Foods We Can Trust: A Blueprint for Food Security and Community Resilience in the UK |Online Text

Author’s Note

Food is as vital to our survival as the air we breathe and the water we drink. Yet, in a world shaken by global events – pandemics, wars, climate extremes, and economic shocks – we are being forced to confront just how fragile our access to food truly is.

The empty shelves, supply chain breakdowns, and soaring prices witnessed in recent years are not distant headlines; they are warnings that the systems we rely on can fail, and that complacency is no longer an option.

We cannot afford to treat food as a mere commodity or convenience. The urgency to reconsider our relationship with food has never been greater. Now is the time to arm ourselves with real knowledge about what food means, where it comes from, and how we can secure access to the foods that genuinely meet our needs.

This is not just about national policy or global trade – it is about reclaiming power at the most personal level, ensuring that we, our families, and our communities are resilient in the face of uncertainty.

At the government level, food security is too often interpreted as simply ensuring that people have something – anything – to eat, regardless of its source, quality, or nutritional value. This narrow view shapes policy and public messaging, and overlooks the deeper vulnerabilities in our food system.

The approach to farmers and the UK food chain has prioritised convenience and global supply over resilience and self-sufficiency, leaving us dangerously exposed. In a world where events can disrupt the flow of food into the country at any time, this complacency puts every household at risk.

Food is power. When we understand it, value it, and take responsibility for our choices, we begin to secure not only our own wellbeing but also the future of those around us.

Food security is not an abstract issue – it is immediate, urgent, and deeply personal. By learning, reflecting, and acting, each of us can play a part in shaping a future where food is truly recognised as the essential of life that it is.

Adam Tugwell

Cheltenham. UK.

December 2025

Introduction

Introduction

In a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty – pandemics, climate extremes, economic shocks, and geopolitical tensions – the question of how we secure our food has never been more urgent.

Foods We Can Trust: A Blueprint for Food Security and Community Resilience in the UK invites readers to rethink their relationship with food, challenging the complacency that has left households and communities vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and rising prices.

This book is not just a policy manual or a critique of government and industry. It is a call to action for individuals, families, and communities to reclaim power over what they eat and how it is produced.

Drawing on personal experience, research, and practical insight, Adam Tugwell explores the complex realities of food security in the UK – from the narrow definitions used by policymakers to the deeper vulnerabilities exposed by our reliance on global supply chains.

Through clear explanations, practical tables, and accessible guidance, the book equips readers with the knowledge to understand nutrition, assess the reliability of their food sources, and take meaningful steps toward resilience.

It highlights the abundance of foods that can be farmed, caught, harvested, and grown locally, and demonstrates how home growing and community initiatives can transform not just our plates, but our wellbeing and social fabric.

Foods We Can Trust is both a blueprint and an invitation: to question, to learn, to act, and to share. Whether you are a grower, a community organiser, or simply someone who cares about the future of food, this book offers the tools and inspiration to help build a more secure, nourishing, and connected future for all.

PART 1 – What is Food Security?

Introduction

Food security is a term that’s often used in headlines, policy debates, and community conversations – but its true meaning is far from simple.

For many, it conjures images of full supermarket shelves or national self-sufficiency. For others, it’s about the daily reality of wondering where the next meal will come from, or whether the food available is truly nourishing and trustworthy.

In the UK, the concept of food security is shaped by a range of perspectives: government officials, farmers, food producers, and everyday members of the public all bring their own experiences and priorities to the table.

These differences matter. They influence the policies we create, the support we offer, and the choices we make as individuals and communities.

My own understanding of food security has been shaped by personal experience and research. I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is for the meaning of food security to become muddled – sometimes even manipulated – by those in positions of power.

Too often, the conversation is reduced to a simple question: “If people can eat, are they food secure?” But as you’ll discover in this section, the reality is much more complex.

In Part 1, we’ll explore:

How food security is defined by different groups, and why these definitions matter
The risks and vulnerabilities in the UK’s current food supply
What true food security should mean for everyone, beyond just having enough to eat

By the end of this section, you’ll have a clearer understanding of the challenges we face – and why rethinking food security is essential for building a future where everyone can access foods they can trust.

Food Security Unpacked: Perspectives, Risks, and Realities

Food Security is one of the key reasons that I embarked on my Foods We Can Trust project.

Because of what Food Security means to me, what I understand it to really be and most importantly, how important I believe Food Security to be in respect of everyone – and that means us all.

However, like many things about Food today and indeed pretty much every experience that we share with others beyond ourselves and what’s very personal to us alone, Food Security can mean a lot of very different things.

And that difference is already doing a lot of harm.

What does Food Security mean to you?

Before we continue, could I ask you to please take a moment to stop and think about what Food Security means to you.

Is it about the Food that UK Farms produce?

Is it about being sure there is always Food available to eat?

Is it knowing that you will always have a choice of Food and whatever you want to eat?

For you, Food Security and what it means to be Food Secure could be any of these. It could be any of these in a manner of speaking. Or what Food Security means to you could be something very different, and ALL of the options could still be correct!

The things that Food Security can and does mean

It is important that we recognise and accept that different perceptions of Food Security not only exist.

To some, their own view, or what someone else like the Government refers to or considers to be ‘Food Security’ is the only thing that it can be.

Unfortunately, having any fixed or accepted meaning for Food Security can be problematic when there is a version of Food Security that everyone accepts as being what Food Security means, and those who are controlling that narrative then abuse the trust that people place in the understanding those people have of that version of Food Security and then manipulate information, statistics and even the truth, so that it can be said that either you or the UK is ‘Food Secure’, even when you are not.

In a moment, I will talk about the version of Food Security which is the establishment’s ‘accepted’ term.

I will then discuss the version of Food Security that UK Farmers and Food Producers generally think of when they talk about it.

We will then move on to discussing what Food Security should really mean, to everyone.

The Establishment view: If people can eat, they have Food Security

The way that the establishment, politicians and government operate today is built around this idea or philosophical standpoint:

If people can eat, they are Food Secure

Yes, I understand that suggesting this will annoy different people and organisations who are doing great things in the Food sphere. Because very few of us actually believe that as long as people have a meal of some kind, that’s all Food Security is about.

However, if you consider what having a meal of some kind can and regrettably does mean for so many different people in so many different ways today, you will then begin to see how those who really have control over Food policy, have come to think about their priorities and obligation to the Public in this perhaps honest, but nonetheless very unhelpful way.

If you aren’t hungry, you don’t have a problem

It sounds brutal I know, and it really is.

But with the issues that Government is really facing today – and that means the things that are really going on, rather than what the media and the narratives would suggest we believe, politicians do genuinely believe that if everyone can eat, they have done their job – no matter where our Food comes from or the Food we are eating really is.

This means that all the initiatives about healthy eating, encouraging us to eat properly and even the talk about how important our Farms and Fishing are, are really just wishful thinking and it doesn’t really matter to whoever is in power if they come to nothing. Because the only problem for them will be if people have nothing to eat and then everything as we know it stops as a result.

Foodbanks are a very uncomfortable truth

What I have just written isn’t easy to read.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes people feel prickly at the thought that so many parts of government, the public sector and all the organisations that are championing positive messages about Food and what we eat, are currently championing a lost cause.

But if you really want to try to get to grips with what the real priority around Food Security for politicians, the government and the establishment really is, then considering Foodbanks and the need for them – which is disputed by many – will soon begin to tell you what that priority is. And it has very little to do with Food and the role that Food does or should play in our lives.

When I was studying at the Royal Agricultural University, I wrote a paper after researching Foodbank use today and compared their role in poverty today in relation to my own experiences of poverty as a child. It’s called ‘Is Poverty Invisible to those who don’t Experience it’, and the full version can be read by following the link immediately below:

The Farmer view: Food Security is about the Food that we Produce in the UK

Whilst Food Security is a much broader set of issues than many realise, the one version of Food Security that is perhaps easiest to understand and relate to is that too much of our Food comes from overseas and outside of the UK.

Please read my last post on Foods We Can Trust ‘Rationing and Health: The Surprising Benefits’, if you would like to explore this view of Food Security and what the risks of being dependent upon Food from Overseas can mean.

The latest figures from The United Kingdom Food Security Report from November 2024 suggest that the amount of Food that the UK produces, that we consume ourselves, is 58%.

However, as you read through the detail of this Government Report, you may note that this figure relates to ‘Food by Value’, which sounds very much like a way of using statistical jargon to make the figure sound higher than it actually is.

Regrettably, this is the kind of language or political double-speak that people in power and authority use, knowing that it is the figure that members of the public will usually note, rather than the words that the figure has been deliberately wrapped with!

During the 2023-24 Academic Year, the figure that I was using for my research, reports and writing was 54%. I found sources that suggested that it was already as low as 52%. I have seen no evidence to suggest that the UK has increased the amount of Food that it produces for our own consumption during that time.

The amount of Food the UK produces and what we would all have available for us to eat in a time of national emergency where the Food Chain was impacted are two VERY different things.

The impact of the Global Food Chain

Because of the way globalism has affected Food Chains and that Food ingredients are sourced and often moved around as they are processed and manufactured to become the Foods that we often eat, it means that very few of the Farms we pass by each day or know of, actually produce Food that we could eat or prepare to eat straight away, if we found ourselves needing to buy from the Farmer direct.

Even if we accept the figure of 58% that the Government has used in its latest Food Security Report, to quantify the amount of Food that the UK produces itself, the actual figure that relates to Food Produced in the UK, that people living in the UK can actually then eat is likely to be much less. Because so much of the Food Produced across the UK goes into Food Supply Chains where it is nowhere near ready for our consumption or is otherwise transported overseas.

