Visit The LEGS ecosystem

Articles, Blogs, Books 13 Minutes

So here we are, New Year’s Eve, and as I sit here with not much more than 12 hours of 2025 left, my thoughts – like those of many others – are reflecting on the past year and what may lie ahead.

2025 has been a busy writing year for me, and an important one. It feels as though the real purpose behind a four‑year journey of writing, researching, studying and creating has finally taken shape in The Local Economy & Governance System, which I published in November, and in the refined or distilled version of The Basic Living Standard, which I published about a month earlier.

As I discussed in the story that gives meaning and depth to the journey that brought me here – Safe Shores, published just a day or two ago – the compulsion I first felt in early 2022 to share an honest view of what is really going on, how we got here, what lies ahead, and what we truly need to consider, first became the book Levelling Level.

At that point, nothing suggested that a whole series of standalone works would follow, each offering perspectives that wouldn’t begin to reveal their practical interconnectedness until I was already several titles in.

In the future, it may be appropriate to bring all of these works together in one or more books that will make more sense for those looking solely for reference material. However, that time isn’t now.

I feel sure of this because I understand that the different efforts and approaches I used to cover the varied but equally important perspectives needed for genuine change are best left as they are – for now. As they each feed into The Local Economy & Governance System from different directions, meeting people where they currently are.

Nonetheless, as we stare at the imminency of 2026 – with what I suspect will be a shared sense that the year ahead is unlikely to resemble anything anyone alive today has ever experienced – I feel it is time to put the list of all the key books, blogs and papers that have effectively created the “LEGS ecosystem” in one place.

This is for those of you already stepping into this room with the understanding that nothing we know can continue as it is.

You will be able to explore the different angles and perspectives I have shared so far -those I believe will be most valuable if you truly want to make sense of what change needs to be, why it must take that form, what we must consider and allow for along the way, and what a new culture of community leaders and community members will need to do once they have made sense of it all.

It is important to reiterate that while different elements of this portfolio may sound like solutions or methods that could be applied within the money‑centric system that is now collapsing, the reality is that I had always hoped the political class and establishment leaders we have would experience a lucid moment and suddenly find a set of gears they never realised they had.

Regrettably, I no longer see that as possible. The process of discovery and thought I have been on has made clear that every part of life currently points the wrong way –towards money as the priority in every sense – and that nobody who believes in, or benefits from, the systems that feed this will relinquish that belief until circumstances outside the control of the collapsing system intervene and force their hand.

The politicians we have – even those so many are placing their hopes upon – are not and cannot be the saviours that the disillusioned and angry would like them to be. They simply want to take over as the drivers of a train that can only go in the same direction.

In their current roles, and in the roles they hope to attain, they cannot be anything other than managers with an ever‑dwindling set of responsibilities – because that is how the recusers of this same system have successfully set up anyone subservient to this political model to be.

Yes, there may be some genuine leaders in politics today who have a part to play. But the difference between the end of the Moneyocracy and the centralised, hierarchical, top‑down, patriarchal system we must leave behind is that the people who lead our communities politically in the future will do so through natural disposition, respect and merit from the community itself. Not simply because someone none of us will ever know rubber‑stamped their ascent after they said and did all the right things.

There are tough times ahead. But they can be navigated and overcome if we remember who we really are, and what our relationships with other people, our communities and the environment around us should be.

It sounds simple when put like that, I know. But the work that follows in the lists below will show that it is anything but simple – until the moment when the truth of all this makes sense. Then the need to change the direction and thinking behind everything becomes clear, and you begin to believe.

I hope you find this resource useful, and that if you have genuine questions or an interest in building on the words and ideas I have shared, you will get in touch and step toward the opportunity of a great future that begins where the conversation begins.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your support.

Adam Tugwell

Cheltenham, UK

New Years Eve, 2025

The LEGS ecosystem Portfolio

The collection that follows represents the full body of work that has grown around the Local Economy & Governance System – the LEGS ecosystem.

Each piece was written at a different stage of the journey, often without knowing what would come next, yet all of them now sit together as part of a single, evolving picture.

Some began as blogs written in the moment, some became online versions of the books, and others developed into the published editions now available on Amazon.

This portfolio isn’t intended to be read in a particular order or treated as a linear argument. Instead, it offers a set of perspectives, explanations, warnings and practical ideas that together help make sense of where we are, how we got here, and what genuine change will require.

