Tag: Future

Climate hacktivism ai style!

Another hot day in the UK lots of wildlife fires breaking out across western europe and so I thought to my self what could or should I do in this real life climate crisis ratcheting up on planet earth.

At first I thought why not write an email to some of my favourite musicians and ask them what they felt about climate activism and could they write a song to promote their views and feelings on the issue – I thought that this would be a lot to ask of them though so thought of my next target that of the new government in the UK. Andy Burnham has just been voted in by his party to be our next leader or Prime minster so I thought I would contact the different departments of government and ask them instead what they were doing and also what I could or should be doing myself. I sent the following letter to them this afternoon with the help of Copilot to get their email addresses and draft the letter to make it more professional looking.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to you out of deep concern for the escalating climate crisis and the increasingly visible impacts we are experiencing here in the United Kingdom and across the world. It feels as though we are no longer asking whether climate change is happening, but instead confronting the harder question of whether we are truly doing enough to prevent the worst outcomes.

As our shared home—the Earth—faces what feels like a slow passing away through a “death by a thousand burns,” with rising temperatures, intensifying wildfires, deforestation, and widespread ecological destruction, the warnings have become so frequent that they risk being treated as normal. Extreme weather events across western Europe, conflict over land and resources in other parts of the world, and the growing instability caused by environmental degradation all point to a crisis unfolding on our doorstep.

My purpose in writing is to ask: What is the plan? What is being done—right now—to prevent further climate catastrophe in the summer of 2026 and beyond? And does the Government believe that current action is sufficient to ensure that we will still have a stable, habitable planet by the time my generation grows old?

I appreciate that many departments hold different but interconnected responsibilities for climate action. For example:

  • The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero oversees emissions reduction, energy transition, and net‑zero strategy.
  • The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for nature recovery, biodiversity, water quality, air quality, and environmental protection.
  • The Department for Transport shapes decarbonisation of roads, rail, aviation, and maritime transport.
  • HM Treasury determines the scale and direction of investment needed for a green economy.
  • The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government influences planning, housing standards, and local climate resilience.

Given the urgency of the situation, I would be grateful if you could provide:

  1. A clear outline of the department’s current climate priorities and actions, particularly those planned or underway in 2026.
  2. Information on how these actions align with the UK’s legally binding net‑zero commitments, and whether additional measures are being considered.
  3. Guidance on how citizens like myself can constructively contribute, whether through public consultations, local engagement, or direct communication with relevant ministers or committees.
  4. Advice on which departments, ministers, or parliamentary groups are most appropriate to contact regarding specific areas of climate policy.

I am not writing out of pessimism, but out of a desire to understand how we can collectively respond to the overwhelming truth that the climate crisis is real, present, and accelerating. I want to play a constructive role in ensuring that we all have a planet to call home in the decades ahead.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I would greatly appreciate any information, guidance, or direction you can provide.

Kind regards,

Huw

I’m please with what I sent and have no idea if I will get a response or what I might have to do if they do respond.

But hopefully to be continued.

The Fire – Official Video – by Rosie Eade

Understanding the Surge of Global Conflicts Amidst Climate Crises

The 2020s have unfolded as a decade of overlapping crises — pandemics, political instability, economic shocks, and a sharp resurgence of war. But beneath the headlines lies a deeper question: are wars genuinely more common today, and if so, are climate pressures and diminishing resources part of the cause?

Conflict research suggests the answer to the first question is yes. The second is more complicated.

Recent data from global conflict monitors shows that state‑based wars have reached their highest levels since World War II, driven by major conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Myanmar. Wars and armed conflicts have become significantly more common and deadly since 2020, reaching their highest levels since World War II. This marks a clear break from the relative stability of the early 2000s and 2010s.

The New Landscape of War

The post‑2020 conflict environment is defined by several striking shifts:

  • Record-high active state conflicts
  • Annual battle deaths exceeding 240,000
  • Foreign interventions doubling since 2008
  • Global military spending rising to $2.9 trillion

These trends point to a world where diplomacy is weakening, geopolitical rivalry is intensifying, and international norms are eroding.

