The Life Trap – coming soon

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I’ve just completed a booklet for Life Squared that has turned into a book!  It’s a piece of work that I’ve been putting off for years as I knew it would be large and complex, but I’m delighted to have finished it as I think it’s a critical issue, yet one that hasn’t been exposed in any significant way to date.

It’s called ‘The Life Trap – and how to escape it’. Or – ‘how to think for yourself’. Here’s a brief summary.

You may not know it, but you’re probably caught in the Life Trap.

You live in a complex world where you are bombarded daily with a wide range of powerful messages and influences, but at no point in your life have you been given the skills or tools you need to manage this assault on your mind.

As a result, you have ended up caught in a trap, like most of us in the modern world – with worldviews, values and lives that are stifled and restricted, only following the path that we’ve been led down by the dominant ideas of the people and society we’ve grown up in. As a consequence, you pursue career achievement and material success, worry about what other people think of you and lead a busy, distracted life. Your life feels meaningless and isolated yet you find it hard to stop, take control and change it.

This book explores what causes the Life Trap and why it matters so much – not just for our own lives but for society as a whole.

You will find out how to escape the Life Trap – as well as how we can change our education system, politics and other areas of society to give everyone the best chance of independent, fulfilled lives, and build a peaceful and civilised society.

The book will be free to download from the Life Squared website in the next few weeks. More news as soon as it’s published!

 

 

 

Be a light in the darkness in 2018

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We live in difficult political times. Rarely does a week pass without Donald Trump’s administration ignorantly destroying yet another important piece of hope for the world – whether in foriegn policy or its attitude towards climate change.

Under such circumstances, it’s easy to feel a sense of complete despair and powerlessness. With this powerless can come a loss of motivation. What’s the point in trying to live a good life or make a better world when your own small but committed efforts are dwarfed by the ignorance and destruction being meted out by some of those people in power?

The answer is this. The way we choose to live our own lives is now more important than ever. If we are living at a time where we can’t rely on those in power to speak and work for us, then we need to taking control in the one area where we do have choice and power – in our own lives.

We shouldn’t be lowering our own standards in the face of these problems. We should be setting an example of how to live kind, compassionate, thoughtful lives. We need to be beacons for the rest of society in dark times – millions of little points of light illuminating the way for other people.

So, here is a thought for the Christmas period and a resolution for the new year.

Avoid the news if you want. Don’t read or watch it if it’s just depressing and paralysing you. Instead, focus on living a good life in your own small way, with the people and communities around you. You’ll be leading a good, fulfilling life. You’ll also be setting an example and providing a light.

And one day, perhaps the world will catch up with you again.

 

For more on this, read: Manifesto for Life – 10 things you can do when the world’s gone wrong – from Life Squared

Conservative voter? Here’s why you should vote smart in the General Election

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Remember how shocked you felt waking up to the result of the Brexit referendum? Or how devastated you felt upon hearing that Trump had become President of the United States? Well, if you don’t want to wake up with this feeling on June 9th 2017, you can do something about it.

Politics has taken a worrying turn recently, both in Britain and around the world.

We need to beat the rise of the far right and avoid 5 years of an increasingly hard-line, hard-Brexit, hard-right Conservative government. To make this happen, people and parties who care need to work together in the General Election on 8th June to stop the current government getting re-elected with a landslide majority.

If you’re someone who might normally vote Conservative, take the step in this General Election of voting for the progressive party with the best chance of beating the Conservatives in your constituency – even if it’s not your usual party of choice.

You may well have concerns about voting tactically in the forthcoming General Election, and that’s understandable. You may feel uneasy about the state of the Labour party or the policies of the Greens, for example. It’s not always easy for conscientious, caring people to put aside our party loyalties or suspicions about other parties or individuals within them (whether it’s the local candidate or the leader). Voting is something we – quite rightly – take seriously.

