‘“Motley Crew” describes a collection of individuals with varied backgrounds, appearances, or skill sets who are thrown together rather than forming a uniform or organised team.’
Cambridge Dictionary definition
Apart from the Scottish National Party (which meets from 15th to 17th October in Aberdeen), the UK political parties’ conference season has drawn to a close. Are we any the wiser as a result of this motley collection of self-interested performances? I think not.
There are two underlying drivers for my interest in politics and governance: logic, and what it means to be human. Both require a long-term perspective, and that's particularly difficult for politicians because their focus is inevitably on the next election, which is never more than five years away and currently, in the United Kingdom, less than three years from now.
The big issues which should be driven by logic are inter-generational rebalancing (and therefore hypothecation, not abolition, of inheritance tax, so that its receipt can empower disadvantaged young people), climate change and a determined move towards global governance.
The big issues for what it means to be human are individual freedom and empowerment for all, and that publicly-funded support should be targeted on those who really need it, not universal.
There is additionally one policy which fits both the human and logical tests, and that is the need to introduce mass stock participation in the data and AI tech giants (‘Stock for Data & Creativity’), so that humanity does not have to look forward to a future of welfare subservience with Universal Basic Income.
So, if this pair of drivers is the prism through which to assess the five main parties which are vying for our attention, how do they score?
So far as logic is concerned, the only issue which finds any political party support is climate change, and then only from the Liberal Democrats and the Green parties. While there are some indications of residual support in the Labour Party, the Conservatives have clearly fallen straight into the ‘Drill, baby, drill’ camp, as if they couldn't care less about the conditions which our children and grandchildren will need to suffer. Meanwhile, Middle Eastern claims to national identities seem to have eclipsed climate concerns for the Green Party.
Inter-generational rebalancing is similarly denied by all. While they wring their hands over what to do with the triple-look for pensions, Labour uses its proposed adjustment to fund another universal ‘free at the point of use’ National Care Service, while the Conservatives want to make a major reduction in inheritance tax by removing it from main homes, as if the only young people that matter are our own children and grandchildren. As we've said on many occasions, the human life cycle provides the natural opportunity to apply inheritance tax receipts specifically to empower disadvantaged young people, so that they too can achieve their potential: but both Labour and Conservative governments have consistently refused to introduce hypothecation (ring fencing) for that purpose.
From the perspective of logic, a policy of moving towards global governance should figure strongly in a world where all the major issues — climate change, wealth polarisation and geopolitical conflict — are in need of global resolution. But, apart from Andy Burnham's reference to electoral reform — which was in any case directed at proportional representation and devolution within the United Kingdom — none of the UK's political parties are showing any interest in strengthening the United Nation’s democratic legitimacy. For example, it was left to the African contingent to draw attention to the fact that their continent has no representation within the UN Securities Council. Meanwhile the Conservatives want to virtually abolish overseas aid, cutting out £9.5 billion to just £1 billion per year.
Turning to the aspects for what it means to be human, there is of course evidence of some interest in individual empowerment and enterprise, particularly from the Conservative and Reform parties. But while retreat from excess welfare spending features often, there is little talk of introducing targeted help to create a more equitable society by enabling disadvantaged young people to achieve their potential in adult life.
One of the biggest issues facing those young people is the loss of employment opportunities due to the widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence by businesses, while human data and creativity are harvested by tech giants primarily based in the United States. Measures to address this have not featured strongly in any party conferences, and we must hope that there will be increased awareness of Share Alliance’s ‘Stock for Data & Creativity’ research over the next 2-3 years.
But the key problem is that there are very few long-term perspectives to be seen. It’s understandable that they’re all seeking to improve their poll ratings, but our world and its people really need governance which looks ahead into the future, not those who just chase the swings of day-to-day opinion. People respect those who employ logic and demonstrate a real understanding of what it means to be human, not vote-chasers.
Over twenty-two years ago, on 2nd March 2004, my ‘Thought for the Day’ on BBC Radio 4 started with these two paragraphs:
‘“Who is my neighbour?” That was the question asked of Jesus by a legal expert, to explain one of the two great commandments: “love your neighbour as yourself”. What followed was the parable of the good Samaritan, who rescued a half-dead stranger by the roadside.
But is my neighbour just today’s stranger, or does he or she include tomorrow’s – almost a stranger by definition? Two thousand years ago, the consequences of today’s actions did not impact significantly on tomorrow’s outcomes: how different it is now! We are beset by such challenges, whether environmental, medical, political or financial, but all the evidence shows that the present has much higher priority than the future”.
It was a plea to show love and respect for our neighbour of tomorrow, which should concern us all, and particularly our politicians. Let’s hope they will pay more attention to what people need, not just for themselves but for those who will follow us.
Gavin Oldham OBE
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