Funding the Future

John Kenneth Galbraith’s The Affluent Society asked a question that still matters: how can we live with private luxury alongside public squalor? In this video, I explore why Galbraith was right about how markets manufacture wants, and why public goods are neglected. From billionaire rockets to broken hospitals, his warning is as urgent today as it was in 1958.

Fascism is not just about Mussolini or Hitler. It is an ideology that divides humanity into “superior” and “inferior” groups — with catastrophic consequences. In this video, I explain what fascism really means, why its essence is exclusion, and why true democracy depends on equality and respect for all.
 

Chris Hedges has warned us: fascists mean what they say. Donald Trump has now issued NSPM-7, a presidential order that redefines dissent as terrorism and authorises the state to treat opponents as enemies. From Stalin’s Article 58 to the Nazi Malicious Practices Act, history shows what happens when repression becomes law. We need to face facts: the US is very rapidly sliding into full-blown fascism — and the UK could follow.

Are all our major political parties now the same? Labour, Conservatives, the Lib Dems, and even Reform  are united by one ideology: neoliberalism. Fiscal rules, austerity, and the “household analogy” bind them together into what I call the Single Transferable Party.
This is why public services are always cut, inequality deepens, and investment is suppressed—no matter who wins an election.
In this video, I explain why UK democracy has been hollowed out, why real choice has disappeared, and what alternatives—like proportional representation and ending fiscal rules—we must fight for if we want genuine change.

Prof Andrew Baker of the University of Sheffield and I have been working on tax transparency and how to create it as the foundation for a better society for a long time. In this video, we share our visions and plans. 

Our economy isn’t working.
It’s built on lies: the myth of growth, the myth that profit comes before people, and the myth that wealth is more important than fairness.
If we want a sustainable society, we need a new moral code for the economy.
In this video, I set out ten commandments for a just economy - principles that put people before profit, justice before greed, and sustainability before growth.
These commandments demand:
People before profit
Fair rewards for work
Inclusion, not exclusion
Respect for the earth
Finance that serves life
Fair taxation
Transparency and accountability
Measuring what really matters
This is a manifesto for a fair and sustainable economy. One we could all be proud to live in.

Keir Starmer has reopened the debate on national identity cards. Supporters say they could make public services, voting, and security simpler. Critics warn of surveillance, discrimination, and exclusion. Are ID cards about freedom—or about state control? I unpack the history, the arguments, and what it means for our rights today.

Free speech is the foundation of democracy. Without the right to disagree, there is no freedom at all. Yet in the USA, Trump threatens dissenters, comedians are suspended, and protesters are labelled extremists. In the UK, Palestine Action supporters face trial for holding placards. This is the authoritarian playbook. And we must resist it.

Andy Burnham says it’s time for the UK to stop being in hock to the bond markets. The City is in uproar, but who really calls the shots in Britain—the government we elect, or unelected financiers? In this video, I unpack Burnham’s challenge, the myths about debt and borrowing, and why democracy—not markets—must decide our future.

We’re told that government debt is spiralling out of control. Commentators scream “fiscal crisis!” and “record borrowing!” But the truth is very different. High government debt is not a sign of collapse—it’s a sign of trust. People and institutions are desperate for the safety that only the government can provide. Debt is not a danger—it’s a deposit facility. Let’s cut through the panic and face the facts.