Doug Sheridan Says
“No new ideas are needed, only a will to implement some familiar solutions to old and growing problems.”
James Kirkup writes in the Times UK, until Brits develop a willingness to endure some short-term inconvenience in exchange for long-term gains, the UK’s national prospects are dim.
No new ideas are needed, only a will to implement some familiar solutions to old and growing problems.
There's a litany of measures ignored—things that would deliver a wealthier, fairer and happier country. But in how much time? Probably not by the next election. Which is why politicians, some extremely senior, who privately support these things, won't say so publicly. They calculate voters won’t thank them for offering pain today, gain tomorrow.
Similar timidity shapes the state itself. Public spending is tilted from the unglamorous but important bits of the public sector. Things like education, the courts system and local government all crumble as politicians parade their commitment to more immediately attractive causes.
Adult education is badly needed. The UK has a chronic productivity problem and weak growth because it's workers lack skills. Yet British leaders systematically neglect the systems to deliver those skills—not because politicians don’t understand this, but because they don’t think voters care.
Are they right, has the British public become more short-termist, less willing to accept inconvenience and discomfort? More demanding, in this age of referendums and social media, of being consulted, of having our voice heard on everything? Maybe, but so what—look hard enough and you’ll always find someone to object to something, a reason to do nothing. Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.
To Sum It Up: The most successful policy changes seek to do the right thing now and trust the public to accept them in the future. We need more of this—a bet on voters being smart enough to swallow bitter medicine that's necessary. It’s courage. And it’s courage, not ideas, that our leaders need more of.
Our Take 1: While Kirkup is too focused on new gov't programs—rather than returning decisions and outcomes to individuals and markets—he's dead on in terms of what it will take to turn things around in the UK and other western nations.
Our Take 2: Leaders miss what can be gained from unapologetically fighting for things that will create the most positive change. Things like free markets, free trade, free enterprise, smaller gov't, limited taxes, less regulation, and the rule of law. Those able to make the case for... and then own... these political, even societal, positions will be who history credits for saving the UK and other nations like Canada, Australia and the US from what seems inevitable decline.
Our Take 3: We don't see the types of talented, transformative leaders on the horizon needed to produce the sort of change Reagan and Thatcher brought their nations and the world over a generation ago. But rest assured, we'll speak up when we do. Let's hope it's soon.