The figures being used are therefore an equivalent. Because we have to import the equivalent of the Food that is grown in the UK and then exported or used for other purposes – because that’s how it goes into the Food Chain, and what we actually eat comes back into the UK from overseas.

The reasons that many farms don’t grow or produce Food that is ready for us to eat are many. It may be as simple as the way we eat and prepare Food in the UK means that we don’t like certain cuts of meat. It could be that even though the UK has vastly rich reserves of Fish and Seafood, we don’t actually eat that much of it ourselves and most of it goes to Europe. Or it may be that the wheat and the flour it produces that makes the kind of bread that Supermarkets have made us all believe we all want to see on sale, is most easy to produce when it comes from overseas.

If it sounds confusing, it is. And it helps those who are benefiting from the way that the Food Chain works for it all to be very confusing too!

The bottom line is this:

If we had a crisis tomorrow and the UKs borders were shut down, meaning that no more Food could come in from anywhere overseas, it wouldn’t take long before we all experienced Food Shortages. The Food Producers and Farmers that we have in the UK would have to undergo massive structural and system changes, before they would even be close to being able to meet that need. There is no way that would be possible, overnight.

This is scary stuff I know. But its very real and there are parts of government and other organisations that are researching, studying and thinking about what they call Food Resilience, the whole time.

If you would like to look more closely, here is an interesting link:

Just in Case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap – National Preparedness Commission

(Please note that this is not a recommendation or endorsement)

The UKs Food Security is at MASSIVE risk, right now

If you’ve read this far, you may be beginning to see the picture of just how vulnerable the UK Food Chain is, and that within the Food Supply that we are eating from and have available to us, the priorities of those with influence over the Food Chain are not anything like what most of us would think.

We are NOT Food Secure, anywhere in the UK today.

With global uncertainty unfolding in the way that it currently is, we could easily find ourselves experiencing Food Shortages or perhaps even worse, at any time.

Even supporting our Farmers with the Food Production related issues as they see them is not as simple and straightforward as campaigns like that driven by No Farmers No Food and some of the Farming Advocacy Organisations would suggest.

A successful outcome to any of their current aims wouldn’t be as effective for any of us, as they are suggesting the changes in government policy that they want for themselves would be. Simply because with the if the priorities remain the same, many of the Farms affected by the policies which are in the spotlight aren’t producing Food that would be of any immediate use to us to counteract Food Shortages in a crisis, anyway.

So, what does, or rather, what should Food Security really mean?

What Food Security and being ‘Food Secure’ should mean

To be fair, part of the problem, when it comes to the meaning of Food Security and being ‘Food Secure’, is that the whole subject and all of the other subjects and public policies that the issue of Food Security links to, are VERY complicated. And in many respects, deliberately so.

That’s why it’s very easy to be convinced by any soundbite we hear or read that makes some version of Food Security and what being Food Secure means to someone else, easy to get behind.

If we were to distil Food Security and what it means to be Food Secure into the simplest terms possible, it would probably be something as follows.

Namely that we will be Food Secure and have Food Security when:

Everyone can choose to eat enough of the Foods that are Good for them and that will meet their genuine needs at every mealtime, without any experiencing fear of going without or not knowing where the next meal will come from.

However, even this is open to interpretation.

Food Security will regrettably continue to be vulnerable and at risk for as long as what it means to be Food Secure can be interpreted differently by different parties, in ways that are not actually wrong. From a certain point of view.

To overcome this problem, it is likely that we all need to at least review and, in all likelihood, moderate or change the way that we think about Food Security and what it is to be Food Secure.

With this in mind, the key ingredients that together provide Food Security are that the Food Supply is:

Reliable and NOT under Threat
Available
Accessible
Meets Nutritional Needs and Health Requirements
Affordable

I will now add a little more detail to each, so that they and how they each interact with each other as part of the Food Security equation will hopefully begin to make more sense.

Reliable and not under Threat

Food Security can and will only be achieved when the supply of Food for everyone is not at risk.

If we are Food Secure as a Country or perhaps at the Macro level, the Food Supply cannot and will not be compromised by anything that we and our own systems of governance cannot independently address.

Today, government figures suggest that we are reliant upon at least 42% of the Food that we consume coming from Overseas. That’s before we consider that of the remaining 58%, only a fraction of that figure represents Food that any of us could eat at any time.

IF there were a national crisis and the borders shut down, this would mean that even if two thirds (66%) of the Food We Need were available to us every day, year round, that would still mean that more than 22 Million People in the UK would have to go hungry, if the rest of the population were to continue eating the same meals as they do, today.

However, we also know that even this isn’t the real figure. Because of the way that the UK Food Chain and Food Production works.

The reality is that if we were to experience a real national crisis where no Food from overseas could be brought in, the UK only has enough food AVAILABLE for everyone for perhaps a few days, before Food Shortages would cut in and people of all kinds would start to go without.

Available

We will only be Food Secure when the Food We Need is always available, to everyone.

Being available to everyone means that there is no reason that the Supply of Food can be obstructed or held up by anything that is outside of the control of the person who needs to eat that Food, or the People around them who they know and can trust.

The factors that can make Food unavailable to some are:

Cost

Food is too expensive for some people to be able to afford to eat properly at every mealtime. And the retail values of all the Food we buy today are continuing to shoot up!

To be Food Secure, the Food We Need MUST be affordable in the sense that the price to buy or exchange something for that Food is realistic and the price has not been overinflated by something like greed, profiteering or another agenda of some kind.

Supply

For most of us, the Food we are able to eat today relates directly to the Food that is supplied to the shops, websites or other sources where we buy it.

If we cannot source the Food We Need, the supply is not functioning as it should, and we are NOT Food Secure.

If the only Food Supply that we can Access will provide us with ‘Food’ that isn’t healthy for us or that we can afford to buy (with the money we have available) then that Supply is also NOT Food Secure.

To be Food Secure, we must ALL be able to Access the Foods We can Trust, without having to choose from Foods that are not good for us, as a substitute.

Religion and Ideology

Regrettably, agendas, ideas and even religion can get in the way of us being able to Access Food that is available. Because ideological restrictions can easily prevent some from accessing that Food, because others have made a ‘conscious’ choice.

This is not a matter of saying that anyone who will not eat certain Foods because of a religious or philosophical viewpoint is wrong.

It is merely a fact that many of those same people then influence the Supply of Food around them, because of the choices that they themselves make.

The agendas of other people are also important to consider. In instances such as the political pursuit of Net Zero, the choices that politicians are making and some of the worlds billionaires are using their financial resources to impose, will lead to the supply of Foods We Need being restricted and potentially stopped, only because of the ideas that they wish to pursue.

We will only be Food Secure when no other person can influence the supply of the Foods We Need, simply because they have the power, influence or financial means to do so.

Greed and Profiteering

In my recent book ‘Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future’, we unpicked the layers of the Food Chain onion to expose just how the Food Chain that brings most of the Food we all eat today, isn’t really about the Food We Eat at all.

The Food Chain today is ultimately all about money, profit and the power and influence that go along with an entire Food System that is being increasingly used as a tool of societal control.

People, Communities and entire Nations can and will only be Food Secure when they have complete control over their Food Chain and Food Destiny.

That means Food being all about the Food and what Food really means to People and Life, rather than the Food Chain being all about money, profit, influence and control, as it is now.

Accessible

We will only be Food Secure when the Food We Need is always Accessible.

Access literally means that we can access the Food We Need for every mealtime and that no matter where we are, what transport we have available, or what physical barriers might be in the way, these factors will never get in the way or stop us from eating as and when we might like or need to.

To put this in context, most of us can access one of the well-known supermarket brands across the UK, either by being able to travel to one of their stores, or by being able to make an online order that will then be delivered to our home or wherever we are, from there.

However, our Food Access is now limited to whatever the stores we are able to access actually sell.

Food Security will not exist until we are able to access the Foods We Need, whenever and wherever we need them to be.

Meets Nutritional Needs and Health Requirements

We will not be Food Secure until the Food that is Available, Accessible and Affordable, also meets all of our Nutritional Needs and Health Requirements – not matter what we may then personally choose to buy, prepare and eat from the Food that is available.

No matter how politically convenient it might be for politicians and the establishment to work on the basis that ‘Food is Food, no matter what the Food really is’ – whether deliberate or not, the truth is that Not all Food is equal in the Food Chain today, and the greater percentage of the Food that is Affordable to everyone, isn’t actually very good for us at all!

Affordable

Whilst we have already talked about Cost and the price of the Food that we buy, there is also a much bigger and perhaps even more alarming dimension to the issue or question of the Food that people can afford to buy. It relates to the issue of the Affordability of Food itself.

If people cannot afford to feed their dependents and themselves for reasons outside of their control that mean they don’t have enough money to buy the Foods they Need, they are NOT Food Secure.

Food Security for them, is unaffordable.

It is very easy for those who can get by each week to look unfavourably upon those who cannot and to assume that anyone who doesn’t have enough money for Food – either for themselves or themselves and their dependents – will have found themselves in difficulty through their own financial mismanagement. Or because they don’t work as much as they should.

Whilst this may of course be true for some, the number which it would be accurate to describe will be significantly smaller than many might imagine.

Indeed, the reason why many people today find themselves short and in need of emergency help like that provided by Foodbanks, is because a significant part of our society does not either earn or receive an income high enough – even for working a full working week – to cover the basic cost of living and to provide themselves with the basic essentials that are necessary today, just to stand still.

