Regenerative Politics

It occurs to me that we are now at an inflection point in the WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich and – notionally – Democratic) culture that has been so successful in destroying the ecosphere.

So where do we go from here?

How can we achieve total systemic change? And are there politicians anywhere who are ready to make it happen (in a way that supports the continuation of complex life on this planet, not the scorched-earth destruction of the right)?

The question of how we reshape democracy, walking the fine line between stagnation and populist rage – is the defining problem of our time – with a coherent strategy, we can shape anything. In its absence, we’re going to end up spinning in pointless circles, arguing about trivia while the world burns.

What are we being offered by the incoming Labour Government? What’s good in their Manifesto (spoiler alert, not very much)? What’s not good? What could be improved upon and how do we go about pushing them to a place where they actually do something useful that isn’t simply a repeat of the same-old, same-old we’ve had for the past decade and a half?

In this second election special, we talk to Natalie Bennett (or Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle if we’re going to be formal – but she said we didn’t need to be) – one of two Green Party members in the House of Lords. Natalie is author of the Book ‘Change Everything: How we can rethink, repair and rebuild society’ – one of the essential books of our time that outlines in detail how we can create the total systemic change we need.

Our first Election Special with Neal Lawson, director of the progressive campaign group, Compass, a long-time progressive campaigner and a tireless advocate for Proportional Representation as a vehicle for change. In this swift half hour, we look at the circumstances of this utterly unexpected election and at steps we can take between now and polling day with the aim of brining about what he calls a progressive ‘Pitch Invasion’ that will fundamentally upgrade and update the way we arrange our governance structures…

This week, I spoke with James Plunkett, a man who has spent his career at the intersection of policy and social change. From the halls of Number Ten to the charity sector’s front lines, James’s unique perspective has birthed a book that critically examines what’s wrong with our society and offers tangible fixes. Together, we dissect our societal challenges, from outdated institutions to the technology of gods, and discuss structured ways to mend a fractured system.

Democracy is broken. We keep electing the people least suited to governance when what we need is a way to empower those with the most wisdom and bring wisdom to those with power. So what can we do? The Humanity Project is exploring exciting, living, vibrant answers, right at the emergent edge of inter-becoming.

We all know the climate and ecological tipping points are terrifyingly close. What can we do – as individuals and collectively?

This week we talk to Simon Oldridge, who is working to find politically viable ways to address the climate and ecological emergency. I know that many of you listening are not in the UK but I hope that some of the ideas we explore, particularly the bigger ones of global power systems and routes to net zero and nature-based solutions, strike home far outside the boundaries of this island.