Month: November 2025

Why Yesterday’s Tory Budget “Triumph” Was All Performance – And No Substance

Any Conservative leader today will struggle to make meaningful progress in the polls for one simple reason: the Party’s outlook, methods, allegiances and overall direction of travel remain exactly the same. Nothing fundamental has changed.

Yet in the political theatre that UK politics has now become, sound and appearance often matter far more than substance. And against the backdrop of the slow‑motion car crash Labour are currently steering, Kemi Badenoch’s rapid‑fire response to Rachel Reeves’ Budget did create a moment of clear contrast.

On performance alone, she outshone the government front bench and delivered the kind of punchy, headline‑friendly attack that modern politics rewards.

But that’s the problem. Parliament has drifted so far into theatrics and amateur dramatics that its real purpose — truth, accountability and the serious business of governing — has been pushed aside.

The Deputy Speaker’s intervention, acknowledging the “accidental” early release of the OBR report while hinting at the government’s obsession with narrative control, underlined just how far ministers now prioritise managing the story over respecting the institution.

Everyone already had a good idea of what was coming long before the OBR stepped out of line. Yet the contemptuous performances from both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were quickly overshadowed by Badenoch’s attack‑dog delivery. For a brief moment, it even looked – at least to some watching – as if she might have what it takes to be the next occupant of No.10.

However, what went almost entirely unnoticed was the absence of anything resembling a coherent Conservative policy platform. There was no indication of how the Party would fix the mess that, until just 17 months ago, they were still enthusiastically helping to create.

Nor was there any suggestion that, if returned to power, the Tories would do anything fundamentally different from Labour: cling on, run down the clock, and hope the public doesn’t notice that the country continues to deteriorate while politicians prioritise survival over service.

We should be able to expect that our political leaders have a deep, meaningful grasp of what is actually happening in the country. Many people still assume they do.

Yet the evidence – from those who want to be the next Prime Minister to the ambitious ranks lining up behind them – suggests they understand very little about how the world they seek to govern really works.

Worse still, they seem oblivious to the consequences of treating politics as a career, a game, or a performance rather than a responsibility.

This was painfully clear in Badenoch’s patronising reference to “benefits street”. Her point – that Labour is fire‑hosing money the country cannot afford while taxing struggling families to pay for it – was overshadowed by the tired fixation of the political right on the idea that being on benefits is a lifestyle choice.

Yes, the rising benefits bill is a serious concern. But what politicians consistently fail to grasp – whether through ignorance or wilful blindness – is that the people being mocked and blamed for the problem are not there by choice.

They are the inevitable product of the same broken system that has pushed Britain to the brink. A system that creates a small number of disproportionately comfortable winners by impoverishing everyone else and stripping away the financial independence and basic security that should be available to all.

Rhetoric and polished performances in the Commons or on TV are all well and good. But without real power, the soundbites and counter‑narratives offered by any opposition party are meaningless. And even when a party does hold power, it means nothing if the people standing at the despatch box lack the right motives, the right understanding, and the courage to deliver the deep change the UK now desperately needs.

Whoever stands to the Speaker’s right in the future will make no difference to our lives unless they are genuinely committed to rebuilding this country – its people, its communities and its environment – regardless of the personal or political cost.

The Borrowed Time Budget: A System Running Out of Road
Government is Broke(n): Collapse Now or Collapse Later?
Why People Can’t Just “Get a Job”
The Basic Living Standard Explained
The Local Economy & Governance System | Online Text
The Tory Hollow Budget Triumph PDF_Vers1_27Nov25Download

The Borrowed Time Budget: A System Running Out of Road

The November budget, with its push toward higher taxation, is not simply a matter of fiscal policy. It is a warning sign, a flare in the night sky that tells us the system we live under is running out of road.

Few people recognise what this shift truly signals, and fewer still are willing to confront it. That blindness is not accidental. Our economy has been carefully designed to mislead, to disguise its fragility, and to keep even the sharpest minds chasing illusions.

For decades, governments have expanded the flow of money, not by creating genuine value, but by inflating the system.

They bailed out the banks that caused the crash of 2007- 08, rewarding failure with public funds. Later, they unleashed torrents of money during the Covid pandemic, not to rebuild resilience, but to keep the machine ticking over.

These interventions did not repair the foundations; they merely propped up a broken structure. The result is a distorted reality in which the government can no longer borrow what it needs to sustain public services. Instead, it faces crises that today’s politicians are neither prepared nor equipped to lead us through.

