell Park home the other day was definitely one such moment.

Lord Kinnock has been an ever-present political force for as long as I can remember; his influence on the history of his party - and in turn the nation - is irrefutably immense. Now 83, he remains a formidable commentator on the issues facing us all, at both global to local levels, in the media and in the House of Lords.

So it was a rare and delicious privilege to sit down in his living room to chew the fat about everything from the potential impacts of A.I to the shocking demand for local food banks, and everyone from Corbyn to Trump.

His familiar, sonorous Welsh tones proved to be as emotive and impassioned when spoken from the sofa with his cat as when he was regularly jousting with Thatcher at the dispatch box back in the 80s, and his commitment to socially progressive values - of course - remains equally unwobbling today, despite the challenging climate we’ve descended into since.

In fact, we covered so much of interest that I’m going to break with my own convention and publish lots more of the Kinnock interview in an extra newsletter early next week, including his views on all the other Labour leaders who live nearby, and why the ‘metropolitan elite’ tag they’ve earned by being here is so misguided. Look out for it.

We were speaking ahead of his upcoming appearance at HowTheLightGetsIn, taking place at Kenwood House next month, (details and discount below)…

This week’s Guest Editor: Lord Kinnock

When HowTheLightGetsIn asked me to appear, I told them I’d given up lecturing. So they asked if I’d do a Q&A instead, and I agreed. They then gave it this rather elevated title, ‘The Life and Philosophy of Neil Kinnock’.

I’ve lived a long, eventful life, but I’m not very comfortably with ideologies. I suppose my ideology is anti-ideological, so it might get a bit confusing, but I’ll happily chat about past, present, and hopefully future times, too.

I’m a product of the secure generation, whereas my five grandchildren are growing up in a world of turmoil. I recognised early on how fortunate I was to be born of the time that I was, in stark contrast to my parents and grandparents experience. I can chronicle the easy path that my generation has been given. Not everybody in it, of course, but overall as a generation we've been very lucky. I think the luck may also have run out.

We now live in a fragmented society, so the possibility of organising is more daunting than it's been, maybe since the since the 18th century. It makes people feel impotent, powerless, but they're not. People will always have power if they choose to organise in pursuit of progress, generosity, liberty, justice and security.

A feeling has developed that, no matter what happens, here in the UK or elsewhere, the same interests come out on top. Everybody else is stuck with stagnant incomes, under-investment in public services and the curtailing of justice and opportunity.

So, for understandable reasons, people want a dramatic change, even though they know, on reflection, that there’s no dramatic change available. Progress we’ve made as a country, as a system, has been accumulative and gradual, and that will continue to be the case.

From America to Hungary, Neo Nazis in Germany to virulent racists in prominent positions in the Netherlands, we’re seeing the germination of ideas we thought had been buried under mountains of bodies and the projects of hatred in 1945.

I’m certain that Trump’s economic adventures can't produce positive results for the people of the USA. Eventually, they're going to realise that they've bought a pig in a poke, and it can have devastating consequences.

The nearest we've had here is Farage producing utter falsehoods and fictions about what would happen if we left the European Union. That was a triumph of lies as well, which of course, is the stock and trade of Trump.

The populists are getting immediate impact, because their social media everywhere is much better than ours anywhere. But that is something that I'm sure the progressive element can catch up on.

The advances of artificial intelligence and associated technological revolutions have got to be turned around, adapted and employed for progressive purposes, because the alternative looks worse than Orwellian. I see all these changes with the simple analogy of fire and water - both can kill and both can cure.

We need a resolute degree of determination amongst people in the ‘centre left’ and the ‘centre right’ to uphold democracy and its standards, and to rebuff extremity. Because it's always cruel, always incompetent, and always is a betrayal of public need. There is never any question about that.

We might have to go through some very bruising time before that contest is resolved, though I still think that the ascent of fascism is very unlikely, (but never impossible).

It will require people to decide there is far more that unites them - in terms of standards of commitment to liberty, security, tolerance and yes, decency - than divides them. Live and let live, which is a great British virtue.

The awful truth is, the big strides forward that countries have taken have either been in preparation for in the consequence of war, and God knows that's what we've got to avoid. At any time in history, war has been repulsive, but now it's unthinkable.

The best advice I've ever received on how to view all this comes from Antoni Gramsci, the Italian communist philosopher, who was murdered by Mussolini. He said the only fitting mindset for the progressive is ‘pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will’.

So I guess we’ve just got to keep on slogging.

The thing is, being an angry young man was quite enjoyable; being an angry old man is bloody unpleasant, because you're conscious you're running out of time.

HowTheLightGetsIn returns 20th-21st Sept at Kenwood House. As the world’s largest ideas and music festival, you’ll hear from Lord Kinnock alongside Brian Cox, John Gray, Diane Abbott, Alastair Campbell, Alain de Botton, and loads more. With debates, talks, comedy, and live music across the weekend, you’ll listen to the world’s top thinkers give their views on the most urgent issues facing society today.