In October 2023 I wrote about what it genuinely cost to live as opposed to the rate of the National Minimum Wage and calculated that the difference between what those working a full-time 40hr week on the lowest legal wage and what it would actually cost to live without claiming benefits, help from charities (Foodbanks) or getting into debt, was at least £2.50 per hour or £100.00 per week.

Although the rate of the National Minimum Wage jumped to £12.21 in April of this year, there is no reason to believe that with inflation continuing to push up the cost of living as quickly as it has, that anything is really different for anyone on the lowest wages now.

Just as serious is the reality that life for many today revolves around credit.

Those with monthly payment commitments, including even those earning what many of us would consider to be very good wages, can easily find that a list of monthly outgoings that seemed very affordable at the time the commitments were made, can suddenly become an unaffordable burden. When even the smallest of changes – perhaps to utility bills, fuel or similar takes place, and payments are raised with those higher costs automatically taken from a credit card or bank account.

As food is one of the few things that most of us still pay for, as we go, it is easy to see how the disposable income left for Food and other essentials can very quickly disappear, pretty much as we are all still asleep!

Food Security and Income are inextricably linked

The reality is that Food Security at the personal or perhaps micro level, is inextricably linked with income levels and what it costs to live.

Because government doesn’t prioritise the Food Chain and Supply of Food in the way that we all really should, Food has become an afterthought in far too many ways.

No serious steps have been taken to acknowledge and certainly not to make provision for the need for everyone to be able to access and eat enough of the Food We Need, without being dependent upon the help or intervention of others to get by.

Any government that doesn’t recognise and legislate to ensure that everyone who is able to work can earn enough to cover the costs of the basics and essentials they need on a basic wage, without benefits, charity or debt, is not fulfilling its obligations or responsibilities to society at all.

Until the Food We Need is affordable for everyone – no matter how ridiculous in today’s terms that might seem, we will NOT be Food Secure!

Truth vs Truths that serve someone else’s purposes

The Food Security question and getting to grips with Food Security and what being Food Secure really is, demonstrates just how easy it has become for those with platforms and influence to speak about a subject and mean one thing, whilst knowing that to everyone else, what they have said will be heard as something very different.

Both the Establishment (Inc. Government, political, big business in the Food Chain) and the U.K. Farming industry hold positions on Food Security which are arguably right, from a certain point of view or from a manner of speaking.

Both positions on Food Security, either when:

People have ‘food’ or
Food should be produced on Farms in the UK

are both correct.

But they are also only partial truths.

Like any good sales tactic, a partial truth – or a sales pitch that contains an element of truth that they know will make the whole narrative, story or line sound like the whole thing is true – and is often enough to make an argument that is otherwise utterly flawed sound compelling, because we have fallen into the trap of assuming the rest!

So yes, it is certainly correct to say that we all need to eat food and if we are fed, we will not be hungry. But if the food itself isn’t good for us, is unaffordable, could potentially do us harm or comes with strings attached, it will not be Foods We Can Trust.

Equally, if only the equivalent of what we all eat is produced or grown on Farms across the UK, but is nonetheless produced with chemicals or processes that cause harm in any way, or the food grown is itself transported overseas and replaced by food that comes from overseas so that the net equation says we are producing what we eat ourselves, that also isn’t Foods We Can Trust.

Where Food Security is concerned, Farmers cannot be victim and saviour at the same time

It is important to add that I am massively pro-UK Farming. I’m just not pro-UK Farming in the sense that the industry typically functions today.

Farming today is actually part of the Food Problem. Because it has become part of the global model that is causing all the problems with Food.

Farmers understandably want help and support from everyone. But what they really want is for the establishment to change its policies so that the way farming works today stays the same, but just works better – more realistically, but also more profitably for them.

What many in the industry have not recognised yet is that UK Farming is no longer seen as being necessary to an establishment that believes it doesn’t have a problem with the Supply of Food, as long as people are being fed – no matter what they are being fed with.

Meanwhile, the people – that’s us – who desperately need UK Farmers to see the bigger picture and step up in a very different way – will lose out twice as badly if UK Farming collapses and the establishment gets its way!

If you’d like to read ‘Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future’, a copy is available online HERE.

If you’d like to understand more about the realities that underpin the differences between what we say deliberately or innocently, and what others hear, a read of the very interesting book ‘Words that Work – It’s not what you say, It’s what people hear’ by American Pollster Dr Frank Lunz may be worth your while.

Going round in circles

You may now feel the need to circle back to the ‘as long as people aren’t hungry’ backstop – which is where without good governance and leadership, the bigger Food picture and the importance of Food and the role it should be playing in our lives usually falls down.

We can accept what others tell us. Or we can be clear that we require Foods We Can Trust to be normal life for all.

Part 1 Summary

Part 1 explores the complex and often misunderstood concept of food security in the UK, examining how its definition and practical implications vary depending on perspective and policy.

Key Points

Multiple Definitions and Perspectives:
Food security means different things to different groups—government, farmers, and the public. The actions of government define food security simply as “if people can eat, they are food secure,” focusing on the availability of any food, regardless of quality or origin. Farmers, on the other hand, emphasise the importance of producing food within the UK and reducing reliance on imports.
Risks in the UK Food Supply:
The UK is highly dependent on imported food, with only about 58% of food consumed produced domestically (and possibly less, depending on how statistics are calculated). This reliance on global supply chains makes the UK vulnerable to disruptions, and the actual availability of UK-grown food for immediate consumption is much lower than official figures suggest.
Food Security Should Mean More Than Just Having Enough to Eat:
True food security goes beyond mere availability. It should ensure that everyone can choose to eat enough foods that are good for them, meeting genuine nutritional needs at every mealtime, without fear of going without or uncertainty about the next meal.
Key Ingredients of Food Security:
Food security requires that the food supply is:
- Reliable and not under threat
- Available to everyone
- Accessible regardless of location or circumstance
- Nutritious and meets health requirements
- Affordable for all
Barriers to Food Security:
Factors such as cost, supply chain issues, ideological or religious restrictions, greed and profiteering, and insufficient income all contribute to food insecurity. Many people in the UK do not earn enough to afford a healthy diet without assistance, and foodbanks have become a necessary but uncomfortable reality.
Partial Truths and Manipulation:
Both government and farming industry narratives about food security contain elements of truth but are often incomplete or manipulated to serve particular interests. This can lead to public misunderstanding and ineffective policy.
Call for Rethinking Food Security:
Part 1 concludes that food security in the UK is at significant risk and calls for a broader, more inclusive understanding – one that prioritises reliable, nutritious, and accessible food for all, and recognises the need for systemic change in policy and practice.

In summary:
Part 1 challenges readers to reconsider what food security truly means, highlights the vulnerabilities in the UK’s current system, and sets the stage for exploring nutrition, local food production, and community action in the following sections.

PART 2 – What our bodies need every day

Introduction

When we talk about food security, it’s easy to focus on whether there’s enough food to go around. But having “enough” isn’t the whole story. True food security means having access to foods that nourish us—foods that provide the nutrients our bodies need to thrive, not just survive.

For many of us, the science of nutrition can feel abstract or overwhelming, filled with technical terms and conflicting advice. Yet, understanding the basics of what our bodies require is essential if we want to make informed choices for ourselves and our families. Nutrition isn’t just for experts—it’s for everyone who eats.

In this section, we’ll cut through the confusion and look at the fundamentals: the macronutrients and micronutrients that keep us healthy, why our needs can differ, and how to approach dietary information with a critical eye. You’ll find practical tables, trusted sources, and guidance on how to become more conscious about what you eat and why it matters.

By the end of Part 2, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what your body needs every day—and why access to nutritious, trustworthy food is a cornerstone of genuine food security.

Nutrition Made Simple

The very sad thing about a standard education is that pretty much everything to do with science seems abstract or theoretical – and especially so when it comes to our relationship with Food and what our bodies actually do with it – which is pretty amazing!

Everything to do with Food, how we produce Food and how our bodies turn Food and what it contains from its basic natural forms into all the things that we need is an extraordinary process. The real magic of it all it is almost certainly happening in our bodies, right now.

We don’t need to be scientists or have a truck load of science qualifications to understand the basic mechanics and processes of the body. And if you are interested in finding out more, the internet and channels like YouTube have bags of information that come from a wide range of sources that don’t have agendas!

Will we look closely at specific Foods in other posts. But to begin with, I wanted to share an overview of the more detailed stuff that we should probably all know about the things that our bodies actually need our meals to contain EVERY DAY!

Like most of us, I’m not a food scientist, dietician or nutritionist. So, if you really want to get into the levels of detail which are available to uncover, these are the types of specialists who should have the most accurate understanding of these subject areas. You may also like to follow the links that I have added to this page that provide an idea of the kinds of organisations that are working on these subjects too.

Nutrition and Nutrients that our bodies need

When we start to look at what our bodies actually need to take from the Food We Eat, we are considering Nutrients and what is commonly referred to as Nutrition.

Nutrition is all about what Nutrients our bodies actually need; how much of those Nutrients our bodies need, and also, how much of those Nutrients may be too much.

Please do remember that too much or too little of anything we eat, or drink can become a problem, usually over a period of time!

The Nutritional Content of our Food is usually talked about at two different levels.

These levels are Macronutrients and Micronutrients.

Macronutrients are terms that we often hear talked about on the media and news. They include words like Sugar, Fat, Carbohydrate, Protein and Fibre.

Micronutrients are terms that we don’t hear talked about quite as often – unless we have an interest or maybe a job that puts us in regular contact with them, or we pay very close attention to food labelling all the time! They include words like Vitamins and Minerals – and then names like Calcium, Riboflavin, Phosphorus and a range of other Minerals and Vitamins too.