One particularly alarming metric is that peace agreements are failing, with only 4% of conflicts ending via treaties compared to 23% in the 1970s.

The machinery of peace is breaking down. There seems to be less will for peace and greater investment in sustained conflict.

Climate Change: Not the Spark, but the Fuel

Climate change and resource scarcity are often cited as causes of modern conflict. Yet the evidence shows they are not primary drivers — they are risk multipliers.

Climate as a Threat Multiplier

Climate change rarely ignites wars directly. Instead, it destabilises societies already under strain:

  • Droughts destroy crops and livelihoods
  • Floods displace communities
  • Desertification pushes pastoralists into farming regions
  • Extreme weather undermines fragile governments

Climate change does not typically cause direct inter-state warfare. Instead, it worsens underlying social and economic vulnerabilities.

When livelihoods collapse, recruitment by armed groups becomes easier. When governments fail to respond, grievances deepen. When desperation rises, violence follows.

Scarcity — and Abundance — of Resources

Resource scarcity fuels localised conflicts, especially in fragile regions:

  • Water shortages
  • Loss of arable land
  • Competition between herders and farmers

But abundance can be even more dangerous.

The global race for lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare minerals — essential for green technology — has intensified geopolitical competition. In places like the DRC, resource wealth funds armed groups and prolongs war.

The War–Climate Feedback Loop

The relationship between war and climate is not one‑directional. It is a destructive cycle.

Global militaries account for roughly 5.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions… war heavily accelerates climate change.

Conflict destroys infrastructure, burns cities, and releases massive emissions. Rebuilding after war produces even more.

Climate change increases conflict risk. Conflict accelerates climate change. A vicious loop.

Some might argue that the real drivers of Post‑2020 conflict are as follows – but these assumptions lead to more questions than answers

Despite environmental pressures, the perceived influential drivers of modern war remain political:

  • Weak governance and corruption
  • Breakdown of diplomacy
  • Major powers ignoring international norms
  • Foreign interventions escalating local conflicts
  • Rising authoritarianism and geopolitical rivalry

Climate change amplifies these forces, but for me increasing wars and fights for resources were very much predicted to be on the cards years ago as an output due to climate crisis, global warming and a hunt for resources.

Conclusion: A Hotter World, A Colder Politics

Wars are more common in the 2020s — not because the planet is simply running out of resources, but because political systems are failing to manage the pressures of a warming, crowded, unequal world.

Climate change doesn’t start wars. But it makes them easier to start, harder to stop, and far more devastating.

The 2020s show us a world where environmental stress and geopolitical instability now move in tandem. Understanding this relationship is essential if we hope to break the cycle.

It’s been a beautifully busy month (time)

One idea ticking away on my brain this morning is the concept of time. I sometimes wonder too much about what time is how does it exist and what should I do with it. In many ways time is an illusion. In my mind there is no past now, for it has already happened and there is no future for it has not yet happened the only time that we ever live within is now.

So what time is it well the time is always now. I find this kind of acknowledgment of time as being now not yesterday or tomorrow as reassuring too. As yesterdays trauma is not now and tomorrows worries are also not now and so to focus in the now results in a better ability to make the most out of the time I actually have.

There are also certain things I always try and make time for firstly time to write my blog and express my views on the world and explore my views and interpretations on what is happening.

Secondly time for family and friends – to see them and talk to them and listen to them and if possibly be helped or help them.

Thirdly time for work and play. Work to pay my way and play to recharge my batteries and allow me to fight another time or day.

Fourthly time to vote (I don’t think I have missed an election yet and so long as I can make it to the voting booth I will continue to do so – why have a say if you dont have a vote?

Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth (Official Audio)

The voters have spoken across the UK

But have the politicians in power listened? Members of Parliament in the Labour Party this evening are starting to put wheels into motion to remove the Labour Prime Minster, Keir Starmer from office as the head of the UK government. The necessary evil about politics and human nature is people do not like to speak out, protest or show dissent unless or until they feel what is politically happening directly affects them it appears this even relates directly to Labour members of Parliament.

Abstract red rose with fragmented, shattered petals on a textured gray background

If Starmer goes he will be a casualty of not only his own poor policy decisions and a straight jacketed poor election manifesto which promised to not increase peoples income tax whilst trying to fix austerity of the Conservative years of government mismanagement and cut backs. The billion pound elephant in the room is always the need to tax wealth of the rich which will potentially destabilise financial markets whilst make enemies of the wealthy press and media empires of the world whilst tackling the genuine black holes of multimillionaires absorbing wealth and financial assets and turning them merely into digits on a spread sheet which society is locked out of benefiting from until we tax it back.

Sadly the Labour Party does not seem ready for the challenges that the UK really needs to face up to but who is ready to if not them? I wrote a blog post below back in November 2024 about Labours’ downfall from what it appeared to be good policies at the time and sadly things went and got a lot worse for them even quicker than they might have thought. Well in the UK many buisness are presently going bust due to UK economic and the global economic climate, it seems parties and Prime Ministers can go bust too.

Sowing the seeds of descent from the fruits of victory

Huw UK Job Market review 2026

Though I have successfully managed to navigate many a storm in my employment history and keep my head above water maintaining a position in the job market for most of the last 30 years or so. Surviving the closure of companies, redundancies and also businesses no longer having enough money to hire me or restructuring me out of a roles on the odd occasion. I am more blessed with some of the areas that I have worked than cursed and have met some great people along the way and had a lot of fun at times spending some of the money that I have hard earned. I have at no time found getting a job or trying to get promoted or change jobs easy, in anyway shape or form and there are several patterns of behaviour by employers across the post industrial service sector that have developed across the service sector and government employers that are a concern for me and do not look to change in the medium to short term if any thing things are getting worse and accelerating into a darker place quicker now than ever before.

My present employer no longer employees any administration staff (by way of having admin in any job titles) to undertake work even though a considerable amount of what I would call administrative work still needs to take place in order for the organisation to function effectively and efficiently and get things done. You are either an apprentice an employment officer, employment support officer or manager, senior manager or director. More often than not you also need to have direct experience of doing a job already before they will hire you to do a job so internal recruitment opportunities are very few and far between unless, you have probably guessed it, you are already doing the job you are applying for.

I get this (I don’t like it though) and understand this how they operate and so to gain experience and improve my employability I go out of my comfort zone and so have expanded my employment experiences by in the last 10 months working part time on top of my full time job role for a housing association on a residents board that explores areas of change and improvement to be recommended to the housing association by residents and staff. I have enjoyed this role its been an unpaid post and has really helped me expand my knowledge base and experience whilst also helped me learn new skills and hopefully prove that I am employable to other potential employers in the long run.

So with my new found set of skills and employment experiences I started to try and look for other areas of work both with my own employer and also with other organisations that I would hope to work for and with. In a relatively short space of time I managed to get invited to two interviews out of three adverts that i had applied for, so not too bad success rate so far. One of the roles was an administration role which would have resulted in a pay cut and leaving the organisation I work for now and the other role was a potential promotion into an almost corporate executive role.

Well I had both interviews on the same day and the role that really stood out as a better opportunity was the one with my present employer, although in hindsight that interview went terribly right from the start and the project lead had no interest in hiring me and I think she did not even want to interview me either and I was possibly sifted out as a potentially suitable recruit by HR not her.

Just before I left the interview I spoke up saying thank you for this interview opportunity it really does feel like exciting times to work here, to which the HR person on the panel agreed and the project manager of the role quibbled in to say that the whole thing was a nightmare, leaving me with an impression that she was either overwhelmed and out of her depth or just disinterested in the whole concept of the project that she faced trying to hire a team of people to do her job for her with which was not me. Suffice to say I was told that I did not have the job and did not have the correct employment experience. So why they bothered to interview me in the first place god only knows. I also was not offered the other role due to a better candidate on the day too.

