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Go Big: How To Fix Our World
'Enthralling. I was left with such an unusual feeling that I didn't at first realise what it was, and then I remembered: optimism. I hope everyone with the slightest interest in the way the world works will read it' PHILIP PULLMAN
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Good news: the solutions to our problems already exist.
Great news: a once-in-a-generation appetite for change means we can make them happen.
The challenges we face are daunting, but in Go Big Ed Miliband shows that the scale of what is possible is far greater. We are at a rare moment in history when people everywhere see the need for big change. Meanwhile, practical and proven ways exist for tackling everything from inequality to the climate crisis - if you know where to look and have the courage to think big.
Ed Miliband has captured imaginations with his award-winning hit podcast Reasons to be Cheerful, which discovers brilliant people all around the world who are successfully fixing problems, transforming communities and pioneering global movements. From a citizens' assembly in Mongolia to the UK's largest walking and cycling network in Greater Manchester, from flexible working in Finland to the campaign for the first halal Nando's in Cardiff, Go Big draws on the most imaginative and ambitious of these ideas to provide a vision for how to remake society.
The future is not yet written. It's our job to write it. Go Big shows us how.
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'Inspired and inspiring, Miliband calls upon us to rise to our challenges with courageous boldness' CHRISTIANA FIGUERES, Lead Negotiator of the UN Paris Climate Agreement
''Go big' should be the rallying cry of progressives around the world' RUTGER BREGMAN, author of Humankind
*A Guardian, Evening Standard and New Statesman Book to Look Out for in 2021*
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(*WARNING - Contains genuinely big ideas that may inspire* Solutions cover: Green New Deal - Affordable Housing - Universal Social Inheritance - A Care Economy - Reining In Big Tech - Citizens' Assemblies - Votes At 16 - A Devolution Revolution - Fossil Fuel Divestment - Community Wealth Building and many, many more)
______
Good news: the solutions to our problems already exist.
Great news: a once-in-a-generation appetite for change means we can make them happen.
The challenges we face are daunting, but in Go Big Ed Miliband shows that the scale of what is possible is far greater. We are at a rare moment in history when people everywhere see the need for big change. Meanwhile, practical and proven ways exist for tackling everything from inequality to the climate crisis - if you know where to look and have the courage to think big.
Ed Miliband has captured imaginations with his award-winning hit podcast Reasons to be Cheerful, which discovers brilliant people all around the world who are successfully fixing problems, transforming communities and pioneering global movements. From a citizens' assembly in Mongolia to the UK's largest walking and cycling network in Greater Manchester, from flexible working in Finland to the campaign for the first halal Nando's in Cardiff, Go Big draws on the most imaginative and ambitious of these ideas to provide a vision for how to remake society.
The future is not yet written. It's our job to write it. Go Big shows us how.
______
'Inspired and inspiring, Miliband calls upon us to rise to our challenges with courageous boldness' CHRISTIANA FIGUERES, Lead Negotiator of the UN Paris Climate Agreement
''Go big' should be the rallying cry of progressives around the world' RUTGER BREGMAN, author of Humankind
*A Guardian, Evening Standard and New Statesman Book to Look Out for in 2021*
_____
(*WARNING - Contains genuinely big ideas that may inspire* Solutions cover: Green New Deal - Affordable Housing - Universal Social Inheritance - A Care Economy - Reining In Big Tech - Citizens' Assemblies - Votes At 16 - A Devolution Revolution - Fossil Fuel Divestment - Community Wealth Building and many, many more)
288 pages, Hardcover
Published June 3, 2021
87 people are currently reading
980 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
November 10, 2022
Ed Milland, depending on where you are on the political spectrum, is somewhere between the greatest Prime Minister we never had, or a charismatically challenged Marxist nerd who can't eat a bacon sandwich.
As leader of the Labour party he was derided for a lack passion and convection , but that was unfair. As this book shows Ed has always been considered and able to see both sides, and this book is the perfect medium to show this.
Ed as a front bench politician, and someone who worked in the last Labour government, is able to bring an unmatched sense of realism to some very idealistic topics and aspirations while still being hopeful.