Every person’s body and their nutritional requirements are different

It’s important to be clear that I have written and posted this page to provide an overview of the basic nuts and bolts reasons why we all need to be able to eat Foods We Can Trust, normally.

Every Human Body is different.

Each of our Bodies has different Nutritional requirements.

Our Nutritional requirements may also vary depending on a wide range of factors that themselves may have very little to do with our food.

Macronutrients

With this being an important part of the background and reason for Foods We Can Trust when it comes to making sense of what this Food Journey is about, I wanted to focus on information that is already available online, that we can all access.

Below is a brief table that I put together after doing an Internet search that we could all do using the search term ‘Daily Nutritional Requirements’.

My search provided a number of different links with the 4 that I have chosen to draw information from following immediately below:

Table 1: Macronutrients

(Web Search on Google 1 May 2025, from Cheltenham, UK)

Daily Macronutrient Requirements

Nutrient	BNF (UK) Male	BNF (UK) Female	FSC (NZ/Aus) Avg. Adult	WHO Healthy Person
Calorie Intake	2500 cal/pd	2000 cal/pd	—	2000 cal/pd
Fat	≤97g	≤78g	70g	—
Saturated Fat	≤31g	≤24g	24g	—
Carbohydrate	≤333g	≤267g	310g	—
Free Sugars	≤33g	≤27g	—	50g
Sugars	—	—	90g	—
Protein	55g	45g	50g	—
Fibre	30g	30g	30g	—
Salt	≤6g	≤6g	2.3g	≤5g

>= Up to <= More than

BNF = British Nutrition Foundation

FSC = Relates to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (There was an election underway at the time of the search which appears to mean the main website has been unpublished)

WHO = World Health Organisation

The most important information is on the left of the Table where the names of the Macronutrients and Calorie Intake requirement are listed.

I’ve added the different figures that these different websites have provided, as they give a general idea of the amount of the Macronutrients that we need in our Food every day.

However, they also demonstrate that confusion and contradiction can exist between just 3 different organisations, which we might all consider to be credible, as there are different approaches and figures being used.

I’m not going to recommend sources, but the links here are very interesting in respect of the information we are focusing on.

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutrition-for/men/nutrition-recommendations-for-men/

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutrition-for/women/nutrition-recommendations-for-women/

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet

http://www.mydailyintake.net/daily-intake-levels/

How much is a Gram?

You may be in for a shock when it comes to getting to grips with just how much these suggested amounts are.

A Gram (g) would be best represented by the approximate weight of either a raisin, a paperclip or a biro cap!

Micronutrients

The subject of Micronutrients is where Nutrition starts to sound much more like a science and it’s very easy to become switched off or feel like you are glazing over.

Here’s a list of the Micronutrients – that’s Vitamins and Minerals, that our bodies require daily.

The search terms were specific – i.e. ‘calcium’ or ‘calcium function body’.

Please note that I have opted not to add specific amounts here.

As with Macronutrients, the amount of Micronutrients that we require will almost certainly vary from person to person.

My own view on Nutritional intake is that it makes sense to work out which Foods contain and will provide these Macronutrients and Micronutrients as part of a regular diet and go from there (Unless we have special or medically related Nutritional requirements and are taking advice or instruction from a specialist of some kind).

Table 2: Micronutrients

(Web Search on MSN / Bing 1 May 2025, from Cheltenham, UK)

Key Daily Micronutrients

Vitamin	Also Known As	Functions (Examples)	Reference Link
Vitamin A	Retinol	Immunity, Vision, Skin	https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-a/
Vitamin B1	Thiamine	Energy, Nervous System	https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/thiamine-vitamin-b1/about-thiamine/
Vitamin B2	Riboflavin	Skin, Blood Cells, Brain Function	https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Riboflavin-HealthProfessional/
Vitamin B3	Niacin	Energy, Heart, Nervous System, Skin	https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/
Vitamin B6	Pyridoxine	Brain Health, Immunity	https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-b6/art-20363468
Vitamin B9	Folate	Blood Cells, Pregnancy	https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/folate
Vitamin B12	Cobalamin	Blood Cells, DNA, Brain/Nerves	https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-b12/art-20363663
Vitamin C	Ascorbic Acid	Immunity, Cell Repair, Skin, Iron Absorption	https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/
Vitamin D	Sunshine Vitamin	Bones, Teeth, Muscles	https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

By now, you will probably be getting a good idea of how much detail, information, research and study is available on the subject of Nutrition at this level.

Foods We Can Trust isn’t about Food Science as such. But it certainly includes the importance of Food Science within it!

Getting to Grips with our own Nutrition and Nutritional Requirements

The only person we can really trust when it comes to what we put in our mouths, is ourselves.

So, the best way to look at any source of information is do do so with critical thinking.

Please don’t take any information about Food at face value, just because the source has a well-known name, is a big brand, has lots of followers, or is even a public organisation.

Ask yourself what the facts are. What is opinion. What is just something that helps someone else. What they are really trying to achieve. What is the message, story or narrative really about. Who or what are they really working for. What’s stopping them from being a bigger voice and making a real difference. How much of their credibility is because of how well known or who they are. And of course, does what they are saying set off any alarm bells in the wrong way – and not just because you are hearing something that is true, and you don’t like it because it means you should change!

Worth a Look

The NHS has created The Eatwell Guide, which you will find at the end of this link and may well be worth a visit:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/the-eatwell-guide/

Another interesting page that I found as I was looking more closely at Nutrition earlier was this from the United States:

https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/dri-calculator

Please note that it is clearly intended for use by Medical Professionals and that there is no clear guidance upon how the page works, what information and calculations it uses, so it shouldn’t be used as advice.

It may, however, provide some interesting food for thought!

Overview on what our bodies need every day

We should all be aware of these lists, so that we can become more conscious about what we are eating and whether the food we consume is providing us with enough of everything we need to keep our bodies healthy.

Checking the contents listed on packets, asking what the pastries in our favourite coffee shop contain and talking to the farmer at the local farm shop about what they use to grow their crops and feed their animals are all actions that we can and should take, and not think twice about doing so.

When we know what we are eating and have full control over our diet, we will then have the best chance of being able to enjoy great physical, mental and all-round health, for as long as possible.

Part 2 Summary

Part 2 explores the essential role of nutrition in genuine food security, emphasising that having “enough” food is not enough. What matters is access to foods that truly nourish us.

Key Points

Nutrition Is for Everyone:
Understanding nutrition isn’t just for experts. Everyone who eats benefits from knowing the basics of what our bodies require to thrive, not just survive.
Macronutrients and Micronutrients:
Nutrition is built on two main categories:
- Macronutrients: These include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibre, and sugars. They provide energy and are needed in larger amounts. Tables in this section outline recommended daily intakes from trusted sources such as the British Nutrition Foundation and the World Health Organisation.
- Micronutrients: These are vitamins and minerals (like Vitamin A, B, C, D, calcium, iron, etc.) required in smaller amounts but vital for health. The section lists key micronutrients, their functions, and sources for further information.
Individual Needs Vary:
Every person’s body and nutritional requirements are different, influenced by factors such as age, gender, activity level, and health status. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition.
Critical Thinking About Nutrition Advice:
Readers are encouraged to approach dietary information with a critical eye – questioning sources, understanding the difference between fact and opinion, and being wary of advice that serves commercial or ideological interests.
Practical Tools and Resources:
The section provides practical tables, links to reputable organisations (like the NHS Eatwell Guide), and guidance on how to check food labels and make informed choices about what to eat.
Empowerment Through Knowledge:
By becoming more conscious of what we eat and understanding our nutritional needs, we can take greater control over our health and wellbeing, making food choices that support a secure and nourishing future.

In summary:
Part 2 highlights that true food security is inseparable from nutrition. It equips readers with foundational knowledge about what our bodies need, encourages critical thinking, and provides practical tools to help everyone make healthier, more informed food choices.

PART 3 – Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow Locally in and around the UK

Introduction

It’s no great wonder that “foods we can trust” are often thought of as boring, bland, or expensive—especially when compared to the convenience and variety of supermarket shelves. Yet, the reality is that the number and diversity of foods we can farm, catch, harvest, and grow locally in the UK is far greater than many of us realise.

In recent years, it’s become increasingly clear that relying on distant supply chains and imported ingredients leaves our food system vulnerable. Local food production isn’t just about nostalgia or tradition—it’s a practical response to the challenges of food security, resilience, and sustainability. By looking closer to home, we can rediscover a wealth of fruits, vegetables, crops, livestock, fish, and dairy that are available or could be made available to us with a different approach.

This section brings together practical lists and insights into what’s possible when we focus on local resources. You’ll find tables of UK-grown produce, farmed and wild foods, and ideas for what can be cultivated in gardens, allotments, and community spaces. The aim is to spark curiosity, challenge assumptions about what’s “possible” in the UK, and empower you to make more informed choices about the food you eat and support.

Whether you’re a home grower, a community organiser, or simply someone interested in where your food comes from, Part 3 offers a starting point for exploring the abundance and potential of local food in Britain.

Rediscovering Local Abundance: Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow

It’s no great wonder that Foods We Can Trust are thought by many to be boring and bland, as well as being expensive and increasingly difficult to buy or access.

The alternatives often taste good. Always seem to be available whenever and wherever we want them, and in terms of the cost of everything we buy today, the most convenient Foods also appear to be the cheapest.

Ask anyone how many natural, locally or UK produced Foods they could find at a shop they regularly use to buy today, and the list will probably be short and at the same time confirm everything that I’ve just outlined above.

