John Harris must have been reading my mind (Britain is used to crises now. But this widespread hopelessness is new – and frightening, 25 June). I (and probably many others) have come to a similar conclusion. There is just too much going on that negatively affects a big tranche of households across the country. How can we thrive and grow as individuals and communities when our external environment continuously threatens our livelihoods and lifestyles?
Failing businesses often enter an irreversible and self-reinforcing downward spiral. Things are bad, this causes worker attitudes or finances to deteriorate, and the result is that things get worse still – and down we go. Until we hit rock bottom and are forced to face our reality. Perhaps countries do the same too. At that point we have to confront what is wrong in society, but never had the courage or opportunity to embrace. Vested interests and sacred cows are laid bare, and we can rebuild, focused on what is genuinely important. The inanities of culture wars and other superficial diversions will become clear for all to see.
The timeline to such an implosion depends on our ability to survive the ongoing “death by a thousand cuts”. The last few years have pretty much eroded our ability to be accommodative – as illustrated by the intensity of strikes across whole swathes of sectors over the last year. On a positive note, let’s hope the end comes speedily so that we can acknowledge our country’s shortcomings, take the hard decisions, and move on to a better future.
Bill Kingdom
Oxford
• John Harris reports on people being confused and hopeless about the state of public and political life, but your correspondent Nick Moss (Letters, 25 June) makes a crucial point on conspiracy theories and those who control society: most of what they do, they do in plain sight. We just need to expose what they do ordinarily and what’s wrong with it.
Their main control mechanism is the everyday observable system of economic relationships, meaning business, markets and work – “the business system” – and atomised political relationships that keep people at a distance from countering its inadequacies as a way of running society. Tories defend the business system, other parties defer to it.
It is all readily comprehensible if we just take the trouble to examine it. So there’s no need to get distracted by conspiracy theories, nor for confusion and hopelessness. What to do is obvious enough and doable – base political debate on the system; unionise; expose culture wars as distractions; and actively support the most progressive party programme on offer.
Eddie McDonnell
Manchester
• John Harris draws attention to the importance of reviving hope. Escaping the vicious circle of decline depends on devolving power and competence to city regions, and then applying what works. Cities as diverse as Copenhagen, Freiburg and Portland show how to change direction. By concentrating development around transit lines rather than in peripheral housing estates that are sinking under mortgage repayments, Britain could resource a green revolution rather than build more white elephants.
Dr Nicholas Falk
Executive director, the Urbed Trust
• Lenin had an epithet for those, like John Harris, who see little prospect of change for the better – down with miserablism. The movements on climate change and against racism, together with those taking action for better pay and conditions at work, suggest that there are plenty of people who do believe we can live in a better world and are prepared to take action to get it.
Keith Flett
Tottenham, London
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