Be Your Own Politician

In the lead-up to the national elections, an opportunity arose for me to review ‘Be Your Own Politician’.  I’m not normally a keen reader of books about politics but a sense of intrigue led me to reviewing this book.

Thankfully, it proved to be a worthwhile experience. The author has written an excellent book that is easy to read, at times amusing, and packed with observations that are thought-provoking, but also what feels like common sense.

There are some really fascinating insights into the personalities of David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair amongst other politicians. Although Gordon Brown was perceived as a PM who often lacked people skills and charisma, he did have the ability to be charismatic, particularly when discussing subjects that he was very passionate about, such as tackling inequality and the future of Scotland.

Since the Thatcher era, there have been a number of politicians who have all had good intent, but for various reasons these have not come to fruition. The concept of ‘The Big Society’ and how this came into existence is explained in the book with great detail. The author had a fundamental role in developing this concept and is clearly very passionate about it for good reason.  

For those who are not familiar with what ‘The Big Society’ stands for, it had the intentions of addressing the societal issue of individuals and communities becoming less trusting, less empowered and increasingly divided.  The increasing divide between the wealthy and poor, both in terms of finances but also average life expectancy, hasn’t helped and social isolation amongst young and old with seven million people in England and Wales living alone, which has led to a ‘broken’ Britain.

When you think about the societal issues that ‘The Big Society’ was trying to address back in 2010, it is quite clear that these issues still exist today.

What really resonated with me is, rather than waiting for politicians to address these societal issues, we can all make a positive difference by becoming more active in our communities and thus creating some step change. This doesn’t require a huge amount of time and effort and doesn’t need to be perceived as a lofty ambition.

As we have become increasingly frustrated with politicians not delivering on their policies and promises, the author provides an interesting perspective on the big issues facing British politics today and the improvements that need to be made. Some of these issues include, how do we create a genuinely federalist United Kingdom that balances localism and centrality, bringing decision-making closer to home, but also at the same time recognising the different circumstances of the four nations and the various regions.

Equally, what is the role of business in tackling these societal issues? Considering that some businesses are more powerful than national governments, there is also a lot more that they can do to address these issues. I was particularly intrigued with the author's thoughts on Corporate Social Responsibility.  Although it is a good start from companies, it is a mode of thinking that is outdated and need to be evolved into something that is more transformational, engaging and allied to commercial objectives. I’ve often wondered if some companies are simply going through the motions when they roll out their CSR plans - a ‘box to tick’ as part of their overall strategy rather than genuine intentions to make true societal change, so I was in agreement with the author’s perspective on CSR.

Interestingly, some companies that spearheaded the Industrial Revolution and created consumerism saw their roles as being societies in and of themselves as well as contributing to societies at large.

If you look back at the heritage of Colmans, you will find that Jeremiah James Colman (the founder of Colmans) created an entire society within his company. For example, providing a school for children of the workers, a trust fund for impoverished employees that they could claim in times of hardship. Keep in mind that this was done 200 years ago. It makes you wonder why companies in some ways have transgressed from a societal perspective.

Why is it that some companies are merely tolerating their employees taking up volunteering opportunities when they should be actively encouraging it? Stats have shown that volunteering has largely remained static since the 2012 London Olympics. This surely needs to change and I wonder how companies will tackle this in future. There are so many charities and social enterprises that companies can work with and their employees don’t have to sacrifice huge amounts of time to make a difference.

In reality, we need our government to work in tandem with FTSE companies and charities/social enterprises to really create the type of society and community that we all want to be a part of and deserve to have. As Britain becomes increasingly digital, there is also the opportunity for technology to play a role in tackling the societal issues and driving positive change.

I really hope that we start to see some of the author's ideas and perspectives come to fruition as this will lead to a less fractured society.

Read more from Lloyd Emeka in our Clubhouse.