Excellent diagnosis. The current vacuity of politics and its leadership is depressing. We’ve become lazy in the default delegation of our power to “leadership” from elites to deal with global and national issues, and it doesn’t work. How to bring together a bottom-up movement for change? Is there a precedent (without going as far as the French Revolution)? People do need to remember their power when acting as co-ordinated agents for positive change, as your example shows. Happy New Year!
Thank you, Ann. Uplifting but realistic. It is all circling back to community - energy, money, green, taking us right back to Margaret Mead, Donella Meadows and other visionaries who never give up, e.g. Bernie and the Sisulus. And to 11 apostles huddled in an empty room. . .
I hope you arthritis improves and that you have a productive New Year, as usual.
Always a pleasure to read you, Ann. Do care good care of yourself. Most important. I look forward to watching the documentary. Happy New Year to you and your family. I see references to Donella Meadows in one of the comments. I so agree…We have an intellectual foundation for the society we fight for. Yes, Polanyi, of course, and others who are working from the ground up.
This captures the heart of our crisis politics reduced to performance while ecological and economic realities demand courage. What resonates most is the call for leadership rooted not in spectacle, but in integrity and vision. Thank you for naming the urgency so clearly.
This is a fascinating cry for strong political leadership. It is a battle between greed and goodness, with the scales tipped strongly in favour of the greedy. For many generations, the underlying strength of religion made probity and morality essential characteristics for successful politicians. Modern communications have killed the church, and linking money to political individuals means that the amoral greedy are winning, easily. Populists stating and restating lies , boosting their lies on outlets called things like Truth social, are dominating the spaces where people are getting their information. I agree with your analysis but I cannot see how to reverse this doomed course.
Spot on. I use to think a major financial implosion worse than 1929 and 2008 would motivate the electorate, but I don't think so anymore. The debased elected officials will bail out the Ruling Elite like they did during the Great Recession and like they did during Covid due to the limitless politcal corruption endemic throughout every level of politics, from school Boards and City Councils, to State and Federal politicians. Almost 100% of them are perverted, depraved, and immoral with almost no concern for the greater good or public welfare. These corrupted politicians only care about their campaign INVESTORS looking for a return on their investment, while these same investors pretend they're campaign donors. Until we strangle these immense private campaign investments with some major reform like publicly-financed campaigns... WE ARE DOOMED!
"politicians prefer to perform than to govern." As governing requires enacting changes in order to get from over here to over there, whereas 'look no hands' trickle-down doesn't?
But considering how people despair at continually being offered the same trickle-up, albeit in a different outfit, why are mainstream parties baffled when folk start drifting off to the likes of Reform?
Hears hoping that the penny drops in the New Year!
Wonder where leader Gordon Brown and his Dynamic stochastic general equilibrium disappeared to? Probably heard the last of that DSGE when it disappeared up the fundamental orifice of the 2008 Global Economic Crisis..
As someone who once spent a shivery day standing outside Cologne in 1998 for the 2000 campaign, perhaps some thoughts might be allowed?
The collapse of the socialist bloc in 1989-90 allowed politicians in the western liberal democracies to sit back, sigh, and pretend capitalism had won and all they had to do was make it a bit 'caring'. Through the NICE era (short as that was) it seemed like a good idea, til the disruptions from the 1998 crisis, the dot-com bubble burst and the 2008 led up to massive distrust in financial-services led economies.
Remember Totenkopf Tony's 2005 quote on globalization? "I hear people say we have to stop and debate globalisation. You might as well debate whether autumn should follow summer." How we laughed...!
But by then it was all too late, as the HS2 project showed. Our political parties had sold themselves to the financial services sector and all public projects are now run through the looters of the accountancy firms, PR idiots, etc.
And now, the UK political system itself is hopelessly corrupted to the point of being able to accomplish little or nothing. Zach Polanski expresses this anger at our hoplessness, but following the May elections in which the Greens will do really well, our right-wing media, the party political machinery and the intelligence/police services will get to work on him, and that will be it.