However, the number and variety of Foods We Can Trust that are available across the U.K. and that may be growing on a farm, in an orchard, in someone’s allotment, or perhaps are being docked at a fishing harbour near us today is much greater than many of us think.

We will talk about nutritional values, seasonality, production and other really useful things to know about how we make Foods We Can Trust available to everyone as a part of normal life in other posts.

But for now, becoming aware of and understanding the list basic Foods, or Foods that are either available or could become available to us that we can grow, farm, harvest or catch locally across the UK or around our coastline, is a very important place for us to begin.

A Work in Progress

The information that I am about to share is based on what I either know already, or what I have been able to research using sources such as those that I will link later on this page.

One of the reasons that I began Foods We Can Trust is that I hope to share information about Food Production that isn’t widely known or acknowledge about the Foods We Can Trust that are already widely available, or could be, if we decide to take a different approach.

As such, I hope that the following Tables will be updated here and will in time be accompanied by posts, videos and resources online that will come from other contributors.

If you notice any errors, glaring omissions or would like to add something yourself, please get in touch!

For now, the Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow Locally in and around The UK will be broken down into the following groups, with a little detail to help with each:

Fruits
Vegetables
Crops
Livestock
Wild Livestock & Game
Natural Fish and Seafood Landed at UK Ports
Natural Fish that can be Line Caught from UK Rivers etc.
Dairy Products that can be made from UK produced Milk

Please note that the inclusion or exclusion of anything may not be deliberate and anything you are aware of may be added later.

Equally, inclusion is not making any statement upon the views and perspectives of any individual or group that believe certain foods should be included or excluded for ideological, religious or other reasons. This is about being practical and realistic about the food that we can grow, produce and that is otherwise available across the UK.

Table 1: Fruits that grow or can be grown in the UK

Fruit	Months Available
Apricots	July, August, September, October
Blackberries	July, August, September, October
Blackcurrants	June, July, August
Blueberries	July, August, September
Cherries	June, July
Gooseberries	July, August, September, October
Pears	January, February, March, October, November, December
Plums	July, August, September, October, November, December
Raspberries	June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Redcurrants	July, August, September
Rhubarb	March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Strawberries	June, July, August, September, October, November

Table 2: Vegetables that grow or can be grown in the UK

Vegetable	Months Available
Apples	January–December
Asparagus	April, May, June
Aubergines	January–December
Beetroot	January–December
Broad Beans	May, June, July, August, September
Broccoli	June, July, August, September, October
Brussels Sprouts	January–May, October–December
Butternut Squash	October–December
Cabbages	January–December
Carrots	January–December
Cauliflowers	January–December
Celeriac	January–May, December
Celery	July–December
Chestnuts	October–December
Chicory	January–December
Courgettes	July–November
Cucumbers	August–October
Fennel	July–November
Jerusalem Artichokes	January, November, December
Leeks	January–May, October–December
Lettuce	May–November
Mangetout	August, September
Marrows	August–November
Mushrooms	January–December
New Potatoes	April, May
Onions	January–December
Parsnips	January–May, September–December
Peas	July–September
Peppers	January–December
Potatoes	January–December
Pumpkins	January, October–December
Purple Sprouting Broccoli	February–June
Radishes	May–November
Rocket	May–November
Runner Beans	August–November
Sorrel	March–September
Spinach	June–November
Spring Onions	May–December
Swedes	January–November
Sweetcorn	August–November
Tomatoes	July–November
Turnips	January–March, July–December
Watercress	June–December

Table 3: Crop Types that grow or can be grown in the UK

Crop Types That Grow or Can Be Grown in the UK

Crop	Also Known As	Main Food Uses	Other Uses
Barley		Bread, Soups, Stews, Ingredients	Brewing, Distilling, Animal Feed
Beans (Faba)			Animal Feed, Green Manure
Linseed	Flaxseed	Bread, Biscuits, Cakes, Snack Bars, Porridge, Curries, Stews	Oil
Oats		Porridge, Overnight Oats, Granola, Flapjacks, Flour
Oilseed Rape	Canola Oil	Cooking Oil, Mayonnaise, Margarine, Ingredient	Biodiesel
Peas		Soups, Casseroles, Pasties, Curry	Animal Feed
Rye		Flour, Bread	Animal Feed, Cover Crop
Sugar Beet		Sugar
Wheat		Bread, Cakes, Biscuits, Flour

Table 4: Livestock that is Farmed or can be Farmed in the UK

Livestock Farmed or Can Be Farmed in the UK

Livestock	Food Use	Food Produced	Other Goods
Chickens	Chicken (breast, fillet, thighs, drumsticks, burgers, cold meat)	Eggs	Feathers
Cattle (Cows)	Beef (joints, ribs, steak, burgers, sausages, cold meat, dripping)	Milk (all dairy)	Leather
Deer	Venison, burgers
Ducks	Duck		Feathers
Geese	Goose, goose fat		Feathers
Pigs	Pork (chops, sausages, sausage rolls, burgers, ribs, hams, crackling)
Sheep	Lamb, mutton (joints, chops, burgers)		Wool
Turkeys	Turkey, burgers, cold meat		Feathers

Table 5: Wild Livestock & Game found in the UK

Wild Livestock & Game Found in the UK

Animal	Food Use
Boar	Boar
Deer	Venison
Grouse	Grouse
Hares	Hare
Rabbits	Rabbit
Wood Pigeon	Pigeon
Pheasant	Pheasant

Table 6: Natural Fish and Seafood that is or can be landed at UK Fishing Ports

Natural Fish and Seafood Landed at UK Fishing Ports

Fish/Seafood	Also Known As
Anglerfishes
Atlantic Cod
Atlantic Halibut
Atlantic Herring
Atlantic Horse Mackerel
Atlantic Mackerel
Ballan Wrasse
Black Seabream
Blonde Ray
Brill
Catsharks	Nursehounds
Clams
Common Cuttlefish
Common Dab
Common Edible Cockle
Common Octopus
Common Prawn
Common Shrimp
Common Sole
Cuckoo Ray
Cuttlefish	Bobtail Squid
Dogfishes and Hounds
Edible Crab
European Anchovy
European Conger
European Flat Oyster
European Flounder
European Hake
European Lobster
European Pilchard	Sardines
European Plaice
European Seabass
European Smelt
European Sprat
European Squid
Garfish
Gilthead Seabream
Great Atlantic Scallop
Green Crab
Grey Gurnard
Haddock
John Dory
Lemon Sole
Ling
Lumpfish	Lumpsucker
Manila Clam
Megrim
Megrims
Mullets
Norway Lobster
Pacific Cupped Oyster
Periwinkles
Pollack
Pouting	Bib
Queen Scallop
Rabbit Fish
Red Gurnard
Saithe	Coalfish
Sand Sole
Sandeels	Sandlances
Sea Trout
Shortfin Squids
Small-Eyed Ray
Small-Spotted Catshark
Smooth-Hound
Solen Razor Clams
Spinous Spider Crab
Spotted Ray
Starry Smooth-Hound
Thornback Ray
Tope Shark
Tub Gurnard
Turbot
Undulate Ray
Velvet Swimming Crab
Whelk
Whiting

Table 7: Natural Fish that is or can be line caught from UK Rivers and Watercourses

Natural Fish That Can Be Line Caught from UK Rivers and Watercourses

Fish Name
Barbel
Bream
Chub
Common Bream
Common Carp
Crucian Carp
Dace
Grayling
Gudgeon
Perch
Pike
Roach
Rudd
Salmon
Silver Bream
Smelt
Tench
Trout

Please note that whilst links to information sources used to create this page are listed later under ‘Worth a Look’, I have added a link here to Gov.UK – Freshwater rod fishing rules, as there are clearly stipulated fishing allowances for anyone wishing to catch fish with a line from UK Rivers and Watercourses.

Table 8: Fish that is or can be Farmed in the UK

Fish That Can Be Farmed in the UK

Fish Species
Atlantic Salmon
Lobsters
Mussels
Oysters
Rainbow Trout
Sea Bass

Table 9: Dairy Products that are or can be produced from UK Milk

Dairy Products That Can Be Produced from UK Milk

Dairy Product
Butter
Cheese
Cream
Milk
Yoghurt

Worth a Look

I researched the content for the 9 tables listed above on 9 May 2025 using mostly Google Searches made from Cheltenham.

There are a number of very useful websites that will follow from where I sourced most of the information that I have pooled together to construct these Tables. There are others and these have been used because the information they offer is easy to use.

Please note that whilst there is every reason to believe the information linked below is both credible and from organisations considered the same, the inclusion of these links is neither an endorsement nor recommendation of the information these organisations provide. Their referencing here makes no suggestion of there being shared views or objectives, even if there are areas relevant to this page which are aligned.

The NFU (National Farmers Union) Seasonal Guide to British Fruit and Vegetables

The Vegetarian Society – Seasonal UK Grown Produce

The National Trust – Guide to Seasonal Food

DEFRA Accredited Official Statistics – Chapter 7: Crops

DEFRA Accredited Official Statistics – Chapter 8: Livestock

Marine Management Organisation – List of common species codes for Fish Landed in the United Kingdom

Gov.UK – Freshwater rod fishing rules

Overview on ‘Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow Locally in and around the UK’

The information contained on this page is likely to be one of the most important parts of the Foods We Can Trust initiative.

When we remove all the noise and all the agenda-led information available about what Foods and Ingredients can be brought in from Overseas; what can be manufactured or produced in factories, and why these are the Food Sources that we can and must rely on, the reality is that it is only the Foods and the Ingredients for Meals that come from them that we can grow, catch, harvest and create from these, that have the potential to be classed as genuine Foods We Can Trust.