To keep the illusion alive – to make it appear that everything is functioning as normal – the government must find money somewhere.

If banks cannot provide it (and in truth, they never had it to lend in the first place), then the state will take it from us. Taxation becomes not a tool of governance but a desperate grab for survival, a way to scrape together whatever can be found to keep the plates spinning.

This is the trap of the political class. They value their positions and the power they believe they hold more than the consequences of their choices.

Whether they admit the truth now or continue draining the public first, the end is the same: collapse.

The system is already hurting millions, and it cannot endure indefinitely. The only uncertainty is whether we lose what remains of our wealth before the collapse, or when it finally arrives.

The bitter irony is that our money is tied to nothing of real value. That emptiness is what has allowed politicians and elites to manipulate the system for so long. Could anyone become an overnight billionaire if wealth were grounded in tangible worth? Of course not. Their fortunes exist because people buy into offerings with money that, in essence, does not even exist.

This government – and likely the next one too – is living on borrowed time. Real change will only come when leaders emerge who understand the true nature of the crisis and are willing to act decisively to rebuild on solid ground.

Until then, the charade continues – as does the damage that it causes.

Few will welcome the upheaval that is coming, but it is inevitable: the world will soon operate very differently than it does today.

That shift need not be catastrophic. We still have choices, and we still have the chance to take a better path.

But this requires honesty. It requires accepting that the obsession with money at the centre of everything must end.

Unlike the politicians driving the UK bus towards the cliff, we must recognise that we have already reached a place called stop.

From here, the only way forward is to put people first.

Revaluing the Workforce: Escaping the Grip of Greed
Minimum Wage, Maximum Exploitation: A Collapsing System Propped Up by Rising Taxes
Plastic Productivity and the Debt Trap: What the November Budget Won’t Fix
Facing the Economic Collapse: the Real Crisis Behind Money, Wages, and Freedom
The Local Economy & Governance System | Online Text
The Basic Living Standard Explained
The Borrowed Time Budget PDF_Vers1_27Nov25Download

Revaluing the Workforce: Escaping the Grip of Greed

Life didn’t become expensive because it had to be. It became expensive because too many people wanted more than they needed, and in chasing profit they made freedom unaffordable for millions.

That greed has shaped the way we live, the way we work, and even the way we imagine what’s possible.

The Illusion of Permanence

We’ve been conditioned to accept the system as if it has always been this way and always will be.

For those who benefit, that’s convenient blindness. For those who suffer, it’s a kind of brainwashing – convincing them that change is impossible.

But everyday life tells a different story. Anyone who shops regularly knows how quickly prices rise.

A £3 item can jump by 30p in a week, far beyond the official inflation rate. At Christmas, tins of chocolates are dressed up as “reduced,” even though they cost 20 to 50% more than they did a year ago. And energy bills keep climbing even when wholesale prices fall. These aren’t natural increases; they’re engineered.

The Myth of Big

This manipulation is reinforced by another illusion: the myth of big.

We’re told that scale equals legitimacy, that size equals strength. But “big” doesn’t mean better. It means the system has grown so vast that exploitation can hide behind its scale.

The bigger it gets, the smaller we feel – and the easier it becomes to believe we can’t change it.

The Machinery of Exploitation

Once you see through the myth, the machinery becomes clearer.

Supply chains and hierarchies strip away accountability, amplifying selfishness until exploitation feels normal.

At the heart of it all sits money – created, policed, and controlled by those with power.

Profit comes first, people last, and the system is designed to make us accept it as normal.

The Human Cost

This isn’t about people failing. It’s about people being failed.

Lives are destroyed not because individuals did something wrong, but because others took more than they needed.

The uncomfortable reality is that we don’t have to live like this.

There is another way.

Redefining What We Value

We’ve been taught to believe success means others must lose, that material wealth defines worth.

That’s the great lie. It externalises our humanity, making us dependent on possessions instead of recognising our intrinsic value.

To change course, we have to learn to value who we are, not what we own.

Putting People First

Imagine a system where everyone’s basic needs are guaranteed.

This isn’t a pipe dream or a challenge to the “law of the jungle.” It’s simply the right thing to do.

A good life depends on the contributions we all make together, knowing that at the end of the week we’ve done our part and received what we need.

Beyond Division

We are not isolated individuals. We are members of the human race.

Hierarchies and divisions are tools of oppression, legitimising greed and selfishness.

Those who benefit from them do so only by exploiting the needs of others, however distant those others may seem.

