Anybody who cares about the future of our country, whether an entrepreneur, or involved in civil society or politics, should read this well-written, well-researched book. Indeed, it is a wake-up call for politicians both national and local that should be prescribed reading. Young, wise, passionate, brimming with ideas, Georgia Gould has interviewed thousands of young people, identifying deep problems and painting a bleak picture of the challenges they face. But she is also optimistic about their potential to transform the United Kingdom. Gould addresses the often radical changes needed to create a fairer society – one where young people’s desire for more power is a catalyst for reform, where a culture of control is replaced by a culture of enablement, and where business is focused on shareholder value and value to society.
Segregation between class, ethnic groups and generations has bred fear of young people, while demonisation by some in the media contributes to their alienation. Recessions and unemployment have seen the break-up of traditional communities and the breakdown of relationships. Lack of social mobility and pervasive inequality traps many who have creativity and digital skills but who do not have the support to overcome the hurdles of poverty that would truly unlock their talents. They are failed by an education system which does not readily allow interaction between people from different backgrounds, foster personal confidence or work with employers so that children gain valuable skills for the rapidly changing workplace.
But young people are also being failed by our broken politics. The world has changed but UK political institutions have more or less stayed the same. Talk of youth disengagement is focused on citizenship education, online democracy and votes at 16. It barely scratches the surface of what is needed to empower young people, or hear and heed their voices.
Politics at the moment does not look or sound like young people or address the problems they face, and they see belonging to a political party as a sacrifice of their integrity. No wonder more of them are creating community-based campaigns and movements outside formal structures. They want passion and principle, dialogue and consensus – not pointless point-scoring. They want honesty, and politicians able to say ‘I got it wrong’. They also want vision and hope. Until that is offered, and with many young people opting out of the democratic process – especially those from poorer backgrounds – we will not have effective, fair government.
Like Gould, I do not understand why there is not more anger around. It is testament, however, to her and those she spoke with, that young people are channelling their energies into ideas and actions that will help bring about a transformation of our politics. But alongside this there needs to be a real change in society’s mindset, with young people thought of as partners, so that together we can build a country that enables every single one of us to be empowered and flourish. That will mean sharing power, whether devolving to the most local level or giving it away, while at the same time supporting those with little or no idea of how to engage. Opening up and letting go can be daunting but our future – and the future of these young people and our democratic institutions – depends upon it.
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Janet Royall is Labour’s leader in the House of Lords. She tweets @LabourRoyall
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Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future
By Georgia Gould
Little, Brown | 416pp | £11.99
I’ve no doubt Georgia Gould’s book is worth reading for anyone who wants to understand what young people want. However, there is a contradiction in the assertion in this review that what young people demand is ‘passion & principle, dialogue and consensus’. I have to think back to my youth and growing political awareness – I don’t recall being very much impressed with dialogue and consensus. That was all far too SDP for my liking at the time. If young people consider joining a political party an affront to their ‘integrity’ (as suggested here) then what else is there to do? Joining up with single issue pressure groups might be easier to accommodate passion and principle but with powerful class forces ranged against single issue politics will likely result in frustration and failure to achieve any given goal. My efforts in CND (although I never formally joined that was far too much of an affront to my integrity) did not stop a single bomb being made. Although a colleague once memorably remarked that those Labour council’s that adopted a no nukes policy in their boroughs witnessed no bombs falling on them – success of sorts I suppose. Growing up is and was for me about learning about the importance of dialogue and consensus this process can be painful, but it ultimately led me into the Labour Party. Betraying my age Mick Jagger memorably penned “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you’ll find you get what you need”