GO BIG is very UK centric , he over uses the word profound and parts are a bit dry, but in the end it's a fascinating read on some of the real life social movements and policies which are already beginning to change our world for the better.
As leader of the Labour party he was derided for a lack passion and convection , but that was unfair. As this book shows Ed has always been considered and able to see both sides, and this book is the perfect medium to show this.
Ed as a front bench politician, and someone who worked in the last Labour government, is able to bring an unmatched sense of realism to some very idealistic topics and aspirations while still being hopeful.
GO BIG is very UK centric , he over uses the word profound and parts are a bit dry, but in the end it's a fascinating read on some of the real life social movements and policies which are already beginning to change our world for the better.
October 7, 2021
I bought this book after attending a promotional event and listening to Ed talk about its contents with such passion and strength. I was lucky enough to ask a question about English devolution and it was great to meet him!
Ed is a politician who I have gained more respect for as time has gone on. With the greatest respect to him, this book and his more recent media appearances have made me realise he is not a leader, but a campaigner, a thinker & a policy-maker.
This book is a reflection of the deep-dive into UK domestic policy which Ed has undergone since resigning as LOTO in 2015. It should serve as a wake-up call and a clarion cry for all those who seek to understand why the UK is a nation of glaring inequalities, and how we can all work together to change that.
On par with Gordon Brown’s recent book; while Gordon’s was how to change the world, Ed focussed on how to fix the UK’s glaring issues, and if we took his advice, we’d make a success of it.
Ed is a politician who I have gained more respect for as time has gone on. With the greatest respect to him, this book and his more recent media appearances have made me realise he is not a leader, but a campaigner, a thinker & a policy-maker.
This book is a reflection of the deep-dive into UK domestic policy which Ed has undergone since resigning as LOTO in 2015. It should serve as a wake-up call and a clarion cry for all those who seek to understand why the UK is a nation of glaring inequalities, and how we can all work together to change that.
On par with Gordon Brown’s recent book; while Gordon’s was how to change the world, Ed focussed on how to fix the UK’s glaring issues, and if we took his advice, we’d make a success of it.
June 17, 2021
really enjoyed, and provided some much needed optimism.
July 26, 2021
It would be wrong to say ‘Go Big’ is Miliband’s comeback from the political wilderness, he still hold a front-bench shadow cabinet position. But at last it feels as if the former Labour leader has reestablished himself as a thinker in his own right and no longer just another crony towing Keir’s (tangled) party line.
The book is caked with a heavy dose of optimism, but it’s lofty ambitions are what allows it to rise above the obvious, and perhaps impossible, practicalities of getting any of it through parliament. Reform of Section 172 is a brilliant idea but the book doesn’t address the political manoeuvring that is at best an afterthought in a legislature preoccupied by the challenges of Coronavirus, Brexit and institutional racism. However, there are fantastic chapters concerning Nando’s in South Wales and government procurement in Preston that highlight the central message of the books final chapter: “politics is too important to be left to the politicians”.
Inevitably, I read the book through the cracked lens of Labour’s 2015 General Election defeat and I wondered whether now, 6 years on, Miliband had finally written the manifesto he wished to write as opposed to the one he did write. But I couldn’t help but recall the ironic ultimatum posited by David Cameron in the run up to the election: “stability and strong government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband”. If ‘Go Big’ represents Ed’s vision of chaos, then it sounds pretty good to me.
The book is readable, amusing and as it says on the tin: ‘a reason to be cheerful’. Worth reading.
The book is caked with a heavy dose of optimism, but it’s lofty ambitions are what allows it to rise above the obvious, and perhaps impossible, practicalities of getting any of it through parliament. Reform of Section 172 is a brilliant idea but the book doesn’t address the political manoeuvring that is at best an afterthought in a legislature preoccupied by the challenges of Coronavirus, Brexit and institutional racism. However, there are fantastic chapters concerning Nando’s in South Wales and government procurement in Preston that highlight the central message of the books final chapter: “politics is too important to be left to the politicians”.
