The world is in extraordinary flux.

Progressives have a choice: either sit back and let Trump and nationalist populists shape a new paradigm on their terms or get our act together and come up with a set of bigger, better and bolder ideas to mount a fightback.

We can deny change and continue with the old ways of doing things, in the hope that something will turn up to save the day. Or we can respond to the need for a new agenda and describe what a progressive version of that change should look like.

That is the purpose of this new online platform.

This will be a place for robust debate, brought together by some of the major think tanks in Britain today and a host of individuals working on new ideas. It is a non-partisan resource for people to draw on, as we do the difficult work of building that alternative project.

Our starting point is a simple proposition: whatever you wish to achieve in politics, ideas matter. You might think this is stating the obvious. But in the rapid-fire social media age, and in a political culture where short-term tactics dominate, the importance of deeper thought is easy to forget.

Successful political projects win the battle of ideas. These ideas create the space to make long-lasting change, and stand in powerful contrast to the transactional politics that we have got so used to. And political parties that create a culture in which ideas and debate can flourish prove better at sustaining and renewing themselves.

Ideas matter because they provide a rationale for policy decisions, a narrative people can understand and a north star for people to follow. If people have bought into a worldview, they will be more forgiving of mistakes and more tolerant of the slow pace of change.

HopeWorks shows that there are a lot of great ideas already out there – and this is an attempt to bring some of them together in one place.

There are a lot of books and articles being written that analyse our predicament with great skill. But there are fewer that suggest solutions or fresh ways forward.

This collection prioritises those works that try to chart an agenda for the future. Most have been written in the last few years. Some are timeless classics that still provide relevant gems for the modern age. 

Of course, the point is to stimulate debate. There will be some works here we agree strongly with and with others there will be healthy disagreement. That is the point – and that makes for a spirit of curiosity, dialogue and renewal.

HopeWorks is meant to be the start of a process. We hope readers will find new books and articles that they don’t know about. And also, spot the gaps and try to fill them – suggesting new books, long reads and videos for us to include. You might also be inspired to write something yourself if you think there are few current arguments being made in that field.

In the coming months we will ask thinkers, politicians, and practitioners to suggest works that have inspired them so you too can be inspired.

We also plan to use this platform for events, conversations and debates. 

Enjoy!