But when the stakes are this high we need to make sacrifices – even if voting for another party seems alien or even uncomfortable for us. We only have ourselves to blame if we fail to overcome our relatively minor differences in order to unite against the massive threat in front of us, as the consequences of a big Conservative win in this election are frightening. An increasingly hard-right, hard-Brexit government committed to further dismantling the public services that so many of us rely on and that are disintegrating in front of our eyes through lack of funding.

We’re not a bunch of ‘loony lefties’ or representatives of political parties – we’re just a growing number of reasonable people who are concerned about the direction this country is going in, and want to see a fairer, kinder and better Britain.

Your vote could be the one that tips the balance in your constituency, so if you want to see a fairer, kinder and better Britain, let’s put aside our political prejudices and loyalties on 8th June and vote smart.

Take action now!

Here’s a site to help you decide who to vote for in your constituency.

Green Party voter? Here’s why you should vote smart in the General Election

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Remember how shocked you felt waking up to the result of the last General Election? Or how devastated you felt upon hearing that Trump had become President of the United States? Well, if you don’t want to wake up with this feeling on June 9th 2017, you can do something about it.

Politics has taken a worrying turn recently, both in Britain and around the world.

We need to beat the rise of the far right and avoid another 5 years of a strengthened Conservative government. To make this happen, progressive people and parties need to work together in the General Election on 8th June to ensure the Conservatives do not win.

If you’re someone who might normally vote Green, take the step in this General Election of voting for the progressive party with the best chance of beating the Conservatives in your constituency – even if it’s not your usual party of choice. Every vote makes a difference, and with tactical voting you can reassure yourself that someone else in another constituency may well be voting for your party in return!

You may well have concerns about voting tactically in the forthcoming General Election, and that’s understandable. You may feel let down by the Liberal Democrats during their time in the coalition government, or uneasy about the state of the Labour party.

It’s not always easy for conscientious, caring people to put aside our party loyalties or suspicions about other parties or individuals within them (whether it’s the local candidate or the leader). Voting is something we – quite rightly – take seriously.

But when the stakes are this high we need to make sacrifices – even if voting for another party seems alien or even uncomfortable for us. We only have ourselves to blame if we fail to overcome our relatively minor differences in order to unite against the massive threat in front of us, as the consequences of a big Tory win are frightening. An increasingly hard-right, hard-Brexit government committed to further dismantling the public services that so many of us rely on, and exacerbating the already shocking economic inequality in this country. What’s more – a government with a strong majority, being able to do this with impunity for five years, and probably more.

The time has come to put aside tribal political concerns or any gripes about other progressive parties, as these pale into insignificance against the main aim – to stop the Tories strengthening their overall majority in the country.

Your vote could be the one that tips the balance in your constituency, so if you want to see a fairer, kinder and more sustainable Britain, let’s put aside our political prejudices and loyalties on 8th June and vote smart – to ensure the Conservatives don’t get in again.

Take action now!

Here’s a site to help you decide who to vote for in your constituency.

And here’s a site if you want to ‘swap’ your vote with someone in another constituency – so you know that someone else is voting for your favoured party where it really counts!

Labour voter? Here’s why you should vote smart in the General Election

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Remember how shocked you felt waking up to the result of the last General Election? Or how devastated you felt upon hearing that Trump had become President of the United States? Well, if you don’t want to wake up with this feeling on June 9th 2017, you can do something about it.

Politics has taken a worrying turn recently, both in Britain and around the world.

We need to beat the rise of the far right and avoid another 5 years of a strengthened Conservative government. To make this happen, progressive people and parties need to work together in the General Election on 8th June to ensure the Conservatives do not win.

If you’re someone who might normally vote Labour, take the step in this General Election of voting for the progressive party with the best chance of beating the Conservatives in your constituency – even if it’s not your usual party of choice. Every vote makes a difference, and with tactical voting you can reassure yourself that someone else in another constituency may well be voting for your party in return!

You may well have concerns about voting tactically in the forthcoming General Election, and that’s understandable. You may feel let down by the Liberal Democrats during their time in the coalition government, or uneasy about some of the policies of the Greens.

