Populism and the Politics of Division

Jon Bloomfield has more than forty years experience as policy maker and practitioner engaged with cities in the UK and Europe. From 2009-2021 he was a senior adviser on the EU’s largest climate change programme, Climate KIC.

Since 2005 he has been an Honorary research fellow in the School of Public Policy at Birmingham University where he pursues a range of policy interests on European governance; the environment; migration; the role of cities; and national populism. During the 1980s Jon was on the board of Marxism Today and covered the 1989 Velvet Revolution for ‘The Guardian.’ His book, ‘Our City: Migrants and the Making of Modern Birmingham’ was published in 2019. His latest ‘The Little Black Book of the Populist Right’ co-authored with David Edgar was published in 2024 with an updated edition appearing in spring 2026.

David Edgar is a playwright and commentator with strong Bradford connections, having lived in the city from 1969 to 1974 and premiered many early plays at Bradford University. Edgar’s work includes major plays for the RSC and National Theatre, alongside adaptations of Nicholas Nickleby and A Christmas Carol. A political commentator and author of How Plays Work, Edgar was Britain’s first Professor of Playwriting Studies. 

Khalid Sayed is the Leader of the Opposition in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, representing the African National Congress (ANC). He leads the ANC caucus and works with opposition parties to promote democratic accountability, effective oversight and an alternative vision for the province.

Born and raised in Athlone, Cape Town, Sayed holds a Master’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town, specialising in Islamic Studies, and a Diploma in Arabic Studies from Damascus University. He has lectured and conducted research at UCT.

His career spans academia, government, politics and the private sector, including roles as a public affairs consultant, parliamentary researcher and Chief of Staff in South Africa’s Ministry of Public Enterprises.

A long-standing ANC leader and activist, Sayed previously served as Deputy Chief Whip and Education Spokesperson in the Provincial Parliament. He is also widely recognised for his work advancing social justice, peacebuilding, community development and social cohesion.

Myriam François, is an English journalist, filmmaker and writer. Her work has appeared on the BBC, Channel 4 and Al Jazeera. She is the founder and CEO of production company MPWR productions, which specialises in documentary films which centre on minoritised voices.
Myriam’s award-winning, directorial debut documentary Finding Alaa (BBC/CBC 2023) won the “Special Mention” Award at Doc Fest’23 and “Best Short” at the Independent Shorts Festival. The film has been BAFTA Longlisted as “Best Short Film” 2024 and premiered at Hot Docs and the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo.
Myriam was nominated as one of only 14 “filmmakers to watch” in 2021 by One World Media.