With the management of covid-19 and the Brexit deal we have a lesson, even bigger than the one we should have learned in the banking crash of 2008, that our current political economy isn’t fit for purpose. We have seen the NHS (a public sector institution) turn on a sixpence, we have seen science come through with vaccines and in contrast in politics we see cronyism, dodgy contracts and mindboggling mismanagement. It’s easy to despair.
However, with a bit of thought it is possible to plot a way forward that will both help to bring about the changes we all want and make us feel better at the same time.
Look at the problem from this perspective; we have to start with the position as we find it and not as we wish it to be, the actions we take must be practical and have a chance of success (if you have been subject to team training at work think SMART objectives). At the same time, we must not lose sight of the big picture we are working for; a better society – sustainable, egalitarian, and democratic.
We cannot do this by being Tory-Lite, trimming to the right to win back fickle votes; no we have to be true to ourselves, match ends with means and actually persuade people. If that sounds difficult, I will just say what we have tried so far hasn’t exactly gone very well. Unless we try something else, we’ll continue to lose.
So, these are the simple practical things we can do
- Make common cause and keep going
- Join Compass and support an electoral alliance
- Join Acorn or any grass roots, bottom up organisation
- Join XR or do something about climate change
The items on this list may not grab you at first but they add up to a coherent, doable choice, adopting them will make us feel better, and this is why.