Inevitably, I read the book through the cracked lens of Labour’s 2015 General Election defeat and I wondered whether now, 6 years on, Miliband had finally written the manifesto he wished to write as opposed to the one he did write. But I couldn’t help but recall the ironic ultimatum posited by David Cameron in the run up to the election: “stability and strong government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband”. If ‘Go Big’ represents Ed’s vision of chaos, then it sounds pretty good to me.
The book is readable, amusing and as it says on the tin: ‘a reason to be cheerful’. Worth reading.
May 22, 2024
This was a really interesting book, but I found it so difficult to finish. That might be because some of the ideas that it was talking about were discussed in RTBC. Took me a while, but I did it, and I’m happy I finally finished it!
June 16, 2022
This was pretty good but I think for me it was a bit of a case of preaching to the converted? The vibe seemed to be throwing out some fairly wild super-radical sounding ideas, but nothing was new to me so I'm guessing I wasn't really the target audience. I did like the final section on community organising and what makes a movement successful. Hopefully some Ed fans out there become UBI converts
July 1, 2021
As a sporadic listener to the podcast Reasons to be Cheerful, I'd been meaning to get this book since its release. Then, as luck would have it, whilst browsing my local bookshop I noticed a few signed copies and here we are!
Miliband's new book is, he states, not a manifesto or Labour document of any kind. In fact, it's more of an extension of the podcast he co-hosts, in the sense that it addresses different issues facing Brits today — twenty in total — and makes some recommendations as to how to best address them. The book is written really well; easy to digest with each short chapter pertaining to an issue making it easy to pick up and learn something new. I was impressed with his ability to introduce some of the more technical concepts (e.g., he gives a great explanation as to why truly free-market approaches have not and do not work), perhaps something to do with his year spent teaching politics at Harvard University.
My main criticism is that I would've liked to have seen more material refuting many of the things that have occurred in British politics in the last decade. In my opinion, part of the problem we face today in the U.K. is that we have some politicians who have terrible ideas but possess a strong ability to sell them and some politicians who have good ideas but lack charisma, with Miliband falling into the latter of these categories. If he was able to just develop some of these qualities that someone like Barack Obama exemplifies, I think he would have much more success in, say, an election bid.
All in all, this was a worthwhile read and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn about some of the more novel concepts in politics and the community.
Miliband's new book is, he states, not a manifesto or Labour document of any kind. In fact, it's more of an extension of the podcast he co-hosts, in the sense that it addresses different issues facing Brits today — twenty in total — and makes some recommendations as to how to best address them. The book is written really well; easy to digest with each short chapter pertaining to an issue making it easy to pick up and learn something new. I was impressed with his ability to introduce some of the more technical concepts (e.g., he gives a great explanation as to why truly free-market approaches have not and do not work), perhaps something to do with his year spent teaching politics at Harvard University.
My main criticism is that I would've liked to have seen more material refuting many of the things that have occurred in British politics in the last decade. In my opinion, part of the problem we face today in the U.K. is that we have some politicians who have terrible ideas but possess a strong ability to sell them and some politicians who have good ideas but lack charisma, with Miliband falling into the latter of these categories. If he was able to just develop some of these qualities that someone like Barack Obama exemplifies, I think he would have much more success in, say, an election bid.
All in all, this was a worthwhile read and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn about some of the more novel concepts in politics and the community.
November 28, 2022
A much needed hopeful book about UK Politics and what we can do to make things better.
I really liked the format of the book where Miliband defines a new social contract for the UK and then explains what we can do to achieve it. I also really liked how it was set out to include a set of 20 solutions as it is nice and digestible. However, I found it frustrating that every chapter had a vague title so you can't easily refer back to the book to look at one of the many different ideas that Miliband discusses.
The way that Ed Miliband explains and argues for each solutions is quote convincing as throughout the book I would think of a problem with what he was proposing and then a few paragraphs later Miliband addressed my worries.
Some chapter where naturally better than others, and one of the first ones about the Green New Deal I was really unimpressed with as Miliband didn't go into a lot of detailed on what the Green New Deal actually contained except for one example. So, I finished the chapter agreeing with what he said but unsure on the detail of the idea. But I think that is a minor issue with the book as I only had that kind of feeling only after reading a couple of chapter out of 20.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the UK politics, especially now as we are in dire need of knowing that things can get better in the dumpster fire that is UK politics right now.
