On Saturday 16 July, The Right Honourable Tony Blair delivered Ditchley's 58th Annual Lecture. Tony Blair highlighted that western democracies, with living standards stagnating, millions struggling to meet their basic needs and political turmoil fuelled by social media, are facing an inflection point that is perhaps graver than those of 1945 and 1980. Within democracies, the solutions to these problems lie in the creation of a governing project which makes sense of the world, and which harnesses fundamentally the technological revolution. The ability to plan and deliver are in short supply in modern politics, but more important than ever. Abroad, Ukraine is a pivot point, demonstrating the need for increased defence spending and adoption of a stance of ‘strength plus engagement’ with China. We must recognise that we are now in a world where the East is on equal terms with the West. We need to respond to developing nations' needs, if we are to retain influence and soft power and tackle climate change.
The full transcript of the Lecture can be found here: After Ukraine, What Lessons Now for Western Leadership?, and a bullet point summary: 58th Ditchley Annual Lecture bullet point summary.
View event album here.