A Framework for Fairness

Enshrining the Basic Living Standard in law would be the transformative step toward a society where dignity and security are guaranteed for all.

This principle ensures that every individual’s essential needs are met, fostering resilience and social stability.

The adoption of the Local Economy & Governance System and the framework it offers would strengthen communities by decentralising decision-making and empowering local actors.

Such a system encourages sustainable growth, supports small businesses, and keeps resources circulating within the community, thereby reducing dependency on distant, impersonal structures.

Together, these frameworks dismantle exploitation, promote fair contribution, and prevent the concentration of wealth and power that undermines collective prosperity.

By prioritising fairness and local empowerment, society will lay the foundations for enduring economic vitality and shared well-being.

The Local Economy & Governance System | Online Text
The Basic Living Standard Explained
Revaluing the Workforce PDF_Vers1_26Nov25Download

Minimum Wage, Maximum Exploitation: A Collapsing System Propped Up by Rising Taxes

Introduction

As the cost of living continues to climb across the United Kingdom, many households find themselves struggling to maintain even the most basic standards of financial independence.

With impending tax rises on the horizon, the pressure on those already living near the edge is set to intensify, pushing even greater numbers below the threshold of self-sufficiency.

This is not a temporary crisis, but a symptom of a deeper, systemic failure—a collapsing economic model that now survives only by extracting more from those who can afford it least.

The money-centric economic system that we have – The “Moneyocracy” – perpetuates itself by shifting the burden onto workers and taxpayers, while the promise of prosperity grows ever more distant for the majority.

Against this backdrop, it is essential to confront a fundamental question – one that exposes the uncomfortable realities at the heart of our economy.

A Question:

Do you believe the minimum wage is enough for a full-time worker to live on – and if so, why?

The answer to this question, which varies depending on one’s relationship with the minimum wage, reveals uncomfortable truths about the foundations of our economy and the way work is valued in this country.

What is not surprising is that those who already have financial security often agree in principle that low-paid workers should earn more. Yet when confronted with the implications of paying every worker enough to live independently, many recoil. Why? Because such a change would disrupt their own relationship with the economy.

The Minimum Wage Reality

Let us be clear: the national minimum wage in the UK is not enough for anyone working a full-time 40-hour week to live independently—free from reliance on benefits, charity, or debt.

The widespread acceptance of this wage stems from government and establishment narratives.

What is legally mandated is presented as morally and practically sufficient.

Yet, in truth, the minimum wage is a carefully placed rock covering a pit of myths and lies.

Those who benefit from the system prefer not to lift that rock, because doing so would expose their complicity in maintaining the illusion.

The Employee

A worker earning the minimum wage – currently £12.21 per hour, equating to £488.40 per week or £25,396.80 annually – cannot afford the basic essentials required for independent living.

The gap between what they earn and what they need is effectively the amount by which they are underpaid.

Employers exploit workers by failing to cover the true cost of living.

Regardless of how the deficit is filled—through benefits, charity, or debt—someone else is subsidising both the employee and the employer.

The Employer (Small Business)

Small business owners often insist they pay fairly because they comply with the law. Yet compliance does not equate to fairness.

Paying the legal minimum is not the same as paying enough for employees to live independently.

Common justifications include:

• “They can top up with benefits.”

• “I can’t pay more or I’ll go out of business.”

But these arguments miss the point. The government—and by extension, taxpayers—should not subsidise businesses that cannot afford to pay workers a living wage.

In reality, small businesses are also exploited: they cannot operate independently within the current economic system, because they too are constrained by models that undervalue their work.

The Employer (Big Business)

Large corporations differ because they can afford to pay more.

Supermarkets and other major employers of minimum-wage staff generate enormous profits – even during a cost-of-living crisis, like the one we are experiencing now.

They could easily pay wages that allow workers financial independence, if boards and shareholders accepted smaller returns.

Instead, big businesses exploit both employees and taxpayers. Workers are underpaid, while the government subsidises wages through benefits.

This allows corporations to maximise profits while keeping the mechanics of exploitation hidden from public debate.

The Government

Why does the government subsidise wages so small businesses can survive and big businesses can thrive? Why not simply set a minimum wage that reflects the true cost of living?

The answer is stark: doing so would collapse the system.

The economy functions by undervaluing the majority of jobs deemed “low-skilled” or of “little value.”

If wages reflected reality, the house of cards would fall.