Whether you dip into one or explore them all, each contributes something different to the understanding of the system we must leave behind and the one we must build.

What you’ll find below is simply a clear way to access it all: the blogs, the online texts, and the links to the books themselves.

If you’re ready to explore the thinking behind the LEGS ecosystem in more depth, this is where that exploration begins.

Foundational Concepts & Philosophy (Books)

1. The Basic Living Standard: Introducing Locality Based Economics and how we can achieve financial freedom for ALL
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CTHS8137
Explains the concept of a basic living standard, advocating for local economies that empower everyone to achieve financial freedom. It introduces foundational ideas for a fairer, people-centric economic system.

2. Levelling Level: Using the impact and lessons of everything in crisis to change the UK for the better and create a benchmark standard for a balanced and fair way of life that will benefit us all
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09WYVV9H8
Reflects on crises and their lessons, proposing a new benchmark for a balanced, fair society. It sets the stage for systemic change by examining what needs to be improved in the UK.

3. Safe Shores: The Pathway That Led to The Local Economy & Governance System and the Basic Living Standard
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GD12BN5P
Shares the personal journey and motivations behind the creation of the LEGS ecosystem and the Basic Living Standard, providing context for the development of these ideas.

Core System & Practice

4. The Local Economy & Governance System: Act Now to build Fair Sustainable Communities Together
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G34VX1LQ
Presents the core framework of the LEGS ecosystem, detailing how communities can act collectively to build fair, sustainable local economies and governance structures.

5. From Principle To Practice: Bringing the Local Economy & Governance System to Life
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GCG1D4HG
Focuses on practical steps for implementing the LEGS system, translating its principles into actionable strategies for communities.

6. The Contribution Culture: Transforming Work, Business and Governance for Our Local Future with The Local Economy & Governance System
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GD7VHYR1
Explores how work, business, and governance can be transformed through a culture of contribution, aligning with the LEGS philosophy for local futures.

Practical Applications & Sector Focus

7. Foods We Can Trust: A Blueprint for Food Security and Community Resilience in the UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G6T5RRMR
Addresses food security and community resilience, offering solutions for trustworthy food systems within the UK’s local economies.

8. Who controls Our Food controls Our Future: Why Farming is collapsing, Food Security is disappearing, and Myths convince Consumers that no problem exists
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DN17THTK
Examines the collapse of farming and food security, challenging myths and highlighting the importance of local control over food systems.

9. One Rule Changes Everything: Solving Society’s problems using our relationship with money, values and people to create a solution that lasts
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CQKFW4DV
Proposes a transformative rule for society, focusing on the interplay between money, values, and people to create lasting solutions.

Societal Change & Governance

10. The Way of Awakened Politics for Good Government
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BNYZQT95
Discusses the need for a new approach to politics and governance, advocating for awakened, community-driven leadership.

11. The Grassroots Manifesto: Establishing Policy & Governance for a post-Reset Democracy, putting People and Communities First
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C2ZL3HZ5
Outlines policies and governance models for a post-reset democracy, emphasizing grassroots involvement and prioritizing people and communities.

12. Officially NONE OF THE ABOVE: 10 Steps to Vote NONE OF THE ABOVE and make every Vote count too
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C5RN8BGQ
Provides a guide for political engagement, encouraging readers to make their votes count by considering alternatives to traditional choices.

13. An Economy for the Common Good: Building, enabling and maintaining good governance, self-sufficiency and freedom for all people and our communities
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXPQNJ28
Describes how to build and sustain an economy focused on the common good, self-sufficiency, and freedom for all.

Personal & Community Transformation

14. A Community Route: How we work together to fix the societal issues that are hurting everyone
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BZW8JMH1
Explores collaborative approaches to solving societal problems, emphasizing community action and shared responsibility.

15. Our Local Future: People, Community, Environment and what Our shared tomorrow may look like when We leave today’s selfish Moneyocracy behind
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DDKZC7P1
Imagines a future shaped by local values, community, and environmental stewardship, moving beyond a money-centric society.

16. Your Beliefs Today create Everyone’s Experiences Tomorrow: The Timelines we are on today, the Diversity of their Outcomes and the impact of Thinking Differently for Our Future
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DSSY84ST
Examines how current beliefs shape future experiences, encouraging readers to think differently for better outcomes.