As this work progresses, I expect to reference this topic frequently, especially as we begin to look at different aspects of UK Food Production more closely, and at Grow Your Own and Home Growing in particular.

I am very keen to add as much information as I can in these important subject areas and will be very pleased to hear from anyone who can add to what is already here in ways that will promote awareness and understanding of the information and processes that will help everyone to have access to Food We Can Trust.

Part 3 Summary:

Part 3 explores the diversity and potential of foods that can be produced locally in the UK, emphasising the importance of local food systems for resilience, sustainability, and genuine food security.

Key Points

Local Food Production Is More Diverse Than Many Realise:
The UK has a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, crops, livestock, fish, and dairy that can be farmed, caught, harvested, or grown locally. This diversity is often underestimated compared to the convenience and variety of supermarket offerings.
Vulnerability of Global Supply Chains:
Reliance on distant supply chains and imported ingredients leaves the UK food system exposed to risks and disruptions. Local food production is a practical response to these vulnerabilities, offering greater resilience and sustainability.
Practical Lists and Insights:
The section provides tables and lists of UK-grown produce, farmed and wild foods, and ideas for what can be cultivated in gardens, allotments, and community spaces. These resources help readers understand what is possible when focusing on local food sources.
Empowering Individuals and Communities:
By highlighting what can be grown or sourced locally, Part 3 encourages readers to make more informed choices about the food they eat and support. Whether as home growers, community organizers, or consumers, everyone can play a role in strengthening local food systems.
Resources for Further Exploration:
The section includes links to reputable organizations and guides for seasonal produce, crop and livestock statistics, fishing rules, and practical advice for growing food at home or in community settings.

In summary:
Part 3 demonstrates that local food production in the UK is both abundant and achievable. It challenges assumptions about what is “possible,” provides practical tools and inspiration, and empowers readers to contribute to a more resilient and trustworthy food system.

PART 4 – Grow Your Own or ‘Home Growing’

Introduction

Writing and publishing these pages has given me the chance to reflect on how food security is not just a national or policy issue—it’s something that touches each of us, every day, in our homes and communities. While the challenges facing the UK’s food system can seem daunting, the most powerful solutions often begin close to home.

If we continue to take food for granted, trusting that supermarket shelves will always be full and that the food chain will keep working as it does today, we risk being unprepared for shortages or disruptions. The reality is that the UK’s food supply is more fragile than many realize, and waiting for a crisis before taking action could leave us all vulnerable.

But there is hope—and it starts with each of us. By growing our own food, joining community initiatives, or working together as “citizen farmers,” we can all play a part in building a more secure, resilient, and nourishing food future. Whether you have a windowsill, a garden, or access to a community allotment, there are ways for everyone to get involved and make a difference.

In this section, you’ll find practical guidance on home growing, collaborative projects, and community food solutions. We’ll explore the benefits of reconnecting with food production—not just for our plates, but for our wellbeing and our communities. The aim is to inspire action, share resources, and show that together, we can create access to foods we can trust.

Let’s dig in and discover how growing, sharing, and working together can help secure our food future—one seed, one meal, and one community at a time.

Growing Together: The Power of Home and Community Food Initiatives

Writing and publishing the pages of Foods We Can Trust as I go, does mean that I have had the opportunity to reflect upon and even mention relevant topics from the news as I go.

At the end of May, it was pleasing to see The Times report that former President of the National Farmers Union Minette Batters (Who has taken the step of working for the government, now that she is in the Lords) suggested that future housing developments should include Allotments.

Sadly, comments that followed on social media branded this as ‘Everythingism’; a term that like many others that is now being used to dismiss anything with deeper meaning or a point that runs contrary to common or ‘accepted’ thought.

Allotments, or rather the Allotments that are available for people to rent today are popular. This point was proven well when I did a search as I have been writing and found that the Local District Level Authority where I live, Cheltenham Borough Council has a waiting list for the Allotments under its control that can extend from a matter of weeks to a couple of years.

Contrary to what some might immediately think, I am not criticizing CBC or any Local Authority in any way for not having Allotments immediately available today – as it’s great that they are there and can be available. Popularity does of course vary and the last thing that many people think about today when it comes to Food, is Growing Your Own.

The need for us to contribute to Food Security

If you’ve read the page ‘What is Food Security’, you will now have a better idea of what it means to be ‘Food Secure’ and why we really aren’t Food Secure, anywhere in the UK today.

Unfortunately, finding a way to help enough people understand that we are all taking a massive risk by trusting that the Food we eat everyday will always be available and that as if by magic, the Food Chain will keep on doing what it does today, isn’t easy.

Especially as everything that the Government is currently doing is reinforcing the message that the UK doesn’t need Farms and that the Food of the Future will be manufactured in warehouses and factories – sadly without any regard for what that will really mean for us all in terms of not being able to eat Foods We Can Trust.

If we continue to wait until there is a real problem with the UK Food Supply, before we begin taking steps to ensure that we always have enough Food available and ready to Feed everyone across the UK, we are all likely to experience Food Shortages quickly. And as time goes by, following the arrival of a serious Food Supply Shortage, more and more of us may even be forced to go without.

Food Shortages are not a problem that any of us should be taking lightly. But neither should any of us – and particularly our politicians – be taking it for granted that enough Food of any kind will always be available for everyone – as is clearly the case, right now.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of understanding the risk to UK Food Security and then considering the steps that need to be taken to ensure that we will always have enough Food, is this:

The UK Food Chain is currently unable to Feed the UK Population without considerable supplies being imported from Overseas.

If that’s difficult enough to accept, the next point we need to understand is this:

If Overseas Food Imports were stopped, UK Farms and Food Producers would be able to provide significantly less than the 54-58% of ‘self-produced’ or ‘UK-Produced’ Food that UK People would immediately need. Because the Food Supply and Logistics Chain isn’t set up to prioritise British Consumers today, and very few of the Farms the UK has would be able to supply Food that is ready to be prepared to eat, direct.

To add some further perspective, we must then accept that:

The Farms across the UK that are geared up and have the systems in place to provide Food to us direct are likely to already being doing so. They are what we already know and use as our Local Farm Shops and Food Businesses that are selling us the Food that we already know to be coming from Local Farms, Harbours and Fisheries before being turned into Dairy Products, Breads or any of the Foods that are available to us through recognizable Local Suppliers or direct delivery services.

The question of the Food We Eat, is now Food for Thought.

Waking up to Our Food Supply Reality

A Report by the Countryside and Community Research Institute in May 2024 suggested that the amount of Food that comes to us direct from Farms is about 11% of what the UK Population needs to eat.

In real terms, that means that if the Border around the UK (That’s transport by Air, Sea or the Channel Tunnel) closed for any prolonged period, there would only be the equivalent of enough Food available for 1 in 9 People – in relative terms.

And that’s before we think about cost, accessibility and all the things that Foods We Can Trust is about.

Whilst I will always champion UK Farmers as some of the most entrepreneurial and creative People I have the pleasure to know, the time it would take to transform and restructure the UK Food Chain so that it works as it arguably always should – in our best interests and for us all, following a crisis or breakdown in the Food Supply – would probably be a period of months, before everyone was being supplied with at least some Foods that we should all have available to us, right now.

We will not have the luxury of time for the Food Chain to change, if we wait for Food Shortages before we begin

Whilst it would be beneficial for the majority of Our Farmers to begin restructuring their businesses to work towards Local Food Chains and UK Food Security through self-sufficiency today – for themselves as well as the UK Population, many remain tied to the way that the Food Chain in the UK has been evolved by the Global Model (Most strikingly, through the UK relationship with the EU).

Many UK Farmers still believe that a change of government or the politicians themselves, will be all it will take for them to get paid more or to be subsidized further for what they do, so that they receive a higher, or more appropriate income than they do now.

However, Farmers and existing Food Growing Businesses are not going to survive, if they do not adapt their businesses to operate independently as part of Local Food Chains.

Because the economic system we have today doesn’t value independence in the Food Chain and is already actively working to remove it.

At some point, probably sooner rather than later, UK Farms will be called upon to make this necessary change.

Sadly, as things stand today, this is likely to be when the UK is already in crisis – as it will only be when we are in the middle of a Food Crisis, where everyone is experiencing the problem themselves, that the real meaning and need for genuine UK Food Security is going to make sense.

However, that doesn’t mean that we cannot do something to help, right now, if we can see that hope and waiting for tomorrow is very unlikely to save the day.

Growing Your Own is the most trustworthy way to source Food

Whilst talking about the role we all have to play in the UKs future Food Security might feel like a deviation from the direction of Foods We Can Trust, it is important enough for us to be aware of and to understand the real benefits from having and developing access to home grown, community grown and Food that comes direct from Local Farms and Growers, today.

Just having Food to Eat is important. But prioritising Food Chains that supply the Foods We can Trust is essential.

There is no better way to be sure that we are eating Foods We Can Trust than if we Grow Our Own Food. Whether it be at home, within community allotments or gardens or other shared spaces, where we can be sure of everything used to Grow Our Food, as well as the continuation and availability of the supply.

Grow Your Own Foods We Can Trust

As we have discussed above, there are two very good reasons to Grow Your Own:

Growing Our Own Food will at least increase the Food we have available, and
Growing Our Own Food is the surest way to know we are eating Foods We Can Trust

There are other advantages to Growing Your Own Food too, such as producing Food that we can all share with others, or exchange for different types of Food or other essentials that we might need in a crisis.