It’s not always easy for conscientious, caring people to put aside our party loyalties or suspicions about other parties or individuals within them (whether it’s the local candidate or the leader). Voting is something we – quite rightly – take seriously.

But when the stakes are this high we need to make sacrifices – even if voting for another party seems alien or even uncomfortable for us. We only have ourselves to blame if we fail to overcome our relatively minor differences in order to unite against the massive threat in front of us, as the consequences of a big Tory win are frightening. An increasingly hard-right, hard-Brexit government committed to further dismantling the public services that so many of us rely on, and exacerbating the already shocking economic inequality in this country. What’s more – a government with a strong majority, being able to do this with impunity for five years, and probably more.

The time has come to put aside tribal political concerns or any gripes about other progressive parties, as these pale into insignificance against the main aim – to stop the Tories strengthening their overall majority in the country.

Your vote could be the one that tips the balance in your constituency, so if you want to see a fairer, kinder and more sustainable Britain, let’s put aside our political prejudices and loyalties on 8th June and vote smart – to ensure the Conservatives don’t get in again.

Take action now!

Here’s a site to help you decide who to vote for in your constituency.

And here’s a site if you want to ‘swap’ your vote with someone in another constituency – so you know that someone else is voting for your favoured party where it really counts!

Liberal Democrat voter? Here’s why you should vote smart in the General Election

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Remember how shocked you felt waking up to the result of the last General Election? Or how devastated you felt upon hearing that Trump had become President of the United States? Well, if you don’t want to wake up with this feeling on June 9th 2017, you can do something about it.

Politics has taken a worrying turn recently, both in Britain and around the world.

We need to beat the rise of the far right and avoid another 5 years of a strengthened Conservative government. To make this happen, progressive people and parties need to work together in the General Election on 8th June to ensure the Conservatives do not win.

If you’re someone who might normally vote Liberal Democrat, take the step in this General Election of voting for the progressive party with the best chance of beating the Conservatives in your constituency – even if it’s not your usual party of choice. Every vote makes a difference, and with tactical voting you can reassure yourself that someone else in another constituency may well be voting for your party in return!

You may well have concerns about voting tactically in the forthcoming General Election, and that’s understandable. It’s not always easy for conscientious, caring people to put aside our party loyalties or suspicions about other parties or individuals within them (whether it’s the local candidate or the leader). Voting is something we – quite rightly – take seriously.

But when the stakes are this high we need to make sacrifices – even if voting for another party seems alien or even uncomfortable for us. We only have ourselves to blame if we fail to overcome our relatively minor differences in order to unite against the massive threat in front of us, as the consequences of a big Tory win are frightening. An increasingly hard-right, hard-Brexit government committed to further dismantling the public services that so many of us rely on, and exacerbating the already shocking economic inequality in this country. What’s more – a government with a strong majority, being able to do this with impunity for five years, and probably more.

The time has come to put aside tribal political concerns or any gripes about other progressive parties, as these pale into insignificance against the main aim – to stop the Tories strengthening their overall majority in the country.

Your vote could be the one that tips the balance in your constituency, so if you want to see a fairer, kinder and more sustainable Britain, let’s put aside our political prejudices and loyalties on 8th June and vote smart – to ensure the Conservatives don’t get in again.

Take action now!

Here’s a site to help you decide who to vote for in your constituency.

And here’s a site if you want to ‘swap’ your vote with someone in another constituency – so you know that someone else is voting for your favoured party where it really counts!

Why we should keep working for a Progressive Alliance

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Yesterday, some new media reports emerged that questioned just how much impact a Progressive Alliance between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens could really have on reducing the Tory majority in the forthcoming General Election.

We’ve seen a lot of stories like this before, and there are a wide range of reasons why polls at this stage of an election can be inaccurate – just look at the 2015 General Election for evidence of this.

But even if the polling were correct, progressives have many more important reasons to work together in the current political climate than just trying to prevent an overall Conservative win in the General Election.