I really liked the format of the book where Miliband defines a new social contract for the UK and then explains what we can do to achieve it. I also really liked how it was set out to include a set of 20 solutions as it is nice and digestible. However, I found it frustrating that every chapter had a vague title so you can't easily refer back to the book to look at one of the many different ideas that Miliband discusses.
The way that Ed Miliband explains and argues for each solutions is quote convincing as throughout the book I would think of a problem with what he was proposing and then a few paragraphs later Miliband addressed my worries.
Some chapter where naturally better than others, and one of the first ones about the Green New Deal I was really unimpressed with as Miliband didn't go into a lot of detailed on what the Green New Deal actually contained except for one example. So, I finished the chapter agreeing with what he said but unsure on the detail of the idea. But I think that is a minor issue with the book as I only had that kind of feeling only after reading a couple of chapter out of 20.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the UK politics, especially now as we are in dire need of knowing that things can get better in the dumpster fire that is UK politics right now.
February 7, 2024
Ed Miliband is the best prime minister who never was, and this is a testament to his ideals - I thoroughly enjoyed it!
He considers issues within both the UK and the world as a whole in this book and sets out his proposed solutions in a measured, articulate way. From talking about environmental stability to the care crisis in the UK, it's brimming with his convictions. I love that he makes it easy to understand and to engage with what he's saying and I agree with the more collectivist view he puts forward.
One particularly interesting part I enjoyed was him discussing how we can use our pension to shape the world. It's a simple step but choosing a more sustainable fund or one that invests in your local community can effect change without needing too much effort.
Overall, it was an insightful, profound read and one that's left me with things to think about.
He considers issues within both the UK and the world as a whole in this book and sets out his proposed solutions in a measured, articulate way. From talking about environmental stability to the care crisis in the UK, it's brimming with his convictions. I love that he makes it easy to understand and to engage with what he's saying and I agree with the more collectivist view he puts forward.
One particularly interesting part I enjoyed was him discussing how we can use our pension to shape the world. It's a simple step but choosing a more sustainable fund or one that invests in your local community can effect change without needing too much effort.
Overall, it was an insightful, profound read and one that's left me with things to think about.
June 30, 2021
great ideas straightforwardly presented - you may not agree with them all but the view that if you don't do something about ideas for change you passionately believe in then why on earth you think the change can come about is fairly logical and underpins these. And you know you will already have a body of support if one of these is the idea you decide to put your committement behind. Doing something being realisitic about how much you can do and not to over commit are key but this book definitely stimulates thought and hope about the "be the change you wish to see in the world"
November 17, 2021
Loved this book. It surpassed my expectations and is a must read for anyone concerned with the state of the political, social, economic and environmental situation we find ourselves in, and in particular for anyone who finds themselves feeling powerless. This book is really an eye opener and offers some really constructive ideas on how we can Go Big and bring about change.
October 1, 2024
Go on, save the world Ed
March 20, 2025
It's good to hear that the Labour Party has plans to help people with mental health issues back to work.
And they've made a great start by giving Ed Milliband a job.
And they've made a great start by giving Ed Milliband a job.
August 11, 2021
I've been a fan of RTBC podcast for several years now and it was great to read this manifesto for a better world that was inspired by the many big issues Ed and Geoff have explored over the years. A great playbook that focuses on all our big challenges and shows how we can and ARE coming up with workable solutions.
January 8, 2023
A vision of what ‘chaos with Ed Milliband’ might have looked like.
Instead of brexit and culture wars, progressive childcare, fifteen minute cities, and devolution of power to citizens assemblies and regions. I found myself nodding with agreement on every page.
Maybe he became leader too soon and hadn’t had the chance to develop and articulate a vision, maybe the immigration debate was just too toxic and took over, maybe he’s better at policy than leadership. But this is a vision of a country I want to live in. Well written too
Instead of brexit and culture wars, progressive childcare, fifteen minute cities, and devolution of power to citizens assemblies and regions. I found myself nodding with agreement on every page.