However, one of the biggest, and probably best reasons to Grow Your Own (beyond having a supply of our own Food to Eat) is that the process of growing, harvesting, cultivating and handling Home Grown Food can be very good for our mental health or sense of wellbeing, as well as the activity required to do so contributing positively to our physical health.

Foods We Can Grow Ourselves

Understanding and being open to the idea of DIY Food Growing is where the whole idea of Grow Your Own can become even more interesting and exciting, as the list of the different Foods We Can Grow Ourselves is extensive!

In fact, what We Can Grow Ourselves may only be limited by the space and resources that we have available we have.

To illustrate just how broad the list of Foods We Can Grow Ourselves and the different ways that we can Grow Our Own Food really is, we will now share lists of the different Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs and Animals that we can grow ourselves, along with suggestions of the different ways that we can grow them.

The following list IS NOT exhaustive and there may be many more!

Please note that links to organisations, businesses and groups that are added anywhere on these Pages about Grow Your Own are for information sharing purposes only. They are not recommendations and certainly not endorsements of any other organisation, product or the advice and suggestions that they provide.

Vegetables that can be Grown at Home

Growing Vegetables at home probably feels like the most obvious type of Food to grow when it comes to Growing Your Own.

However, did you know just how many types of different Vegetables there are that we can Grow Ourselves in the UK?

List of Grow Your Own Vegetables in the UK:

Aubergines

Asparagus

Beans

Beetroot

Broad Beans

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbages

Carrots

Cauliflower

Calabrese

Celeriac

Celery

Chard

Chicory

Chilli Peppers

Chinese Broccoli

Chinese Cabbage

Courgettes

Cucumbers

Endive

Florence Fennel

French Beans

Garlic

Globe Artichokes

Jerusalem Artichokes

Kale

Kohl Rabi

Leeks

Lettuce

Marrows

Mizuna & Mibuna

Okra

Onions

Pak Choi

Parsnips

Peas

Peppers

Potatoes

Pumpkins

Radishes

Rhubarb

Rocket

Runner Beans

Salad Leaves

Salad Onions

Salsify

Shallots

Soya Beans

Spinach

Squash

Swedes

Sweetcorn

Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes

Turnips

Please note that I will cover the different methods that can be used to Grow Your Own, depending upon the resources and space that you have available once I have finished listing what you can grow.

Herbs that can be Grown at Home

There are lots of Vegetables that we can Grow Ourselves. But the list doesn’t stop there, as we can also Grow Herbs – which will of course help to add flavour to the other Foods that we Grow Ourselves when we have them available.

List of Grow Your Own Herbs in the UK:

Basil

Bay

Chamomile

Chervil

Chives

Coriander

Dill

Fennel

Horseradish

Lemon Balm

Lemongrass

Lovage

Marjoram

Mint

Oregano

Parsley

Rosemary

Sage

Savory

Sorrel

Tarragon

Thyme

Fruits that can be Grown at Home

Vegetables and Herbs are likely to be the easiest and, in many cases, the quickest Foods that we can Grow at home.

However, if you have access to the space and resources necessary, there is a surprisingly long list of Fruits that we can Grow Ourselves in the UK too!

List of Grow Your Own Fruits in the UK:

Apples

Apricots

Blackberries

Blackcurrants

Blueberries

Cherries

Citrus

Damsons

Figs

Gages

Gooseberries

Grapes

Kiwi Fruit

Medlars

Melons

Mulberries

Nectarines

Olives

Peaches

Pears

Plums

Quinces

Raspberries

Redcurrants

Strawberries

White Currants

Methods for Growing Vegetables, Fruit and Herbs Ourselves

Learning to Grow Your Own doesn’t have to be boring and certainly doesn’t have to follow any kind of rigid model or set plan.

In fact, like all of our homes, the resources we have and the time we have available will be different. So, Growing Our Own Food doesn’t need to be the same as what anyone else does, even if we are growing the same Foods!

Yes, having some ground available in a garden, allotment or open space is of course a fantastic place to begin. But we don’t need a garden to Grow Our Own Food and there are ways that we can grow all sorts of different things simply by making better use of the space that we have already got.

Here are the different ways that we can Grow Our Own Food, either alone or in collaboration with neighbours or members of our local communities:

Grow Bags

Perhaps the simplest, quickest and most cost-friendly way to get started with Growing Your Own Food will be to use Grow Bags.

Garden Centres, Farm Shops, Country Stores and at certain times of the year, even supermarkets will have Grow Bags available to buy.

Grow Bags can be a fun, efficient and low-cost way to learn about growing Food, without making significant commitments with resources, money and time.

The range of Vegetables and Herbs that can be grown using Grow Bags may not be as extensive as it would be with other spaces and resources to use. But there is still plenty that you can try!

List of Grow Your Own Foods for Grow Bags:

Celery

Chillies

Courgettes

Herbs

Lettuce

Radishes

Rocket

Salad Leaves

Spinach

Spring Onions

Sweet Peppers

Tomatoes

Window Boxes

Space for growing any type of Food at home can be a challenge, and I’m certainly not taking it for granted that you have a garden or space available inside.

If you don’t have space outside or inside near a patio window or perhaps a conservatory area, growing Food using a Window Box may be another way to get started:

List of Grow Your Own Foods for Window Boxes:

Baby Carrots
Basil
Beets
Bush Beans
Celery
Chamomile
Chives
Dwarf Peppers
Garlic
Green Onions
Lettuce
Microgreens
Oregano
Parsnips
Parsley
Patio Tomatoes
Radishes
Spinach

Containers

By this point it may be becoming clearer that Growing Your Own Food can be much easier to begin than we might have assumed!

Now that we’ve covered Grow Bags and Window Boxes, it might also be helpful to consider that Food can grow very well in containers of all sorts of descriptions.

This includes old buckets, watering cans and even dustbins (that have been cleaned out!).

List of Grow Your Own Foods for Containers:

Beetroot

Broad Beans

Carrots

Chillies

Dwarf French Beans

Herbs

Peas

Potatoes

Radishes

Rocket

Runner Beans

Peppers

Salad Leaves

Salad Onions

Salad Turnips

Tomatoes

Hydroponics

If you have limited space where there is access to daylight in your Home and you enjoy a little DIY with technology, perhaps you could give Hydroponics a try.

Hydroponics – or what is known by some as Aquaculture, is the process of growing Food using water-based systems that provide nutrients and whatever the plant-based Foods you are growing through the water itself, which can be circulated around even a very small system that might even be small and compact enough to sit on a shelf.

Hydroponics supplies are now widely available, and it would be well worth doing an online search for them if you are interested in giving this form of Grow Your Own a try!

List of Grow Your Own Foods for Hydroponics:

Arugula

Basil

Butterhead

Collard Greens

Celery

Cilantro

Cucumbers

Fennel

Green and Red Oak

Kale

Mustard Greens

Oregano

Peppermint

Peppers

Rainbow Chard

Romaine

Rosemary

Snap Peas

Spinach

Strawberries

Thyme

Tomatoes

Greenhouses

Some of us may already have Greenhouses or have space where one could easily be erected.

Greenhouses or glass boxes of any size or kind aren’t a small or low-value purchase – so please be prepared for this if you are going to research further after reading this section.

Greenhouses of any size are a great way to Grow Your Own, because they can be used to provide an environment that can be managed to be consistently the same for longer periods throughout the year.

List of Grow Your Own Foods for a Greenhouse:

Asparagus

Aubergines

Bean Sprouts

Beets

Broccoli

Carrots

Celery

Cherries

Chillies

Cucumbers

Garlic

Grapes

Herbs

Kale

Lemons

Lettuce

Onions

Peppers

Radishes

Raspberries

Spinach

Squash

Strawberries

Tomatoes

Turnips

Like each of the sections covering ways to Grow Your Own, researching Greenhouses further will be a great idea before ruling the idea in or out – not least of all because of the wider range of Grow Your Own options and what could be year-round ability they offer to Grow different Foods.

Here are a few links to help, but please do take time for a wider online search if you can!

Allotments, Gardens and Vegetable Patches

If you have access to a Garden or an Allotment, there is a large variety of Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs that can be grown – subject to seasonality and the amount of space you have available.

Like all of the different ways to Grow Your Own, researching the best options for you will be a great place to start and it may also be useful to search online to see what other people are growing on their Vegetable Patches, Allotments and in their Gardens in the area you live in – bearing in mind that the climate across the UK can vary!

List of Grow Your Own Foods for Allotments and Gardens:

Beetroot

Broad Beans

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Calabrese

Carrots

Cauliflowers

Celeriac

Celery

Courgettes

French Beans

Garlic

Herbs

Leeks

Lettuce

Mangetout Peas

Melons

Mixed Salad Leaves

Onions

Parsnips

Peas

Potatoes (Not early varieties)

Pumpkins

Purple/White Sprouting Broccoli

Radishes

Rhubarb

Runner Beans

Salad Onions

Shallots

Soft Fruits

Squash

Swedes

Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes

Turnips

Citizen Farmers – Working together with other members of Your Community to Grow Your Own

Whilst these pages on Grow Your Own are primarily intended to raise awareness for People who may be open to growing their own Food at home – whatever space and resources they might have available, there is a different, more community-orientated approach to Growing Your Own Food that is available to many of us too.

Where there are enough People ready to work together as a community or on behalf of the community they live in to grow and supply Food, there are different approaches that can be used to develop and manage the cultivation, growing and harvesting of all sorts of different Foods locally, working collaboratively, together with like-minded People, who live close by.

