It’s election week in the UK. Every think tank, campaigning group and charity has published its ‘5 key things’ that the next government must do to solve our collective ills. From wealth taxes, to green investment, from reforming voting systems, to devolving power to local people, from ceasefires to care packages – there is a tsunami of (mostly) brilliant ideas on what the next PM should have in their in-tray.
Rather than adding to this noise, I’ve been reflecting on the past tough years, and the word that I can’t get out of my head is greed.
We have seen greed on an extraordinary scale. The greed of the richest whose wealth has increased by 1000% since 1990, while food banks have proliferated and absolute poverty has seen its biggest rise in 30 years . Globally we have ignored every major opportunity to tackle the existential threat of climate change, for fear that it might slightly dent our ability to drive up productivity and GDP. We have refused to put the mass killing of children in multiple wars before the interests of the power hungry, whether political, military or corporate.
Domestically we have seen politicians claim expenses for moats, duck houses and second homes, while giving eye-watering sums to their friends for contracts they are unqualified to deliver and whose multi billion pound PPE products are now being binned. Our cabinet ministers have sat swigging champagne in gardens while their constituents died alone in their homes following the rules that same cabinet set for them. Just last week we saw the richest family in the UK found guilty of paying unliveable wages to their many servants.
And perhaps, the one that for some reason has stuck in my throat the most is the election date betting scandal. These highly paid privileged people are prepared to shelve their own and their party’s reputation, shred public standards even further and even risk the election result itself to blatantly break the law over a £10 bet. How could the possible winnings be worth anything to them unless they are blinded by, and overwhelmingly driven by greed? It is the very pettiness of the action that makes it so sickening.
Does all this matter? Do the actions of a few rogue, greedy elites really have that much impact? For me it does and they do, because what this, and every election, is about is leadership. What kind of leadership do we want and do we deserve?
We are ALL leaders – because we all influence others every day in how we live our lives, make decisions and treat those around us, particularly those less fortunate than ourselves. We know what good leadership looks like. At CTP we see it every day in the local leaders we work with whose driver is commitment to the people around them. They show a passion for making the system work better alongside personal integrity in trying to prioritise things they know matter, over things they are often being asked to deliver that they can see will be detrimental to their places.
‘We can make this election a turning point.’
Yet if the leaders at the very top of our hierarchical society display greed at every turn instead of serving us, that greed – unlike their wealth – trickles down. Greed becomes acceptable, even aspirational. We feel pushed to start fighting for the crumbs off the high table and start competing for more, even beyond what we need, and even to the detriment of others.
So what can we do? We can make this election a turning point. We can and must collectively demand an end to the Age of Greed. We can vote for generosity, integrity, service and a commitment to making things better for everyone to become our guiding values. Not a rare find in pockets of community and local leadership out of the public eye, but something that influences every corner of our corridors of power.
Let’s put an end to the wealthiest accumulating more and more and paying back less and less to society. Let’s stop treating the poor as vermin and those seeking refuge being rounded on as the enemy. Let’s put our collective future on this unique planet before the profits of global corporations.
At Centre for Thriving Places we spend our every working day pushing to put the wellbeing of people, place and the planet, at the heart of the economy. We are, in essence, working to herald in, and actively support, the birthing of the Age of Generosity, of Collaboration, of Restoration, of Thriving. Yes we too have a long list of practical, affordable and deliverable ways the next government, whoever they are, could dramatically improve our economy, our communities and our lives, but let’s start by choosing who gets to hold the political reins on our future.
So spare a thought next Thursday, to how your vote can end, once and for all, the Age of Greed, and consider hard what kind of leadership your prospective MP and chosen party are promising to deliver.
Liz Zeidler, CEO
If you’d like practical support to help shift your organisation, community or region to a Wellbeing Economy approach, CTP is here to help. Get in touch at hello@centreforthrivingplaces.org
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