Are we entering an age of indifference or inertia? 

Thirty years ago, Tim Bell of Bell Pottinger described a shift from an era of deference, where authority was accepted without question, to an era of reference, where we still listened to institutions like doctors, journalists, and policymakers, but weighed them against other influences before deciding for ourselves.

But today, in an increasingly fractured world, where trust in institutions is at an all-time low, are we entering an age of indifference? Or, after some of the largest civic movements in modern history, are we entering an age of inertia? A loss not of care, but of the ability to create change.

And if so, what does that mean for business, media, and government, and how do we stay relevant in a world that seems to have stopped listening?

Sarah is joined in conversation by Katy Watts, a lawyer at the human rights organisation Liberty, where she leads its legal work on protest and free speech, including Liberty’s recent test case challenging government restrictions on protest rights. Tej Parkikh, The Financial Times, economics editorial writer, and former chief economist at the Institute of Directors and an economist at the Bank of England, to explore the idea of economic inertia and, more recently, his writing on Creative Destruction. And Mark Hadfield, founder of Meet the 85%, an ethnographic research consultancy that captures the lives of those living outside London alongside perspectives in business and media.

Hosted at Café Murano, Covent Garden, the evening offers you the chance to answer One Question in conversation with our community over a glass of wine and Italian Cicchetti.

2nd July, 2025, 6 pm – 8.30 pm
Café Murano, Covent Garden

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