Not just viewing this from my personal experience of employment and employability over the last 30 years but the service sector or office and government based employment roles that have sustained an employment for the last 30 years no longer exist and are likely to not return under current trends and predictions.

My first job that I got that opened my world to being a productive employee in an organisation that I loved to work for and appreciated my working for them in my early 20’s I just cant see me being able to obtain the role again if I were trying to enter a role in the job market in todays environment compared with pack in the 1990’s.

My employment experience consisted of a failed degree which then led me to move in with parents and work at a local Castle on the edge of Dartmoor for a charity called the National Trust doing gardening for them, that opportunity led me to go and work for a local Estate Agents as an office junior, which then led to me then getting an awesome varied and rewarding job with the Devon Wildlife Trust as a low and behold Administrative Assistant, where I earned enough money to move out of my parents house and in with some friends, I though my career truly had begun and I felt I could work hard and be rewarded for my hard work at the same time.

The whole concept of no more admin anymore in a lot of employers across the developed world and the computerisation and automation of roles for efficiency purposes is both logical and a race to the jobless market. If we get rid of all employees or a large proportion of employees through ever innovative forms of computerisation and automation, just what are said employees or unemployees supposed to do with themselves and how will they afford to buy products and services within an economy and how will a developed economy sustain itself with an ever increasing populace that are either unable or due to the barriers they face unwilling to work and contribute income taxes into a system that has sustained people throughout my lifetime.

Better to have lived, worked and lost than to have never lived, worked and lost at all.

This is about not just living a rewarding life and navigating personal or global storms, but having enough money to live a rewarding life keeping your head above water and being done in a way that is sustainable for all not just a lucky few.

James – Sometimes

Britain Isn’t Working

Chained To A Past That Locks Away Its Future!

I’ve lived in the UK long enough to know its contradictions intimately. This is a country that can produce Oxford mathematicians, Glastonbury headliners, and Nobel‑winning scientists — yet can’t run a functioning train network on a rainy Tuesday. A country that invented the industrial revolution but now struggles to build a railway line without it becoming a national scandal.

The UK isn’t a failed state. It’s a stalled one. And the data backs that up.

This isn’t a doom‑scrolling exercise. It’s an attempt to understand why a country with so much potential consistently underperforms — and what it would take to turn it around.

Britain’s Economy Has Been Flatlining for 15 Years

Let’s start with the numbers, because they’re brutal.

  • GDP per capita in the UK has grown only 6% since 2007. The US grew 21% in the same period. Germany: 15%.
  • Productivity — the engine of living standards — has grown at 0.3% per year since 2008. Before the financial crisis, it was 2%.
  • Real wages are still below their 2008 level. That’s not normal. It’s unprecedented in modern British history.

This is the longest period of wage stagnation since the Napoleonic Wars. Think about that. Two centuries of progress — and then a flatline.

Why it matters

When productivity stalls, everything else stalls: wages, public services, investment, optimism. You can feel it in the national mood — the sense that the country is working harder but getting nowhere.

Why it’s happening

Because the UK rewards rent‑seeking (property, financial extraction) more than value creation (innovation, skills, manufacturing). Because we underinvest in infrastructure, R&D, and people. Because our planning system is a productivity‑killing machine.

What would make it better

  • A national investment strategy focused on green energy, AI, biotech, and advanced manufacturing.
  • Planning reform so we can actually build things again.
  • Tax incentives that reward innovation, not speculation.
  • A skills system that treats vocational excellence as a national asset.

Britain doesn’t lack talent. It lacks a system that knows what to do with it.

Public Services Are Failing Because They’re Designed for a Different Century

You don’t need statistics to know the NHS is struggling — but the statistics are still shocking.

