Government for Change

Naturally occurring, or all our own fault, changes to our World are going to impose stress on our current economic and social systems. Our response will require significant changes to the way we live our lives and govern our countries.

The parliamentary system in the UK was born in a time of civil unrest and war: the English Civil War. I’ve long believed that as a result it was conceived to impose stability, and for the last four hundred years it’s been relatively successful in this capacity.

Moving into the 21st century, we’re beginning to uncover it’s limitations: it’s neither adaptable nor responsive enough for the challenges we face.

Our Party political system doesn’t help much due to its inherent risk aversion: risking electoral failure for the sake of innovation? Consequently the main Parties have migrated to an safe, but unproductive, middle ground, where they swap places in power only when the current incumbent makes themselves unelectable.

It’s not limited to Government, our Western style society has become to heavily dependent on legislation and convention to decide what is, or is not acceptable, and what can, or can’t be done.

Dependence on complex judicial guidance is dulling the ability of individuals to make reasoned decisions, generating an irrational fear of risk, and leading to innovative paralysis in the face of change.

Unfortunately, it’s risks we’re going to have to take, and change we need to embrace if we’re going to survive the coming transition to what could be a better and fairer World… may be the best system will evolve along the way.