#StayHappening
Sun Nov 08 2026 at 02:00 pm to 03:00 pm UTC+00:00

What do we mean when we say system change? [Radical Book Fair]

  • Assembly Roxy · Edinburgh
  • From GBP 0.00
Lighthouse - Edinburgh's Radical Bookshop Publisher / Host Lighthouse - Edinburgh's Radical Bookshop
Share
What do we mean when we say system change? [Radical Book Fair]
Advertisement
We urgently need to change the systems we live in, but what changes are big enough?
About this Event

We urgently need to change the systems we live in, but what changes are big enough?


As we head toward the end of this year’s fair, we invite you to spend some time talking about the really big questions in the company of a panel dedicated to tackling them.

Join journalist Adam Ramsay, human rights lawyer and grassroots organsier Jen Ang, and Q Manivannan MSP as they discuss how our most ambitious and radical dreams - from complete government overhaul to tax justice and energy transition - are connected, and how we can build a sense of public belonging and collective agency within these vast notions, at a time when we urgently need to put them into practice.

Come down to hear about the big changes already brewing, and what you can do to make them a reality.


Our speakers:

Adam Ramsay is a former editor, UK editor, and special correspondent of openDemocracy. He now writes the Abolish Westminster newsletter, and his book of the same name will be published by Faber on 5 November.

Jen Ang is a human rights lawyer and Founding Director of Lawmanity, working with people-led movements to make the law more equal, for everyone. Jen is also Professor in Practice at the University of Glasgow School of Law’s GO Justice Centre, building clinical legal opportunities for students in social justice spaces. She is a legal expert in the areas of migrant justice, women’s rights, children’s rights and the rights of survivors of torture and trafficking, qualified to practice in Scotland, England and Wales, and New York State.

Jen believes in making the law – and legal education – open and accessible to all.


Dr Q Manivannan MSP is a Scottish Green MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East. Q serves as the Scottish Greens’ culture spokesperson. Q is also one of the first two openly transgender people elected to Holyrood.

Q knows what it means to stand up for justice and make change happen, having experience as a community organiser, teacher, and policy expert. They also hold a PhD from the University of St Andrews in international peace studies. With their extensive experience, Q is committed to being the voice for their constituents across Edinburgh and Lothians East, speaking up for local communities and fighting for the change they want and need.


Our chair:

Karin Goodwin is an award winning freelance journalist and co-editor of investigative journalism platform The Ferret. Her current work is focussed on the climate crisis, power structures and public services.


*Events are £5 or free -we completely understand paying for one or two events and then getting free spots for others. The Radical Book Fair is entirely bookshop run and ticket sales are vital to keeping the fair sustainable and paying all our speakers so all support is heartily welcome!

*If you'd like to help make the book fair accessible to more folks, please consider adding to our pay-it-forward fund .

Advertisement

Event venue & nearby stays

Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Tickets GBP 0.00 to GBP 6.13
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

Discover more events by tag

Ask AI if this event suits you

Keep the plans coming

More events in Edinburgh

The GO Steady

Sun, 08 Nov at 03:00 pm 11 Sunnyside, EH7 5RA Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Edinburgh is happening.

See everything else that’s on — concerts, markets, comedy and more.