17. The Choice – A Waking Up Story: It may be false. It could be true. But one way or another this is a story for our time and somewhere it will probably include you
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FJ2Y5Y92
Offers a narrative exploring personal and societal awakening, prompting reflection on individual roles in shaping the future.

18. From Here to There Through Now
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BGSHSSDX
Focuses on navigating change and transition, guiding readers through the process of moving from current realities to desired futures.

19. Is Poverty invisible to those who don’t experience it?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D674762T
Investigates the realities of poverty, challenging perceptions and highlighting the need for greater awareness and action.

20. Actions Speak Louder than Digital Words: Living with & making sense of AI
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C7L7PYRV
Discusses the impact of artificial intelligence on society, emphasizing the importance of meaningful action in a digital age.

Online Books: Titles, Links, and Summaries

Already Described in Kindle Section

The following online books correspond to Kindle editions already summarized above. For their descriptions, please refer to the previous list:

Unique Online Blogs (Titles, Links, and Summaries)

  1. A Reader’s Companion to From Principle To Practice
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/25/a-readers-companion-to-from-principle-to-practice-bringing-the-local-economy-governance-system-to-life/
    A supplementary guide to “From Principle To Practice,” offering commentary, clarifications, and additional insights for deeper understanding.
  2. The Basic Living Standard: Freedom to Think, Freedom to Do, Freedom to Be – with Personal Sovereignty that Brings Peace to All
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/15/the-basic-living-standard-freedom-to-think-freedom-to-do-freedom-to-be-with-personal-sovereignty-that-brings-peace-to-all/
    Explores the philosophical and practical dimensions of the Basic Living Standard, focusing on personal sovereignty and the freedoms necessary for a peaceful, equitable society.
  3. Understanding Foods We Can Trust: A Blueprint for Food Security and Community Resilience in the UK
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/15/understanding-foods-we-can-trust-a-blueprint-for-food-security-and-community-resilience-in-the-uk/
    Provides an accessible explanation of the key ideas in “Foods We Can Trust,” making the blueprint for food security and resilience understandable for a broad audience.
  4. The Future of Work: Redefining Value, Meaning and Human-Centric Employment in the Age of AI and Economic Change
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/08/the-future-of-work-redefining-value-meaning-and-human-centric-employment-in-the-age-of-ai-and-economic-change/
    Examines how work and employment must evolve in response to AI and economic transformation, emphasizing human-centric values and meaningful contribution.
  5. Power and Distance: Why UK Politics Fails the Public and How Local Governance Can Restore Trust
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/06/power-and-distance-why-uk-politics-fails-the-public-and-how-local-governance-can-restore-trust/
    Analyzes the disconnect between UK politics and the public, and proposes how local governance reforms can rebuild trust and accountability.
  6. The Local Economy & Governance System (LEGS): Escaping the AI Takeover and Building a Human Future
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/04/the-local-economy-governance-system-legs-escaping-the-ai-takeover-and-building-a-human-future/
    Discusses the risks of unchecked AI in economic systems and presents the LEGS model as a way to ensure a human-centered future.
  7. The Role of Barter and Exchange in the Local Economy & Governance System
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/03/the-role-of-barter-and-exchange-in-the-local-economy-governance-system/
    Explores alternative economic mechanisms such as barter and exchange, and their place within the LEGS framework.
  8. The Basic Living Standard: How & Why It Works
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/01/the-basic-living-standard-how-why-it-works/
    A practical explanation of the mechanisms and rationale behind the Basic Living Standard, aimed at demystifying its implementation.
  9. LEGS: The Human Economy – A Blueprint for Transformation
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/01/legs-the-human-economy-a-blueprint-for-transformation/
    Presents a transformative blueprint for shifting from a money-centric to a human-centric economy using the LEGS principles.
  10. Understanding Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future: Everything You Need to Know
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/23/understanding-who-controls-our-food-controls-our-future-everything-you-need-to-know/
    Breaks down the arguments and evidence from “Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future,” making the case for local food sovereignty.
  11. The Local Economy & Governance System Policy Summary
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/22/the-local-economy-governance-system-policy-summary/
    A concise summary of the key policies and recommendations within the LEGS framework.