  • NHS waiting lists: 7.6 million people.
  • Average time to charge an offender in England: over 400 days.
  • Local councils: 1 in 5 at risk of effective bankruptcy.
  • Train cancellations: highest on record.

This isn’t because people aren’t working hard. It’s because the system is structurally broken.

The deeper issue

Britain runs 21st‑century problems on 19th‑century institutional architecture. Westminster is hyper‑centralised, overloaded, and allergic to long‑term planning.

What would make it better

  • Multi‑year funding settlements so services can plan instead of firefight.
  • A national digital transformation programme across health, justice, and local government.
  • Workforce strategies that treat staff as humans, not line items.
  • Radical simplification: fewer agencies, clearer accountability.

We don’t need to spend like Scandinavia to get Scandinavian outcomes. We need to design like Scandinavia.

The UK Has a Confidence Problem — and It Shows Up in the Data

This is the part that feels personal.

Britain has slipped into a cultural posture of low expectations. We’ve normalised decline. We’ve become experts at explaining why things can’t be done.

And the data reflects that psychology:

  • The UK invests less than 1% of GDP in public R&D. South Korea invests 4.9%.
  • Business investment is 30% below the OECD average.
  • The UK builds half as many homes per capita as France.
  • We take longer to build infrastructure than almost any developed country.

This isn’t just economics. It’s culture. A country that doesn’t believe in its future won’t invest in it.

What would make it better

  • A national narrative of renewal, not nostalgia.
  • Civic education that builds agency and critical thinking.
  • A media ecosystem that rewards depth, not outrage.
  • A political class that talks about the future instead of the past.

Britain needs to rediscover ambition. Not arrogance — ambition.

Our Democracy Doesn’t Feel Democratic

Trust in politics is at historic lows. And again, the numbers tell the story:

  • The UK has one of the least proportional electoral systems in the developed world.
  • Millions of votes effectively don’t count in safe seats.
  • Turnout among young people is collapsing.

People aren’t apathetic. They’re alienated.

What would make it better

  • Proportional representation or a hybrid system.
  • Citizens’ assemblies for long‑term issues like climate, AI, and constitutional reform.
  • Radical transparency in political funding.
  • Digital participation tools that bring people into policymaking.

Democracy isn’t just voting. It’s agency. And Britain has been quietly stripping agency away.

The Real Problem: Britain Has No National Project

This is the heart of it.

Countries that thrive have a mission. A story about what they’re building and why it matters.

Japan: robotics and advanced manufacturing. South Korea: technology and innovation. Denmark: green energy. The US: AI, biotech, and frontier science.

The UK? We don’t know. We haven’t known for a long time.

What would make it better

Britain needs a national project big enough to unite people and concrete enough to guide policy. For example:

  • Becoming the world leader in green energy.
  • Building the most advanced digital public services on the planet.
  • Creating Europe’s innovation supercluster.
  • Designing a new social contract for the 21st century.

A country without a project becomes a museum. A country with a project becomes a magnet.

Britain Isn’t Broken — It’s Under‑Designed

This is the part where I get frustrated, because the UK’s problems are not mysterious. They’re structural, cultural, and entirely fixable.

Britain has the talent. Britain has the resources. Britain has the institutional memory.

What it lacks is the decision to reinvent itself.

A better Britain isn’t a fantasy. It’s a design challenge. And like all design challenges, it begins with imagination, clarity, and the courage to build something new.

Britain must learn from its past but not live within its past – reform the monarchy, tax those that profit from others at no expense to themselves. Free people to work and be creative. Do not punish those that can’t work because of those that won’t work. Create a state that does not promise all to everyone and consistently delivers nothing to no one.

Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands

Live, Work, Die Repeat

The UK economy consists of workers, unemployed and those that profit from the status quo.  

The UK economy in 2026 is characterized by a high-inequality structure where the richest 1% own roughly 21% of wealth, while over 14 million people live in poverty. A weakening labor market has seen unemployment rise to 5.2% with over 9 million economically inactive, often due to long-term sickness, while corporate profits have contributed significantly to cost-of-living pressures.