Maybe he became leader too soon and hadn’t had the chance to develop and articulate a vision, maybe the immigration debate was just too toxic and took over, maybe he’s better at policy than leadership. But this is a vision of a country I want to live in. Well written too
July 14, 2021
I love my aardman claymation socialist dad.
January 20, 2022
Inspiring, relatable, entertaining … made me want to go and join a movement!!
April 20, 2022
Is there a political second act for Ed Miliband? This book certainly suggests so. It's a ready-made policy agenda for a future Prime Minister, setting out how to help reduce the UK's staggering income inequality, improve health, get our carbon emissions down, create good jobs and get people involved in political decision-making.
It's an uplifting read, and my goodness we could do with some positive thinking right now. The book is inspired by the excellent podcast that Miliband presents along with Geoff Lloyd. It has given him a platform to reveal the warm and witty human behind the policy nerd, and this book continues in the same tone, with a self-deprecating smile behind much of the prose. However, there's nothing silly about the policies Miliband proposes, which range from building many more social homes, regulating Big Tech and shifting to sector-based trade unions to support people in the gig economy, to community wealth building where councils actively seek to buy goods and procure services within their own area, creating both wealth and jobs. All of his suggestions are backed with evidence, showing that success has followed where these ideas have been tried.
The only depressing point is that there is no prospect of any political party being brave enough to implement Miliband's policy programme. But he is not deterred by that, offering instead a list of suggestions for individuals to begin creating change, rather than waiting for a senior politician to do it all. A necessary and inspirational book.
It's an uplifting read, and my goodness we could do with some positive thinking right now. The book is inspired by the excellent podcast that Miliband presents along with Geoff Lloyd. It has given him a platform to reveal the warm and witty human behind the policy nerd, and this book continues in the same tone, with a self-deprecating smile behind much of the prose. However, there's nothing silly about the policies Miliband proposes, which range from building many more social homes, regulating Big Tech and shifting to sector-based trade unions to support people in the gig economy, to community wealth building where councils actively seek to buy goods and procure services within their own area, creating both wealth and jobs. All of his suggestions are backed with evidence, showing that success has followed where these ideas have been tried.
The only depressing point is that there is no prospect of any political party being brave enough to implement Miliband's policy programme. But he is not deterred by that, offering instead a list of suggestions for individuals to begin creating change, rather than waiting for a senior politician to do it all. A necessary and inspirational book.
December 31, 2022
‘Go Big’ leaves the reader feeling drowned in levels of optimism they did not know they could achieve. Presenting anecdotes of when people went big and by doing so shifted the Overton window and were met with compelling societal change. From the Women’s Right Strikes in Iceland to the Preston Bus Station. We as readers are constantly introduced to the unsung heroes of social change. At the same time we are met with levels of encouragement to ‘go big’. As said in the conclusion, “we must meet the moment by raising the scale of our ambitions for what politics can achieve ”. Depending on where you fall on the political spectrum you may either view Ed Miliband as ‘the greatest prime minister we never had’ or some North London geek who lacks the ability to eat bacon sandwiches, as well as sharing an uncanny ressemblance with Wallace of Wallace and Gromit. If you fall under the latter you’d probably label him as a man who backstabbed his brother and was certain to give us “chaos with Ed Miliband“. This book shows that although he may have failed to show it in his election campaign he does in fact not lack passion or charisma. It shows that no matter how small you think you voice is, if you utilise it in the right manner you can ‘go big’.
September 2, 2025
This book reminds me of Gordon Brown's writing. The constant use of 'collective' and ''struggle' for example, obviously a nod to their preferred ideology. But Ed isn't as clever as Gordon. Gordon hides his true intent in deep layers of text, Ed trys this and fails. I'm not against everything Ed writes here, largely agree about the need for social housing for example, but Ed let's quite a few cats out of the bag, for example that not all petrol and diesel cars will be replaced by electric because of the carbon cost of making electric cars. He doesn't go on to state who gets the cars and who takes the bus, but the pigs did move into the farmhouse, so I think we know. Then there is the plan to bankrupt the oil and gas industry, without any thought of the consequences, why do that when most households still require gas? It's unhinged.