The Taxpayer

The system is a con. The complex machinery of what can be called a Moneyocracy manipulates trust and deference so effectively that taxpayers rarely ask basic questions.

Why, in an economy where corporations make billions annually, must taxpayers top up their employees’ wages through taxes?

Why are we threatened with price hikes whenever government policy shifts, while corporate profits remain largely unscrutinised?

Following the money reveals the truth: wealth is funnelled in one direction, made possible only by exploiting workers, taxpayers, and weak governments.

Corporations profit by underpaying staff, then spin narratives that justify charging consumers more.

Reality Bites

Exploitation of normal people has gone too far. The system enriches the few by exploiting the many – sometimes multiple times over – so profits can grow while wages stagnate or reduce in real terms.

The Moneyocracy survives by perpetuating the myth that it is acceptable for many to grow poorer while a few grow disproportionately rich.

The promise dangled before workers – that if they play the game long enough, they too might “live the dream” – is false.

Humanity is destroying itself chasing a dream that continually recedes, because playing the game requires forgetting our true worth.

The basic equation of the Moneyocracy is simple: for some to be rich, most must be poor.

This is neither humane nor true.

The Alternative

There is another way. A system built on real values – where people, communities, and the environment come first – can replace the current money-centric model.

This alternative requires transparency, local systems, and a commitment to prioritising human worth over profit. Instead of hiding self-interest behind complex structures, society must embrace a model where business and life are conducted openly, sustainably, and with fairness at the core.

The choice is absolute: continue with a Moneyocracy that exploits us all or build a future centred on people.

Path Forward

The Local Economy & Governance System provides the foundational framework for a truly people‑centric future – one where People, Community, and Environment sit at the heart of every decision.

At its core lies a new benchmark: The Basic Living Standard, a guarantee that every individual receives a weekly wage sufficient to cover all essential needs.

This principle of equity and equality is not an optional add‑on, but the priority that guides every part of the system.

By shifting away from exploitation and toward fairness, transparency, and sustainability, this model offers a pathway to rebuild trust and resilience in our economic and social structures.

To explore how this vision can be realised and what it means for the future, please follow these links:

The Local Economy & Governance System | Online Text
The Basic Living Standard Explained
Minimum Wage Maximum Exploitation PDF_Vers1_25Nov25Download

Understanding Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future –Everything You Need to Know

Introduction

Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future, authored by Adam Tugwell and first published on 14 November 2024, explores the critical issue of food control and its impact on the future of society, particularly in the UK.

Written in response to the changes in Inheritance Tax Relief for Farmers in the UK October 2024 Budget, it aims to reveal the complex layers of the food chain, the collapse of farming, the disappearance of food security, and the myths that obscure these realities from consumers.

Key Themes and Points

1. The Importance of Food and Food Security

  • Food is as essential as water and air for health and survival, yet its importance is often overlooked until access is threatened.
  • UK food security is fragile; political decisions and global dependencies have made the nation vulnerable to shortages if borders close or supply chains are disrupted.

2. Food Quality and Nutrition

  • There is a widespread misconception that all food is healthy, regardless of its source or processing.
  • Highly processed, low-nutrition foods have become normalised, driven by global business models and marketing narratives that prioritise profit over health.

3. The Food Chain Onion: Layers and Stakeholders

The document uses the metaphor of an “onion” to describe the multilayered food chain, each with distinct interests and influences:

Consumers

  • Consumers are key stakeholders but often feel and are treated as powerless, accepting what is available or affordable without questioning their influence.

Retailers (Supermarkets)

  • Supermarkets prioritise profit, using data and contracts to control farmers and manipulate consumers through loyalty schemes and pricing strategies.

Processors and Manufacturers

  • Processing has shifted from traditional, healthy methods to industrial, profit-driven practices that often harm health and undermine local food systems.
  • Manufacturers create addictive, unhealthy foods and collaborate with retailers to maximise profits.

Merchants and Landowners

  • Merchants and landowners add layers of profit and control, often prioritising investment over food production and community needs.

Money Markets, Financiers, and Corporations

  • Financial interests and big corporations have manipulated regulations and markets to maximise profit, often at the expense of farmers and consumers.

Politicians and Public Sector

  • Politicians and government officers lack understanding and leadership, often serving party, personal or hidden interests rather than public good.

Lobbyists, Activists, and Academia

  • Lobbyists and activists influence policy, sometimes without practical understanding.
  • Academia fails to champion necessary paradigm shifts, remaining anchored to the current money-centric system, which ‘pays the bills’.

