10 June 2025 10:15 pm
Over the past half a century we have seen the rise of capitalism and neoliberalism which promised us the world. Instead, the wealthy got richer, public services were reduced and those left are more expensive. Cronyism is rife in our political system with the proverbial revolving door rewarding many of the political class for their service with high paying positions after politics. In spite of this the neoliberal story, that privatisation, perpetual growth and trickledown economics will reward all remains the accepted narrative.
Author George Monbiot says, in order to get out of the mess we’re in, we need a new story that explains the present and guides the future, a new vision for society built around our fundamental capacity for altruism and cooperation.
Below is a suggestion for a new story and for those who wish to explore the credits and influence there is a link at the end.
As people we are altruists, most want to help one another, people are like that. The majority want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to mistrust, hate and despise one another. Our way of life can be free and meaningful, but our way is being blocked.
Disorder and inequity afflict our country, driven by a minority of greedy, wealthy, powerful self-serving forces. We are governed by a disconnected political class that only a minority voted for, who are funded and influenced by these same self-serving forces. The disconnected political class are entrenched by a system that gives power to one of two parties’ that the majority did not vote for.
We are placated, marginalised and exploited.
Greed, misinformation and wilful ignorance have distorted our economy and communities.
Globally, too often unjustified fear and trust in one-sided alliances has led us to foreign places resulting in misery and bloodshed.
Technology and machines have resulted in advantage and abundance; however, many still live with unnecessary need. This country indeed the planet if looked after can provide the needs of all life and things.
We have developed speed and communication systems that should have brought us closer together, but dogma, misinformation, misinformed belief, self-serving propaganda and mythical economics tear us apart.
Excluding others from knowledge and opportunity has made our culture cynical hard and unkind, distorting our cleverness, we think too much and feel too little. More than cleverness we need empathy, kindness, and caring, without these qualities, life will never be what it could be and everything will be in danger of being lost.
In the name of fairness and equity, we must use our collective power, let us all unite, and let’s demand a system that will give all a chance to work, that will give youth a future and the elderly security.
We have been promised these things by the politically disconnected that hold onto illegitimate power.
But they lie, they do not fulfil that promise, they never will.
We need the politics of belonging; we need bridging networks, not bonding networks.
Collectively we have the power; the power to get rid of the contemporary non-representative system, the power to create empathetic, kind, equitable happy autonomous communities.
We have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.