As partners of the festival, Camdenist is offering an exclusive 30% off tickets with code CAMDENIST2025. Get your discounted tickets now, and we’ll see you there…

MORE FESTIVALS

Summer’s last hurrahs

🌳 The final band stand beano of the summer, Natural Aspect, takes over Parliament Hill on Sun 31st Aug with loads of fun activities, picnics on the grass plus a live party soundtrack from DJ Dan Carrier, 4-piece rock and Roscoe P Coltrane, ska, reggae and more from Peace & Love and iconic lounge chill courtesy of Kinobe, taking you through the whole afternoon.

⛱️ Finchley Road’s JW3 cultural centre is throwing an end of summer Beach Party this Sun 31st Aug on the sands that currently occupy their outdoor space. You can expect classic house, hip-hop and global grooves from Rob Marco, Sachana, Barry Cohen, DJ Kobayashi and a surprise headliner, with London’s only kosher cocktail bar and serious Middle Eastern kosher food courtesy of beachside restaurant residency by Hampstead’s Kasa Grill.

🎉 It’s the Camden Weekender featuring Dodgy all day-into-night this Sat 30th Aug, as the Britpop era legends headline alongside a host of emerging artists across multiple iconic Camden Town venues including Dingwalls, Camden Assembly, The Black Heart, Camden Club, The Camden, Kiss The Sky, and Camden Eye, with access to all for just £14.

FOOD & DRINK

Latest tasty openings & shock closures

🍄‍🟫 Having only been open since January, Voyage with Adam Simmonds in King’s Cross closed rather suddenly a few days ago, citing ‘changing market conditions’ for the abrupt shuttering of this ambitious venture. The Megaro Hotel has struggled to make this corner site work, despite lavish interiors and the latest seriously high-end tasting menus cooked in a central kitchen. We await what will land here next, but the eventual removal of the ugly subway entrance to the Underground, which currently blocks the restaurant door from view from the station concourse, may well improve it’s chances.

🍔 Highgate Village pub The Crown opened it new food venture Upstairs at The Crown yesterday, with 50% off all food for bookings made before 7th Sep, in exchange for honest feedback. They’ve teamed up with Dusty Knuckle head chef Charley Samuelson and the photos look like it’s going to be some serious pub grub.

🍻 It was the final weekend of 18 years as a successful independent boozer at NW3 beloved The Stag last weekend, with a suitably big party held in the suntrap beer garden to see the team off. The pub has been snapped up by Young’s, who run many of the area’s more luxe watering holes these days, having tarted up the likes of Kentish Town’s Bull & Gate and Camden’s The Constitution in recent years. There’s a tendency for their makeovers and food-focused reboots to suck the soul out of previously raucous community hubs, but The Stag has been both hedonistic and pretty posh for a long time, so it will be interesting to see if the brewery can retain a bit more of what has made it such a fun place for a pint up to now.

🧀 Food website Hot Dinners have done the full gooey deep dive into the new Pick & Cheese conveyor belt cheese bar in North Yard. It was always an underrated spot among locals, so we wonder if the refresh will tempt more of you to venture around the great wall of Chalk Farm in search of a triangle of that consistently phenomenal truffled Baron Bigod brie.

NEWSLETTERS

Growing the network

Camdenist runs on the Beehiiv platform (although you can also subscribe to read it on the Substack app too, if you like that). I’m a big fan of the tools Beehiiv continues to roll out that make the process of publishing editorial-led email newsletters and websites brilliant and easy.

If you are considering starting a newsletter of your own, please use this link, as not only will Camdenist earn a decent commission, but we will include you in our network of other interesting regular newsletters that we recommend to all our like-minded readers.

It’s all about growing our networks and working together, as people increasingly look for quality reads that cut through the social media AI slop and dull marketing emails.

BOOKS

Harness serendipity

Back when I was co-editing the monthly print culture guide Kentishtower over a decade ago, we teamed up with a group of local start-up businesses to run a monthly networking social drinks event, called Kentish Cluster.

Chief instigator of those meet-ups was James Eder, then the successful co-founder of the student discount phenomenon, Student Beans, who has since gone on to explore his lifelong passion for sparking such serendipitous encounters worldwide, and has just written a book all about it.

The Collision Code is his timely manual for building meaningful connections, and he’s having a fundraising book launch on Sept 17th, raising money for The British Heart Foundation and Cardiomyopathy UK, a condition that James himself suffers from. Meet you there…

📖 Remember, if you are a fan of creative responses to urban regeneration, you can also pre-order copies of The Wick - 15 Years of Culture, Community & Change, the coffee table book we’re currently putting together about the transformation of Hackney Wick since the London 2012 Olympics. Find out more and pre-order here.

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