Membership and Advocacy Organizations

  • The behaviour of big advocacy organisations like the NFU suggests they are more aligned with the establishment, rather than the industry and membership itself, often prioritising relationships with government over genuine change.

Farmers

  • Farmers have lost control and are pressured by external interests, subsidies, and contracts that undermine their independence, the viability of local food production and any willingness to embrace farm-led change.

4. Narratives, Myths, and Shibboleths

Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future identifies powerful narratives and myths that shape public perception and policy, including:

  • Globalisation makes food cheaper (a myth that hides the true costs and vulnerabilities).
  • Cost is the only important thing to the consumer (ignoring nutrition, provenance, and community impact).
  • “BIG” farming is the only viable model (marginalising small, family or local farms).
  • Money can solve every problem (overlooking the root causes of the problems that the food chain is experiencing that were created by money-centric systems).
  • Various other myths about food supply, farming, supermarkets, and political interests are also debunked, emphasising the need for local, transparent, and community-driven food systems.

5. Perceptual Barriers and Solutions

  • Situational bias and group gaslit isolation prevent people from recognising problems and acting for change.
  • Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future argues that profit should not be a right, especially in essential supply chains like food.
  • The proposed alternative is a farmer and community-led food chain revolution, rebuilding local food systems and local circular economies with food production at the centre, to restore control, independence, and food security.

Review of Key Messages of Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future

  • Food control is central to societal well-being and future security.
  • The current food system is dominated by profit-driven interests, complex layers, and misleading narratives that undermine health, local economies, and food security.
  • Consumers and farmers must reclaim influence, challenge myths, and rebuild local food chains.
  • Real change requires a paradigm shift away from money-centric thinking to people-centric values, prioritizing food as a public good.
  • Leadership must come from the grassroots, with communities and farmers working together to create resilient, transparent, and equitable food systems.

Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future closes by inviting readers to learn more, discuss, and remain open to new ideas, emphasizing that solutions must be collective and rooted in genuine understanding and community action.

Actions For Consumers

1. Recognise Your Influence

  • Consumers are one of the two key stakeholders in the food chain. You have more influence than you realise over what food is produced and how it is supplied.

2. Prioritise Healthy, Local Food

  • Seek out food that resembles its original form or source, and support traditional, local, and minimally processed foods.
  • Challenge the narrative that only processed or globalised food is affordable or convenient.

3. Question Narratives and Myths

  • Be sceptical of marketing, supermarket offers, and the myth that cost is the only important factor. Consider nutrition, provenance, and community impact.
  • Understand that “cheap” food often comes at the expense of quality, health, and local economies.


4. Support Local Farmers and Businesses

  • Build direct relationships with local farmers and small businesses. This is the only form of food chain that can be genuinely trusted.
  • Choose local, fresh, and traditionally processed foods whenever possible.

5. Advocate for Change

  • Engage in community discussions, challenge situational bias, and be open to new learning and perspectives.

Actions For Farmers

1. Reclaim Leadership and Independence

  • Farmers must recognise their role as business leaders, not just contractors, employees or recipients of subsidies and grants.
  • Accept that change must begin with farmers themselves if they want change that will benefit them.

2. Build Direct Relationships with Consumers

  • Focus on direct relationships with local consumers and small local businesses, rather than relying on contracts with supermarkets, processors, or global supply chains.

3. Shift Away from Profit-Driven Models

  • Challenge the myth that “BIG” farming is the only viable way. Small, local, family farms are vital for food security and community resilience.
  • Prioritize food quality, environmental stewardship, and community needs over maximising profit.

4. Lead the Food Chain Revolution

  • Farmers have the power to catalyse change by working with local communities to rebuild local food chains and circular economies.
  • Take the risk to initiate change, even if it means stepping away from established systems and subsidies.

5. Advocate for Policy and Paradigm Shifts

  • Engage with advocacy organisations, but push for genuine change rather than playing along with establishment interests and paying lip service to everything else.
  • Support a paradigm shift from money-centric to people-centric values, treating food as a public good.

Summary of Actions

  • Consumers and farmers must work together to rebuild trust, transparency, and resilience in the food chain.
  • Direct, local relationships are the foundation for a healthy, secure, and equitable food system.
  • Challenging myths, narratives, and profit-driven models is essential for meaningful change.
  • Grassroots leadership and community action are the keys to restoring food security and independence for all.

Get The Book

Understanding Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future PDF_Vers1_23Nov25Download