Those that Work (75.0% employment rate): As of Oct-Dec 2025, approximately 34.24 million people are in work, though the labor market has loosened, with payrolled employees falling in early 2026.

Those that Don’t (20.8% inactivity rate): Economic inactivity remains high, driven primarily by long-term sickness, and an aging population, with youth unemployment (18-24) hitting high levels in early 2026.

Those that Profited: Wealth concentration is high; the richest 56 billionaires hold more wealth than 27 million other people combined. This group’s wealth has grown significantly faster than earnings, benefiting from capital growth, while many households face stagnant incomes and high costs. 

The UK economy in 2026 is defined by a widening gap between earned income and accumulated wealth, with persistent “economic inactivity” and high levels of wealth concentration among a small minority. 

1. Those Who Work (The Employed)

The workforce remains the primary driver of the economy, though it faces significant pressure from “fiscal drag” and rising costs. 

Employment Rate: As of late 2025/early 2026, the UK employment rate stands at approximately 75.0%.

Tax Burden: Many workers are paying more in direct taxes due to frozen income tax thresholds (Personal Allowance remains at £12,570), a phenomenon known as “fiscal drag” that brings more people into higher tax brackets as nominal wages rise.

Income Inequality: The top 1% of income taxpayers account for 12.9% of all pre-tax income, while the bottom 10% account for just 0.3%. 

2. Those Who Don’t (The Unemployed and Inactive)

This group includes both those looking for work and a historically large number of people who are “economically inactive.” 

Unemployment: The unemployment rate has risen to 5.2% (approx. 1.88 million people), with youth unemployment (ages 16–24) being particularly high at 16%–17%.

Economic Inactivity: Roughly 20.8% of the working-age population (over 9 million people) is economically inactive.

Health Drivers: A major driver of this inactivity since 2020 has been long-term health conditions, which remain at historically high levels. 

3. Those Who Have Profited (The Wealthy)

Wealth in the UK is increasingly decoupled from active work, favoring those with existing assets like property and pensions. 

Wealth Concentration: The top 10% of households own more than one-third of the national wealth, with an average of roughly £2.3 million per person. The bottom 10% have almost no net wealth.

Asset Divide: Total household wealth is over 15 times higher for those who own their homes outright compared to those who rent.

Difficulty of Advancement: In 2008, it took 10 years of typical earnings to move from the middle to the top of the wealth distribution; by 2018, this had increased to 16 years, making it harder for working families to “climb” through labor alone.

Corporate Profiteering: Some analysis suggests a “profiteering crisis,” where corporate profits have outpaced wage growth, further concentrating gains among shareholders and asset owners. 

Survive, vote and demand change for the better for you and all.

Those of us blessed to live in democracies should vote for and advocate for positive political and economic change. With the rise of the green party as a potential political and economic force for good in the UK this can only be positive for all. Old invested interests will fight hard for the states quo to continue but what even if there reaches a threshold when even the statues quo of profiting at the expense of everything else also ultimately becomes unsustainable then change must and will come. We should vote and advocate for what shape that change must and will be in the form of.

With rising pressures on human employment stability and continued worsening growths in gaps in wealth between those that exploit others and those that are exploited, political change needs to take place to readdress a balance between the humans that have a right to live and exist over those that wish to dominate for their own self interests at the expense of others.

Is Our Global System Corrupt or Immoral? Insights and Impacts

Whether our global system is immoral or corrupt is one of the most debated questions in modern philosophy, economics, and sociology. There isn’t a single factual answer, but rather a tension between two primary perspectives:

The Argument for Systemic Corruption

Critics argue the system is inherently flawed because it often prioritises capital accumulation over human well-being. They point to: 