As Neal Lawson, Chair of Compass and one of the architects of the current Progressive Alliance says, it’s important for progressives to “campaign, work and vote together, because that is going to reduce the Conservative landslide.” Not only that, it will also “prove the concept of progressive parties working together and ending up with better electoral results – and it lays the foundations for more general collaboration on policies and ideas, as well as campaigning. We never thought about this as just an instrumental, deal-making politics. For us, it is about a better political mix.”

So it’s about a new, collaborative, nuanced approach to politics. Seeing our shared values rather than our differences. It’s also about the longer term.

At a local level, if we needed a rallying call in the light of these stories, we received it from Rob Parsons, a member of the Lewes Progressives group, who put it beautifully when he said:

“There is a long way to go in this election. There are still four weeks of campaigning left: we need to keep working, keep working and keep working. Things can change quite significantly in a month of activity.

And finally, even if the polls as they stand now turn out to be right, we do not give up. We never give up. Politics is a long term business. We stay in it to change minds, to change feelings, to change the atmosphere. Those things don’t happen overnight. Even if we fail this time, we will have built a foundation for further work and further progress afterwards.”

I thought this was an inspiring message that anyone campaigning for a fairer, better country in the coming weeks should take to heart. Let’s keep working harder than ever – together.

A progressive alliance in Lewes – and beyond

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Last night I attended the Progressive Alliance event in Lewes, my home town.

It was not just well attended – it was packed. There was standing room only, at a hastily-assembled event that had only been publicised for a few days.

The evening had everything – from the ejection of a rather over-refreshed gentleman by the local constabulary to a major (and very welcome) surprise to round the evening off.

It all contributed to the feel of an old-fashioned ‘town hall’ political meeting – which is exactly what it was. It felt like we were doing politics in the right way.  A range of people – some loyal to particular parties, others not – openly discussing their views and trying to work together to take action for the common good. Isn’t that what politics is supposed to be about?

When the organisers asked members of the audience what had motivated them to attend the meeting, a range of reasons were given, including concerns about the state of the NHS, fears of a hard Brexit, the environment and simply the overall desire to work together in a practical way to make Lewes better.

People also shared their concerns about voting tactically in the forthcoming General Election – including being burnt last time they did it in Lewes and their sense of feeling let down by the Liberal Democrats during their time in the coalition government. It was clear that it’s not always easy for conscientious, caring people to put aside their party loyalties or their suspicion about other parties or individuals within them (whether it’s the local candidate or the leader) as voting is something to be taken seriously – a solemn responsibility.

But there was also general agreement that when the stakes are this high we need to make sacrifices – even if voting for another party seems alien or even uncomfortable for us. We only have ourselves to blame if we fail to overcome our relatively minor differences in order to unite against the massive threat in front of us, as the consequences of a big Tory win are frightening. An increasingly hard-right, hard-Brexit government committed to further dismantling the public services that so many of us rely on, and exacerbating the already shocking economic inequality in this country. What’s more – a government with a strong majority, being able to do this with impunity for five years, and probably more.

Ultimately the message from every speaker was very clear – the time has come to put aside tribal political concerns or any gripes about other progressive parties, as these pale into insignificance against the main aim – to stop the Tories winning the seat in Lewes and strengthening their overall majority in the country.

As if to illustrate this, a couple of important things happened towards the end of the evening.

First, the Lewes Green Party candidate, Katie Hawks, announced that she would be standing down in the General Election on June 8th, to help build the strongest possible alliance behind the Lib Dems to oppose the Conservative candidate. The ovation that greeted this news showed how much people appreciated this willingness to put country before party on this occasion, and stand down for the common good.

Second, the evening ended with people coming together to set up at least 15 different events and campaigns around Lewes in the next month to encourage people to ‘vote smart’ in the General Election on June 8th. Reassuringly, many of these events involve the consumption of cake – a cross-party issue, if ever there was one. If you’d like to get involved in any of these events you can find out more at LewesProgressives@gmail.com.

