Tom Nairn died aged 90 in January of this year. He was a Scottish political thinker and theorist of unparalleled range and audacity. His work on nationalism, the British state and globalisation in the era of market supremacy remains an inspiration to radicals and reformers everywhere. We want to celebrate Tom’s life not by looking back ponderously on his thought but by embracing his spirit of restless engagement with reality.

The greatest danger to our democracy is the status quo. A once suffocating but stable British consensus has been replaced by an increasingly authoritarian state coordinating assaults on immigrants, the labour movement and the right to protest. Meanwhile, Scotland is trapped in an involuntary union, Wales strains for more autonomy, and Northern Ireland is held hostage.

The cry for an ‘independent global Britain’ in the Brexit referendum made sovereignty a live issue, as it expressed a desire to end unaccountable elite rule. Tragically, this sentiment was displaced onto the EU, distracting from the major culprit: Westminster. Now Brexit is failing and progressives across the UK, Ireland and Europe need to develop an alternative vision for the future of these islands. This is an urgent strategic priority for democrats of all parties and none. It demands engaging with the disruptive democratic energies that emerged during the 2014 and 2016 referendums.

In Edinburgh this autumn, we plan a major gathering of progressives to kick-start this process. We will challenge the reactionary drift of British politics and assert the right of Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland to self-determination as a core principle for any democratic future. And debate central questions raised by Tom Nairn’s work.

Do we need to break up to shape up?

What does nationalism mean in 21st-century Europe?

What comes after the United Kingdom?