Just back from the annual political theory workshop at Manchester Met and astonished at the total lack of engagement with the current political crisis. I know that political theory is a branch of analytic philosophy but, given the subject matter, one might have expected some engagement with the real world of political economy, if only in the pub at the end of the day. However most of the conference participants (primarily political theory lecturers and graduate students) only seemed interested in furthering their own careers. In fact one of the organisers came to our publisher exhibit and commented how interesting our books looked, lamenting the fact that they did not fall within his own narrow research focus. The backdrop to our stand was a 6 x 3 ft poster emblazoned with the slogan "The Party's Over" but nobody seemed in the slightest bit concerned.

Just imagine how different it might have been if the financial meltdown and the MPs' expenses crisis had occurred during the intellectual ferment of 1968-9? The conference would have been deserted as the student body would have been picketing MPs. What a difference 40 years has made!