  • Extreme Inequality: A tiny percentage of the population holds more wealth than the bottom half of the globe combined.
  • Environmental Exploitation: Economic growth often relies on the depletion of natural resources, leading to the climate crisis.
  • Power Imbalance: Large corporations and wealthy individuals often have disproportionate influence over political legislation, which can undermine democratic processes. 
  • Environmental Degradation: The current economic model relies on extracting natural resources, which has led to overshooting planetary boundaries. Seven out of eight earth system boundaries—including climate, biodiversity, and fresh water—have been breached.
  • Inequality: Despite overall growth in global GDP, wealth inequality is increasing in most countries. This leads to a concentration of power and wealth, where “marginalized communities often bear a disproportionate burden of environmental pollution and degradation”.
  • Unsustainability: The focus on short-term profit and “planned obsolescence” results in excessive waste and pollution. The current model is described by some researchers as an “environmental pyramid scheme” that depends on intergenerational theft.
  • Social Distress: Modern economic life, characterized by high-demand jobs and job insecurity, is linked to lower social connectedness and higher mental distress. 

The Argument for Systemic Progress

Conversely, proponents argue that the current global exchange has done more to improve the human condition than any previous system. They point to: 

  • Poverty Reduction: Global extreme poverty rates have plummeted over the last 50 years.
  • Innovation: Competition drives advancements in medicine, technology, and renewable energy.
  • Rule of Law: While imperfect, modern systems have established human rights frameworks and international trade laws that provide a level of stability unprecedented in history. 

Conclusion on Future Outlook

Ineffective Decoupling: It is unlikely that economic growth can be fully decoupled from environmental damage at a global scale, meaning a, “selective downscaling of production and consumption” is necessary to lower the ecological footprint.

Fundamental Transformation Needed: Research indicates that to ensure a “good life for all within the planet’s limits,” the current system must be drastically restructured.

Towards a “Wellbeing Economy”: Many experts advocate for a shift toward “wellbeing economies” that prioritize sustainability, social health, and environmental safety over purely economic, growth-based metrics like GDP.

Hannah Spencer: From Plumber to Parliamentarian

A Historic Breakthrough in Gorton and Denton

Hannah Spencer’s victory in the Gorton and Denton by‑election marks one of the most significant political upsets in modern Greater Manchester history. Winning 14,980 votes (40.7%), she not only defeated Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin but pushed Labour — the area’s dominant force since 1931 — into third place.

Her win brings the Green Party’s total representation in the House of Commons to five MPs, joining Siân Berry, Adrian Ramsay, Carla Denyer, and Ellie Chowns.

A Working‑Class Story That Resonated

Spencer’s background is central to her political appeal. A plumber and qualified plasterer, she trained after leaving school at 16 and continued working while campaigning — even telling clients she’d have to cancel their booked jobs because she was “heading to Parliament.”

She has lived in Manchester her entire life, leads the Green group on her local council, and previously ran for Mayor of Greater Manchester. Despite this experience, she insists she “did not grow up wanting to be a politician,” positioning herself as a genuine working‑class representative rather than a career political figure.

Her personal life adds to her grounded image: she’s a marathon runner and shares her home with four rescued greyhounds.

Why Her Victory Matters

Spencer’s win is more than a local upset — it signals a broader shift in British politics:

  • Labour’s declining dominance: The party’s vote collapsed dramatically, reflecting wider dissatisfaction with Keir Starmer’s leadership. Polls now suggest he is the most unpopular prime minister since modern surveys began.
  • Green Party momentum: Party leader Zack Polanski described the result as “tearing the roof off British politics,” arguing that there are now no “no‑go areas” for the Greens.
  • A new kind of Green MP: Spencer embodies a shift away from the party’s traditional middle‑class image, aligning instead with cost‑of‑living concerns and working‑class representation.

Her victory speech captured this mood, declaring:

“We defeated the parties of billionaire donors.”

What Comes Next?

As the Green Party’s first ever by‑election winner, Spencer enters Parliament with significant symbolic weight. Her challenge now is to translate her grassroots credibility into national influence — and to show that her win is not an anomaly but part of a growing realignment in British politics.