  12. The Basic Living Standard: Not a Fix for a Collapsing Money-Centric System but the People-Centric Foundation of a New One
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/16/the-basic-living-standard-not-a-fix-for-a-collapsing-money-centric-system-but-the-people-centric-foundation-of-a-new-one/
    Clarifies the Basic Living Standard’s role as a foundation for a new, people-centric system, rather than a patch for the old money-centric model.
  13. Technology and Artificial Intelligence Should Only Fill Jobs When No Humans Are Available
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/13/technology-and-artificial-intelligence-should-only-fill-jobs-when-no-humans-are-available/
    Argues for a cautious approach to AI in the workforce, prioritizing human employment and dignity.
  14. After the Collapse: Who Gets the Blame?
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/12/after-the-collapse-who-gets-the-blame/
    Reflects on accountability and responsibility in the aftermath of systemic collapse.
  15. Breaking the Money Myth: Rethinking Value, Exchange and Equality
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/12/breaking-the-money-myth-rethinking-value-exchange-and-equality/
    Challenges conventional beliefs about money, value, and equality, and suggests new paradigms for exchange.
  16. The Coming Collapse and the Revaluation of Everything Needed to Regain Personal Freedom and Control
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/12/the-coming-collapse-and-the-revaluation-of-everything-needed-to-regain-personal-freedom-and-control/
    Examines the societal shifts required to restore personal freedom and control in the face of systemic collapse.
  17. Government is Broken: Collapse Now or Collapse Later
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/05/government-is-broken-collapse-now-or-collapse-later/
    A critical look at the failures of government and the inevitability of systemic change.
  18. Why People Can’t Just Get a Job
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/11/04/why-people-cant-just-get-a-job/
    Explores the structural barriers to employment and the inadequacy of simplistic solutions.
  19. The Basic Living Standard Explained
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/10/24/the-basic-living-standard-explained/
    Provides a straightforward explanation of the Basic Living Standard for newcomers.
  20. Beliefs We Accept as Our Own Are Destroying Everything – Including Who We Really Are
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/09/16/beliefs-we-accept-as-our-own-are-destroying-everything-including-who-we-really-are/
    Investigates how internalized beliefs shape society and individual well-being.
  21. Neither This Government Nor the Next Can or Will Stop the Coming Collapse – and That’s When You May Well End Up Owning Nothing and Be Forced to Be Happy About It
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/09/05/neither-this-government-nor-the-next-can-or-will-stop-the-coming-collapse-and-thats-when-you-may-well-end-up-owning-nothing-and-be-forced-to-be-happy-about-it/
    Warns of the limitations of political solutions to systemic crises.
  22. Future Economics Must Be Tied Only to People, Their Contribution, What Is Important to Sustain Good, Fair and Balanced Lives – and Legal Currency Must Never Again Be Open to Speculation and Manipulation
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/07/25/future-economics-must-be-tied-only-to-people-their-contribution-what-is-important-to-sustain-good-fair-and-balanced-lives-and-legal-currency-must-never-again-open-to-speculation-and-manipulation/
    Advocates for a people-centered economic model and the reform of currency systems.
  23. Desperate Times, Desperate Resets
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/03/24/desperate-times-desperate-resets/
    Reflects on the necessity and risks of radical systemic resets in desperate times.
  24. How the UK Was Led into the Fiscal-Driven Armageddon We Are Now Within
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/03/24/how-the-uk-was-led-into-the-fiscal-driven-armageddon-we-are-now-within/
    Analyzes the policy decisions and events that led to the UK’s current fiscal crisis.
  25. The Basic Living Standard: A Pathway to Economic Equality and Fairness Throughout Life
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/03/10/the-basic-living-standard-a-pathway-to-economic-equality-and-fairness-throughout-life/
    Details how the Basic Living Standard can create lifelong economic equality and fairness.
  26. Rethinking the Minimum Wage: The Need for a Basic Living Standard
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2024/12/17/rethinking-the-minimum-wage-the-need-for-a-basic-living-standard/
    Makes the case for moving beyond minimum wage debates to a universal Basic Living Standard.
  27. The Harmful Truths That Are Hidden Behind Political Growth
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2024/12/06/the-harmful-truths-that-are-hidden-behind-political-growth/
    Uncovers the negative consequences of growth-focused political narratives.
  28. The Contemporary Politician’s Dilemma
    https://adamtugwell.blog/2024/12/05/the-contemporary-politicians-dilemma/
    Examines the challenges and contradictions faced by today’s politicians.
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