Champion of better capitalism
It was the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard who said that, ‘Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.’ My understanding of life has been deepened just a little by a conversation I had on The Responsible Edge with Charlie Martin CEO of the … Continue readingWhat helps us to live life forwards?
Dear Elon, You spoke in London last Saturday. I hear you talked about ‘violence-riven Britain, where people in villages were at risk of rape and murder and the government was trying to cover up crimes against children’. I was at a football match in London … Continue readingTry a different approach – a constructive message to Elon Musk
After last week’s Cabinet reshuffle, MPs and advisors were quick to explain its rationale as ‘JFDI’. For the uninitiated that is short for Just F***ing Do It, implying that the time for planning and thinking was over: the government would be judged now on execution … Continue readingJFDI? Delivery? A disastrous obsession for this Prime Minister and his Government
So Elon Musk, after falling out with President Trump wants to start a new political party. How far should leaders of business be involved in influencing government? Does a healthy democracy need a strong business voice? Or is this undue interference by the powerful? … Continue readingConcerned about growth? Then what about the companies which produce it?
This month marks 30 years since we launched the RSA report Tomorrow’s Company, the role of business in a changing world. [i] What difference have we made? It’s hard to tell. Nothing stands still. Success has many parents while failure is an orphan. Sometimes the … Continue readingThe Swirling Tides – Tomorrow’s Company 30 Years On
Scratching the Surface with the Partridges at Anthropy 2025 Picture the scene. You are part of a small group sitting in a large tropical atmosphere. You’re discussing how lost our young citizens feel as they move from the world of school to life beyond. The … Continue readingConversation enriched, senses heightened, imagination stirred
Last week, in a speech entitled ‘The fundamental reform of the British state’ the Prime Minister announced the abolition of NHS England. It was generally welcomed. Yes, people said, it will be disruptive in the short term but the previous arrangement was disruptive in the … Continue readingPrime Minister: your health strategy must first be embedded in all your other missions and ultimately be local to its fingertips
Telegraph poles. You see them sometimes by the side of the road. They carry – or carried – telephone signals, and electricity. In our part of Suffolk they are currently being replaced. There is, I learn, a modest market for second hand poles. Yet buyer … Continue readingWhat’s your idea for transforming our system of wealth creation?
What Ed must say to Rachel There is tension between Energy Minister Ed Miliband and Chancellor of The Exchequer Rachel Reeves. An inevitable tension in the conflict between a commitment to faster economic growth and a commitment to Net Zero? The month of January 2025 … Continue readingThe only growth we want is the growth that enhances our wellbeing
An open letter to Keir Starmer Dear Keir Happy New Year. So Elon Musk wants you removed as UK Prime Minister before the General Election. What presumption! I have no right to offer advice. You are a winner and, in party-political terms I am a … Continue readingTrust the people – the only way to put the populists back in their box