If I ruled the world? First things first, I’d stop Brexit

Charity begins at home. But my goal would be to create a united, rational world

by AC Grayling / September 8, 2017 / Leave a comment

AC Grayling explains what he’d do if he ruled the world. Photo: PA

Before tackling the world at large I’d start with sorting out the UK (“charity begins at home”), by immediately stopping the madness of Brexit, introducing proportional representation, restricting the Party whipping system so that only votes on manifesto pledges can be whipped, giving the electoral commission serious powers, limiting spending on elections, and requiring complete transparency on political funding. These measures would go a long way to fixing our currently hijacked democracy.

I would substantially increase spending on health and school education, using the money saved from the first of my world-wide initiatives (see below); would tackle the income inequalities which are so corrosive in our society; and would address the question of regional deprivation—but not at the expense of London, which, until the poison of Brexit began its work, was the goose that lays the country’s golden eggs; and could easily be so again if it remains the EU’s financial and cultural capital. It would be done by serious regional investment incentives for new businesses, on the model of the ‘special economic zones’ that have worked so well for China.

All faith schools would be abolished, religion taken out of the school curriculum, and charitable status removed from religious organisations. Religion is a private matter and should not receive state sponsorship in any form.

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Comments

JimmyMack
September 10, 2017 at 12:51
AC, you and your kind DO rule the world, at least the part we call 'The West'. Even while, in the 1980s, the political right was celebrating its success at the ballot box, folk like you were stealthily taking over the institutions: the universities, the quangos, the law, local government, the charities. Cameron was the final capitulation; the Tory whose Toryism was indistinguishable from your social left liberalism. Yes, you also made some concessions along the way. You accepted that capitalism was here to stay. But this wasn't as big a concession in practice as it might have seemed. People like you were doing OK, and you could always ease your conscience by talking a bit about fairness and 'equality' -redefined to mean between competing identity groups. Besides, your real project was the remodelling of Britain's middle class since the mid 19th century. And it is because of this - your sense of entitlement to tell others what to do and how to think - that the vote to leave (and Trump) has come as such a bitter shock to you and your kind. Oh dear, why were these deplorables allowed to vote in the first place? It's called democracy, AC. Best get used to it.
Michael J.
September 19, 2017 at 16:10
At least AC has a vision + his background shouldn't be used to nullify this. It's easy to condemn; braver to evolve and broadcast what you believe to be a better world. The article stimulates debate and while idealistic - why not? Some of those ideas could materialise is one shape or another. We grow up being told to aim high, rather than safely achieve less. I'm all for a demonstrably more caring and less conflictual world. We think too short term and rely far too much on the future being fabricated by short term politicians.
Richard Preston
September 26, 2017 at 18:01
Jimmy, it would be ridiculous to call the slim victories of Trump and Brexit "democratic" - every day we find new evidence of Russian interference in both the British referendum and the US election, not to mention the xenophobia and other absurd lies that Johnson and Trump used to secure victory. Your rant about liberals taking over everything (except for government, of course... you know, the one place that would be the most influential) just exposes you as a conspiracy theorist acting primarily on spite.

AC Grayling is a philosopher and the master of the New College of the Humanities