The Case Against Monarchy in Modern Democracies

Many a revolution and civil war has played out across the world in many a country including the UK to sever the head of a monarch from the political control of a country. It seems bizarre in this day and age that Britain has a monarch as the head of it’s state, political and religious institutions. But what is even more bizarre is the strength of will at the heart of the establishment to maintain the status quo and make no change to this set of institutions, state of affairs or even review or to ensure transparency concerning where money goes to the monarch and how or why it is then spent.

For me this is not an argument about whether a King or Queen are good people or not but whether they have the right to be born into the role they play and I strongly believe that there should be no birth right to any position in our state let alone that of the head of state.

Arguments against supporting monarchies in democratic societies generally center on principles of equality, accountability, and the desire for a modern, meritocratic state. Critics argue that inherited power is fundamentally incompatible with the democratic ideal that all citizens are equal and that leaders should be chosen by the people.

  1. Lack of Democratic Accountability 

A core tenet of democracy is that leaders must be answerable to the people they serve. 

No Choice or Removal: Unlike elected officials, monarchs cannot be held to account or removed at the ballot box by the public.

Hereditary Risk: Relying on inheritance means there is no selection process to ensure the leader is capable; a nation risks being stuck with an incompetent, “petty,” or “vindictive” individual for decades. 

2. Incompatibility with Popular Sovereignty

Democracy is rooted in the idea that power belongs to the people, not a specific family. 

Anachronism: Critics view monarchy as a vestige of a feudal past that has no place in a modern world where legitimacy should derive from the consent of the governed.

Secrecy and Lobbying: In some systems, monarchies are exempt from transparency laws (like Freedom of Information requests), allowing for “lobbying by stealth” for private business interests. 

3. Economic and Social Costs

Opponents often point to the tangible burdens of maintaining a royal institution. 

Taxpayer Expense: Critics argue that the significant funds spent on the “extravagant lifestyle” of a royal family—including security, travel, and palace maintenance—could be better used for public services.

Colonial Legacy: For former colonies, retaining a distant monarch as a head of state can be seen as an obstacle to fully reconciling with their history and achieving true national independence. 

4. Institutional Resilience vs. Democratic Values

While some argue that constitutional monarchies provide stability, critics contend: 

Borrowed Time: Monarchies in democratic countries are often described as “operating on borrowed time,” requiring manufactured goodwill to survive.

Fragile Neutrality: A monarch’s perceived neutrality is easily shattered if they attempt to intervene in political matters, leading to constitutional crises.

Will the UK always have a monarchy?

Whether the UK will always have a monarchy is uncertain, as it is not guaranteed by law and relies on public support, which has shown a long-term decline. While it remains popular as a symbol of unity and tradition, support dropped to a record low of 54% in 2023, with around 25% favoring abolition. 

Key Factors Regarding the Future of the Monarchy:

Public Opinion & Trends: While a majority still support the institution, backing has fallen from 76% in 2012 to 54% in 2023. A growing minority, now around 25%, supports a republic, marking a 10% increase in just five years.

Constitutional Pathway: There is no legal barrier to abolition; it could be achieved through a parliamentary act and a referendum, creating a new, elected head of state.

Arguments for Removal: Critics argue the institution is incompatible with modern democratic values, lacks transparency, and that its wealth (e.g., the Duchy estates) should belong to the public.

Arguments for Retention: Proponents highlight the monarch’s role in providing political stability, acting as a non-partisan head of state, and contributing to tourism and international soft power.

Future Adaptability: The monarchy’s survival has relied on its ability to adapt to changing times, a strategy that future monarchs like Prince William will likely need to continue to maintain support.

The monarchy’s future depends on the “oxygen of public support” and its ability to remain relevant to future generations, making its permanence not guaranteed. 

Removing the power base of a born and bred King or Queen from the head of the UK will not be easy or happen overnight but it does feel like a form of constitutional madness to still have a monarch today as the head of a democratic society and is very much one that has been in place for so long it is sadly perceived to be a normal state of affairs.