Ed does back himself off by saying this is not a party political book, but as many of his recommendations have happened or are happening since Labour came to power, I think we can assume this is Labour policy. Which is why this book is useful, try as he might, Ed couldn't hide the ugly truth about his ideological plans.
Ed does back himself off by saying this is not a party political book, but as many of his recommendations have happened or are happening since Labour came to power, I think we can assume this is Labour policy. Which is why this book is useful, try as he might, Ed couldn't hide the ugly truth about his ideological plans.
July 6, 2021
This is a wonderful book that absolutely lives up to its bold title. I hadn’t listened to the podcast but have always admired Miliband and thought he was roughly treated as Labour leader. Either way he shows in this book how he has learned from the experience and come back better: wiser and with a lighter touch combined with an academic rigour. Not easy to achieve. This is a book that reaches out beyond divisions of left or right but describes a form of politics that is a better fit for our times: interactive, local, and inclusive. By relying heavily on examples rather than theory, he describes how seemingly intractable problems of our times can and have been addressed through visionary and committed action, sometimes quite close to home. For the second book running (Humankind was the first) I am left wondering why I am so ignorant of what is going on under my nose, and why even the liberal media fails to spotlight these stories of hope more clearly.
January 6, 2023
“How To Fix Our World” is the subtitle of this book and the operative word is definitely “how”. The ideas presented by Miliband are not particularly new (although his writing on the concept of a new ‘social contract’ was new and very interesting to me) but instead it is his exploration of how we can actually put these much-discussed ideas into action that makes this book a very good read. Citizens assemblies, community organising (versus traditional British political campaigning methods), divestment and ultimately the work of individuals and groups at the local level are well-argued as the key potential drivers if we really do want to achieve the necessary radical change. My mind was also changed on a few policies thanks to this book - specifically the Green New Deal (which I generally support but have always been slightly sceptical on - no more) and the need for greater local devolution.
September 3, 2021
The big questions that society is asking itself are tackled here. Across the world, increasing numbers of people are seeing inequality and climate concerns as problems that need to be tackled on local, national and international scales. Former Opposition Leader Ed Miliband has been presenting a podcast asking the big questions of leaders and here the ideas are distilled into a book. I was surprised as I don't listen to the podcast and my impression of Miliband was not overly positive based on his political persona but this book is very personable. Obviously it is extremely well-researched and, whilst there is a little left-wing bias, it is not overtly preachy, rather it gives balanced arguments and considered examples.
July 3, 2022
3.5, found some chapters more compelling than others. I liked the optimist's prism through which Miliband looks at problems at hand and proposes likely solutions drawing from examples applied elsewhere in the world or at different times but in a relevant context. Miliband highlights the important role that people have to play in shaping the future for themselves through movements and active participation rather than passively relying on politicians and the power they bestow upon them via simply getting them elected. This reverberates throughout the book. Westminster doesn't know best, as per the title of one of the chapters. It's sad that it sounded like wishful thinking to me at times. Perhaps I should try harder to share some of his optimism.
June 30, 2021
Ed Miliband has been doing the fantastic podcast with Geoff Lloyd called “The Reasons to be Cheerful” for a few years now. This book is partially inspired by that podcast and I’m really happy that Miliband got his inspiration.
The biggest takeaway of the book is that we have to “put the market to its place” and try to solve the big problems caused by the “markets will fix everything” ideologies. The ideas in the book are not new at all, they read like the Labour Party manifesto for 2019 elections anyway. But the book serves the ideas by moving the Overton window (I learned something, didn’t I?) which means that it will help shift the public debate.
Of course we can’t prevent the climate emergency with Bill Gates style market entrepreneurs meeting science, we can’t solve inequality with the market that actually creates it, we can’t solve the housing crisis when the market needs the housing stock to be scarce so that they can make a nice profit.
Miliband also makes good points about how to devolve power from London to locals, how cities and its citizens should have more control over their future.
Unfortunately the last section of the book is its weakest bit. Author talks about change makers but they are not presented in a cohesive manner. There are all sorts of different ways of achieving something good and it’s not the the author’s fault that things are this way at the moment.