A country that elects the current 'Labour' party to lead it and lets someone as spineless, worthless and socio-politically cowardly as Sir Keir Whimper deserves what it gets, particularly since the media-created 'opposition' is now Nazi Nigel, Trump's boot-black and Muskolini's silver polisher, the Arthur Daley of the fascist right.
Best to sit back in your wheelchair and let mass-consumption destroy the planet through AGW, as it will - "That global warming, it can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear! And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!"
I wish you well with your arthritis, I know that's challenging.
I would like to offer a perspective that has helped me when I've felt similarly glum: it's possible to have a whole nation without corruption and greed. The endless elections are clearly getting us no closer to that, but healthy nations exist now (and many more existed in the recent past) where integrity is normal, the economy rewards generosity instead of selfishness, and leaders actually serve the people.
It turns out this is the normal way of life in societies without a ruling class. When everyone takes personal responsibility for upholding the laws they live by, justice becomes common, as does integrity and generosity. When a ruling class takes hold - meaning that one or a few people choose the law and choose how it's enforced, and the rest submissively obey - you wind up with societies with endless corruption, greed, and discrimination. And one tragic result is that authorities train people not to know that free societies exist, or not to know what they're like.
However, that good news is spreading - healthy nations exist, and we could live without the endless corruption and greed seen in the UK and US. I wrote a free-to-download book about this way of life based on lots of first-hand accounts from people of healthy nations and respectful observers, available at www.thedeepestrevolution.com. If you ever want to discuss this, I would love to talk with you about it.
Excellent diagnosis. The current vacuity of politics and its leadership is depressing. We’ve become lazy in the default delegation of our power to “leadership” from elites to deal with global and national issues, and it doesn’t work. How to bring together a bottom-up movement for change? Is there a precedent (without going as far as the French Revolution)? People do need to remember their power when acting as co-ordinated agents for positive change, as your example shows. Happy New Year!
Thank you, Ann. Uplifting but realistic. It is all circling back to community - energy, money, green, taking us right back to Margaret Mead, Donella Meadows and other visionaries who never give up, e.g. Bernie and the Sisulus. And to 11 apostles huddled in an empty room. . .
I hope you arthritis improves and that you have a productive New Year, as usual.
Always a pleasure to read you, Ann. Do care good care of yourself. Most important. I look forward to watching the documentary. Happy New Year to you and your family. I see references to Donella Meadows in one of the comments. I so agree…We have an intellectual foundation for the society we fight for. Yes, Polanyi, of course, and others who are working from the ground up.
Best to you Ann, keep up the good work - and good writing
This captures the heart of our crisis politics reduced to performance while ecological and economic realities demand courage. What resonates most is the call for leadership rooted not in spectacle, but in integrity and vision. Thank you for naming the urgency so clearly.
This is a fascinating cry for strong political leadership. It is a battle between greed and goodness, with the scales tipped strongly in favour of the greedy. For many generations, the underlying strength of religion made probity and morality essential characteristics for successful politicians. Modern communications have killed the church, and linking money to political individuals means that the amoral greedy are winning, easily. Populists stating and restating lies , boosting their lies on outlets called things like Truth social, are dominating the spaces where people are getting their information. I agree with your analysis but I cannot see how to reverse this doomed course.
Dear Ann,
I got a message with a US number saying what’s app. I’m not sure if that was you or not.
Best wishes, Mike Crockett
Spot on. I use to think a major financial implosion worse than 1929 and 2008 would motivate the electorate, but I don't think so anymore. The debased elected officials will bail out the Ruling Elite like they did during the Great Recession and like they did during Covid due to the limitless politcal corruption endemic throughout every level of politics, from school Boards and City Councils, to State and Federal politicians. Almost 100% of them are perverted, depraved, and immoral with almost no concern for the greater good or public welfare. These corrupted politicians only care about their campaign INVESTORS looking for a return on their investment, while these same investors pretend they're campaign donors. Until we strangle these immense private campaign investments with some major reform like publicly-financed campaigns... WE ARE DOOMED!
"Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful, joyful and healthy holiday"
Thank you: and the same to yourself Ann!
(And - good luck with the impending launch of The Global Casino, too!😊)
Thank you Ann for this stirring message. Best wishes to you and yours, and improved health in 2026.
I cannot stress enough the importance of seeing things through a wider and more truthful lens. Read “Bright Green Lies”
And a very Happy New Year to you too Anne!
"politicians prefer to perform than to govern." As governing requires enacting changes in order to get from over here to over there, whereas 'look no hands' trickle-down doesn't?
But considering how people despair at continually being offered the same trickle-up, albeit in a different outfit, why are mainstream parties baffled when folk start drifting off to the likes of Reform?
Hears hoping that the penny drops in the New Year!
Thank you for all you do Ann. All the best for the New Year - can't wait to get my hands on your new book.
❤️❤️
Depressing!
Ahhh, that leadership, eh?
Wonder where leader Gordon Brown and his Dynamic stochastic general equilibrium disappeared to? Probably heard the last of that DSGE when it disappeared up the fundamental orifice of the 2008 Global Economic Crisis..
As someone who once spent a shivery day standing outside Cologne in 1998 for the 2000 campaign, perhaps some thoughts might be allowed?
The collapse of the socialist bloc in 1989-90 allowed politicians in the western liberal democracies to sit back, sigh, and pretend capitalism had won and all they had to do was make it a bit 'caring'. Through the NICE era (short as that was) it seemed like a good idea, til the disruptions from the 1998 crisis, the dot-com bubble burst and the 2008 led up to massive distrust in financial-services led economies.
Remember Totenkopf Tony's 2005 quote on globalization? "I hear people say we have to stop and debate globalisation. You might as well debate whether autumn should follow summer." How we laughed...!
But by then it was all too late, as the HS2 project showed. Our political parties had sold themselves to the financial services sector and all public projects are now run through the looters of the accountancy firms, PR idiots, etc.
And now, the UK political system itself is hopelessly corrupted to the point of being able to accomplish little or nothing. Zach Polanski expresses this anger at our hoplessness, but following the May elections in which the Greens will do really well, our right-wing media, the party political machinery and the intelligence/police services will get to work on him, and that will be it.
A country that elects the current 'Labour' party to lead it and lets someone as spineless, worthless and socio-politically cowardly as Sir Keir Whimper deserves what it gets, particularly since the media-created 'opposition' is now Nazi Nigel, Trump's boot-black and Muskolini's silver polisher, the Arthur Daley of the fascist right.
Best to sit back in your wheelchair and let mass-consumption destroy the planet through AGW, as it will - "That global warming, it can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear! And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!"
I wish you well with your arthritis, I know that's challenging.
I would like to offer a perspective that has helped me when I've felt similarly glum: it's possible to have a whole nation without corruption and greed. The endless elections are clearly getting us no closer to that, but healthy nations exist now (and many more existed in the recent past) where integrity is normal, the economy rewards generosity instead of selfishness, and leaders actually serve the people.
It turns out this is the normal way of life in societies without a ruling class. When everyone takes personal responsibility for upholding the laws they live by, justice becomes common, as does integrity and generosity. When a ruling class takes hold - meaning that one or a few people choose the law and choose how it's enforced, and the rest submissively obey - you wind up with societies with endless corruption, greed, and discrimination. And one tragic result is that authorities train people not to know that free societies exist, or not to know what they're like.
However, that good news is spreading - healthy nations exist, and we could live without the endless corruption and greed seen in the UK and US. I wrote a free-to-download book about this way of life based on lots of first-hand accounts from people of healthy nations and respectful observers, available at www.thedeepestrevolution.com. If you ever want to discuss this, I would love to talk with you about it.