So, let’s all follow these examples.  Let’s unite behind the values we share and vote smart in Lewes on June 8th – vote Lib Dem.

A vision for a better Britain

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In my post yesterday I explored how we might build a strong, attractive view of a progressive future – one that a large number of people might want to get behind.

As promised, below is a first go at how to present the vision and what to include in it. No doubt it needs more work and more time to flesh out the detail. But, whilst the General Election campaigning is underway and the main parties are regurgitating the familiar soundbites, I wanted to present a different way of talking about the future and the things that matter to people. If you want the background on why it’s been constructed in this way, read my previous post – ‘What a new progressive movement should look like‘.

 

A vision for a future we can be proud of

We love this country, its history and what it stands for.  But we’ve had enough of an economy where the 1% win and everyone else loses, where public services and transport are squeezed and getting worse, where the public bail out corrupt bankers, where we don’t get a proper say in our politics and where no-one seems to be doing anything about the disaster we’re facing with climate change.

There’s lots to feel good about in Britain, but we want to feel truly proud of it, not just for its history, but as a fantastic place to live and the values it stands for.  So, we want to build a Britain we can be proud of – and we want you to be part of it.

The Movement for a better Britain aims to bring together millions of people who want to see a country where everyone has better jobs, better lives and better public services, and where there are strict rules for playing fair – whether you are a one of the richest or someone who wants to make their home here. We want to think big – anything’s possible (just look how Trump got elected!).

Below, we have set out a vision of the future containing 5 simple principles we want to see.

What we want

1. Jobs and better lives for everyone

We want everyone – not just the rich – to have a standard of living they can be proud of. We want to help everyone get jobs, earn a living and feel the sense of pride and self respect that comes from doing this and providing for their families.

The current way of running the economy isn’t working for 99% of people. So, we will make the economic system work for people, not the other way round. And, as we are a close-knit island community, we will get people to contribute their fair share to ensure everyone has opportunities.

We want to build the houses people need but we must also take steps to ease the pressure on the housing market.  Housing is a basic need, not something to exploit through financial speculation, so we want to clamp down on this, including things like second homes. We also want a properly regulated rental sector, so that rental becomes a more attractive, stable and affordable option for people, as it is in countries like Germany.

Surrounding all of this, we want a country that lives within its environmental limits. We see this as a non-negotiable.

2. Public services we can be proud of

Our public services are vital, but if we want them to run properly, we have to give them the funding they need. So, we want the investment needed to make our NHS, education, transport and other public services the best they can be – for everyone.

If we’re going to spend more, we want to hold the government accountable and see how the money is being spent. So we want to see the government establish a simple way of reporting back to every member of the public on how their taxes have been spent.

3. Clear rules of fair play

We want a tight-knit country where people feel that everyone is contributing and ‘doing their bit’, no matter who they are – from bankers to companies to people who want to make their home here.

To make this happen we want clear rules to ensure people contribute fairly, and that these are enforced, including ending tax avoidance for individuals and tightening up tax rules for companies. No-one should have special treatment.

To ensure we can afford to give people the best possible lives and build a sense of tight-knit community, we also need to place clear, fair limits on the number of people who can come to live here.

4. A kinder country

We want a kind, tolerant and civilised society – one with values we can be proud of.

We should use kindness as a barometer for the policies and political debate we want. For example, evidence suggests that a more equal society is a happier one, so we should seek greater equality – in every sense.

We also want a society that sees value in how we conduct ourselves as individuals. Our children should learn about compassion, civility and other key values as part of their education. Politicians should be made to set the standards for this and act as examples for other people – so we need to clean up the tone, honesty and transparency of politics too.

We want our country to be respectful, tolerant, welcoming and outward-looking.  We want people to feel a sense of community and of looking after each other.  We also want a country that does its bit in the world (including providing aid to other countries) and offers generous refuge and support when people urgently need it.

5. A country we can be proud of

Our country has an amazing, proud history. We want to get back this sense of pride – but for all the right reasons.