This means that we should spread the good word, think about solutions, organise and keep the solidarity forever!
The biggest takeaway of the book is that we have to “put the market to its place” and try to solve the big problems caused by the “markets will fix everything” ideologies. The ideas in the book are not new at all, they read like the Labour Party manifesto for 2019 elections anyway. But the book serves the ideas by moving the Overton window (I learned something, didn’t I?) which means that it will help shift the public debate.
Of course we can’t prevent the climate emergency with Bill Gates style market entrepreneurs meeting science, we can’t solve inequality with the market that actually creates it, we can’t solve the housing crisis when the market needs the housing stock to be scarce so that they can make a nice profit.
Miliband also makes good points about how to devolve power from London to locals, how cities and its citizens should have more control over their future.
Unfortunately the last section of the book is its weakest bit. Author talks about change makers but they are not presented in a cohesive manner. There are all sorts of different ways of achieving something good and it’s not the the author’s fault that things are this way at the moment.
This means that we should spread the good word, think about solutions, organise and keep the solidarity forever!
August 6, 2023
Although not a natural supporter of Ed I was encouraged by his view that a better world is possible.
-Encourage public institutions to spend more budgets locally
- control the power of big tech
- benefits of free bus travel in bringing life back to high street and helping build community
His vision... includes access to quality education, healthcare, and housing, as well as a strong social safety net and a fair and just legal system. It also includes a healthy environment, with clean air and water, and a sustainable economy that provides good jobs and opportunities for all. Ultimately, a vision for a better society is one where everyone can live with dignity, security, and happiness.
-Encourage public institutions to spend more budgets locally
- control the power of big tech
- benefits of free bus travel in bringing life back to high street and helping build community
His vision... includes access to quality education, healthcare, and housing, as well as a strong social safety net and a fair and just legal system. It also includes a healthy environment, with clean air and water, and a sustainable economy that provides good jobs and opportunities for all. Ultimately, a vision for a better society is one where everyone can live with dignity, security, and happiness.
August 12, 2021
Good but not great. Lots of positive bits but doesn't quite work as a manifesto. The right direction, just missing a convincing solution (aren't we all).
There is a lot to be said for citizens assemblies and more use should be made of them, they're just not a universal panacea, as Macron notes.
Essentially our democracy is too remote from people, so there is much dissatisfaction with politics at a distance. I wonder if we need elections at more levels (e.g. from street up to regional) to make it work better for more people.
There is a lot to be said for citizens assemblies and more use should be made of them, they're just not a universal panacea, as Macron notes.
Essentially our democracy is too remote from people, so there is much dissatisfaction with politics at a distance. I wonder if we need elections at more levels (e.g. from street up to regional) to make it work better for more people.
March 26, 2022
A wide ranging introduction to a number of policy ideas that would collectively transform UK society. Whilst taken in isolation, individual measures discussed at times might not feel that revolutionary, the entire optimism and practicality of what's offered in each chapter signposts a much brighter future than what we've currently got on offer.
Best taken as the starting point for further reading and policy exploration, it's a must read for anyone interested in how the UK gets out of the stagnant mess we've got ourselves into.
Best taken as the starting point for further reading and policy exploration, it's a must read for anyone interested in how the UK gets out of the stagnant mess we've got ourselves into.
June 5, 2022
Miliband writes with great clarity, seamlessly blending academia and anecdote into a convincing and highly accessible book. Parts are slightly drier but thats to be expected in what is essentially a book of public policy. He challenges the myth of British exceptionalism and looks toward realistic tried and tested solutions even if they are rooted in heady idealism. It’s timely and demonstrates his eloquence, and a side to his politics which was so often supplanted by the caricature the media painted.
August 3, 2021
If you, like me, have a feeling that something is seriously wrong with both society and politics in the UK, then you need to read this book. Ed Miliband has captured what is truly wrong and suggests ways to resolve the problems. If a political party could put these ideas into a manifesto and broadcast it far and wide I feel sure that they would get into power. Unfortunately I don't think the UK is yet ready for such a progressive set of solutions.
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