Blog post

We need a new political story

In these videos George Monbiot outlines how we can democratise politics and economics, and transfer power back into the hands of the community.

Verso Books 7 June 2018

We need a new political story

A toxic ideology of extreme competition and individualism has come to dominate our world. It misrepresents human nature, destroying hope and common purpose. Only a positive vision can replace it, a new story that re-engages people in politics and lights a path to a better future. In Out of the Wreckage (out now in paperback) George Monbiot shows how we can create a new “politics of belonging", radically reorganizing society from the bottom up, enabling us to take back control. In these videos he explains how we can create a new political narrative as well as democratise politics and economics, putting power back into the hands of communities.

Neoliberalism is dead: we need a new political story

Donald Trump understood the power of narrative: Clinton was the villain of his story, he was the hero; the hero of the story was going to restore order to the land. In order to reclaim political and economic power, WE need a new political narrative - a restoration story that will trigger the imagination and create a politics of belonging.

How do we want our communities run?

Centuries of disempowerment has meant that most people have forgotten what we are capable of. Using examples from around the world, George Monbiot argues that we can democratise politics and economics – putting power back in the hands of people – to create kind active communities which work.

[book-strip index="1" style="buy"]

“A dazzling command of science and relentless faith in people … I never miss reading him.” – Naomi Klein, author of No Is Not Enough

“This remarkable book sees George Monbiot—long recognised as one of our most acute and perceptive commentators—bringing together the whole breadth of his intelligence and experience to propose a new politics: new goals, new strategies, and, most of all, a new story. If you’re tired of the tiny seesaw that politics seems to have got itself stuck on, you’ll want to read this. There’s so much to think about here, and it’s presented with clarity and coherence. It’s an inspiring and optimistic vision for the future, and—best of all—a wholly practical one. It can happen. Better, it’s starting to happen. This is a future we can all be part of, a future which grows directly out of our participation. Please read this book.” – Brian Eno

“Inspired and inspirational, George Monbiot’s call to act gives new coherence to a movement that is changing as it learns. So much has to change that the scale of the task can feel over¬whelming. But we have changed our lives as fast and fundamentally before.” – Danny Dorling, author of Inequality and the 1%

“This is a highly contemporary book, potentially offering the left a set of implements with which to win arguments on terrain often dominated by the populist right … Monbiot’s hopeful, practical energy is precisely what the left needs right now.” – Will Davies, Guardian

Out of the Wreckage
Today, our lives are dominated by an ideology of extreme competition and individualism. It misrepresents human nature, destroying hope and common purpose. But we cannot replace it without a positiv...
Paperback