Whilst it may conjure up all sorts of different ideas and responses, putting the ideologies, agendas a bias that get in the way of us all having unfettered access to Food We Can Trust aside could easily lead to the age of the Citizen Farmer. Where everyone, young and old contributes to and plays a vital role in Local Food Production – recognising that even with U.K. Farming and Food Production infrastructure realigned, meeting our nutritional needs year-round and with Food being prioritised in the way that it should be, is likely to mean everyone playing their part.

People and Groups are already growing Food together, but an undercurrent in thinking still exists where whatever the stated aims and agendas might be, a big issue with ‘us vs them’ remains.

However, times are changing and changing quickly. The role of Citizen Farmer, whether it’s through Grow Your Own and then sharing, exchanging or bartering anything they don’t need, whole communities helping to grow fruit, vegetables and animals on shared farms or helping farmers to get their crops in, will be what True Citizen Farming is all about.

The options for Collaborative Food Growing that already exist include:

Community Gardens
Share Farming and/or Cooperative Farming

Community Gardens

Earlier in this topic, I mentioned what Minette Batters said about the inclusion of Allotments in future Housing Developments.

As you will probably guess, I agree with Minette and believe that this is a valuable suggestion. Not least of all because there are good and growing reasons to believe that whilst Growing Your Own may only be considered a hobby by many today, it could easily become a need for many of us, in no time at all.

Green spaces, green lungs and park areas are of course required to be considered in appropriately sized Developments already. And a time of emergency or prolonged Food Shortages, it would not be unreasonable to consider using some of these spaces – where appropriate – to begin growing Food.

Green spaces and parks, like homes and business premises have their own Planning Restrictions too, so at any other time, thinking about creating a community space or area for growing Food may need to consider areas of land that may not be immediately obvious, or perhaps even renting a field or some land from a local farmer that can be used in this way.

If you should find yourself amongst a group of local people or a community that has agreed that there is a need for such a space and there are enough people committed to the idea to make it work either through self-funding or by seeking some funding support, it will be worth getting in touch with your local Parish/Town and/or Borough/District Council to ask for their help and guidance.

In my experience of working with Council Officers of all kinds, it has always been far more productive to ask for that help and guidance before beginning. And it’s advantageous as it’s the quickest way to find out what you can and cannot do!

The big upside of speaking to the local Council(s) is that you may also be guided in the direction of other people and organisations that can help – and perhaps even be signposted to sources of funding and help for groups of people working together that you may not have thought of along the way.

At the very least, knowing what steps to avoid locally is good for everyone. It will save time, good will and perhaps even money too – and that has to be something that’s good for everyone!

Share Farming and/or Cooperative Farming (Social Enterprise)

Whilst the key aim of these pages on Grow Your Own are really about encouraging us as individuals to think about the opportunity to Grow Foods We Can Trust in our own homes or using the resources that we already have available, it will also be useful to think about and be open to the idea of working with other People in our communities to provide Foods We Can Trust, for everyone in the community.

Surprisingly, this isn’t just an idea for a rainy day (or when there are real problems with the Food Supply) and People, Groups and Communities are already working together to produce, share and sell a wide range of Foods to benefit their Groups and the Communities in which they operate.

Most shared farming or community farming projects that exist today are relatively small. They service or supplement the Food Needs of what we would probably agree are a small number of People who are usually members of a charity, cooperative or social enterprise that has been set up as a way to manage a project that benefits all those involved, mutually.

If you research projects like this great one called Stroud Community Agriculture, based in Gloucestershire (UK), near to where I live, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that community farming isn’t scalable and that it is more like a shared version of hobby farming.

However, projects like this one are already learning invaluable lessons. They are helping to create the models for re-learning the practical skills, knowledge and understanding that are needed for a much more hands-on approach to Food Production that itself has the ability to create, contribute to and provide Food Security, built around Local Food Chains.

For those of you thinking more carefully about shared farming and community farming, it might be helpful to consider that the model of Farming most likely to work best for everyone will sit somewhere between groups of what we recognise as typical small commercial or family farms today and the community farming models that we can already see in action like this one in Stroud today.

When you consider all the different Foods and the quantities that can be produced across a range of farms, and then add local processing and retail (like abattoirs, butchery, milling, bakery, dairies, fishmongers, greengrocers) – which will quickly make a lot more sense in a time of Food Shortages, it is much easier to visualise how Local Food Chains can not only work, but will begin to restore Food and Food Production to being a central part of our communities and life.

Food: The heart of Communities of the Future

These pages on Grow Your Own have turned out to be much more extensive than I had expected when I began writing over the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend.

I hope that by reaching this point and having had the opportunity to consider all of the options and aspects there are to Home Growing and Growing Food with the Community, you may have begun to see how Food and Food Production can bring People together, as well as Growing Our Own being a very important part of creating access for us all to Foods We Can Trust.

Whether we Grow Our Own at Home, or contribute to a Community effort in whatever form that might be, there is good reason to believe that even if not all of our Food is grown and brought to us this way, a significant amount of it will be, IF we really want to be sure that we are eating Foods We Can Trust, whilst also having an economic system that not only includes everyone, but is also balanced, fair and just for all.

If you would like to read more of my work on this important area of new thinking, please visit and take a look at my previous works which you will find on my Blog.

Cost

I am very mindful of the additional cost or ‘start-up’ costs for anyone who would like to Grow Food at Home with limited resources.

Like most things today, prices of any of the equipment required will always vary and it is always advisable to shop around.

However, the links of suppliers and organisations that are listed as we have covered the different methods to Grow Your Own and the Foods that you can grow too will certainly help with online searches for better prices – if the prices that some of them offer aren’t as competitive as they could be themselves.

I’m not kidding when I say that some of the people who could benefit most from Growing Their Own Food today are also those who simply don’t have the spare cash to invest in any of the things that they would need to continue alone.

For anyone experiencing that kind of difficulty, or for those who would prefer to work with others and perhaps get the social benefits of doing so, there is good reason to believe that looking for local gardening clubs or similar organisations could easily open up opportunities to collaborate, work together and pool existing resources, so that the initial outlay and costs associated with getting Your Home Growing started can be shared in different ways.

Online searches that use the name and location of the place that you live will always be a good place to begin. For example, search ‘gardening clubs in (place I live)’, or ‘gardening clubs near to where I live’.

Sharing Your Knowledge on Home Growing

With it being likely that many of us will need to embrace Growing Our Own Food, I am keen to link and collaborate with people, groups and organisations who are open to sharing their knowledge, experience, tips and stories that can help anyone who wants to consider Growing their Own Food using whatever resources they have or may be able to secure.

If you can share information, downloads or would perhaps like to record a tutorial or interview, please get in touch.

Thoughts on Grow Your Own

Writing this section of Foods We Can Trust has so far taken the longest time to complete.

Grow Your Own offers an opportunity for us all to reconnect with sustainable living and demonstrates that the opportunities to return to DIY living or to make an active contribution to ways of providing the things that are essential for us all to live are not something that can only happen out of sight, out of mind or behind the screen of some digital box.

Honestly, I was amazed by how much information, resources and advice is available for anyone thinking about Grow Your Own.

The list and variety of the Foods that we can grow at home, whether it’s in a container, grow bag, window box, greenhouse, garden, allotment or using hydroponics is simply staggering.

Yes, there are some very good reasons for as many of us as possible taking up Growing Our Own Food, but the benefits are much bigger than just adding a source of Food alone.

I hope that after reading through these pages, you will feel the same!

Part 4 Summary:

Part 4 explores how individual and community action can strengthen food security, resilience, and wellbeing in the UK by reconnecting people with food production and empowering everyone to play a role in shaping a trustworthy food future.

Key Points

Food Security Begins at Home and in the Community:
While national policies matter, the most powerful solutions often start close to home. Growing your own food, joining community initiatives, or working together as “citizen farmers” can help build a more secure, resilient, and nourishing food system for all.
The Fragility of the Current Food System:
The UK’s food supply is more vulnerable than many realise. Relying solely on supermarkets and long supply chains leaves communities at risk of shortages and disruptions. Taking action before a crisis is essential.
Practical Ways to Get Involved:
There are many accessible methods for growing food, regardless of space or resources – window boxes, containers, grow bags, greenhouses, gardens, allotments, and hydroponics. The section provides lists of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and even animals that can be grown or kept at home, as well as guidance on collaborative approaches like community gardens and cooperative farming.
Benefits Beyond Food:
Growing your own food and participating in community initiatives offer more than just sustenance. These activities can improve mental and physical wellbeing, foster social connection, and build local resilience.
Collaboration and Citizen Farming:
Community gardens, share farming, and cooperative projects enable people to pool resources, share knowledge, and produce food collectively. The “citizen farmer” model encourages everyone – regardless of background or resources – to contribute to local food production and security.
Overcoming Barriers:
The section addresses challenges such as start-up costs, limited space, and the need for local support. It offers suggestions for finding gardening clubs, sharing resources, and seeking guidance from local councils or organisations.
A Call to Action:
Part 4 encourages readers to take practical steps – whether by growing a few herbs on a windowsill or joining a community project – to help secure their own food future and contribute to a more trustworthy, resilient food system for all.

In summary:
Part 4 demonstrates that everyone can play a role in food security. By growing, sharing, and working together, individuals and communities can create access to foods they can trust and help build a healthier, more connected, and resilient future.

Conclusion

As we reach the end of this journey through food security, nutrition, local food production, and community action, it’s clear that the future of food in the UK – and beyond – depends on our willingness to rethink, reconnect, and take responsibility for what we eat and how it is produced.

Food is not just a commodity or a convenience; it is an essential part of life, community, and wellbeing.

The challenges we face – fragile supply chains, nutritional confusion, barriers to access, and the risk of taking food for granted – are complex, but they are not insurmountable.

By understanding the true meaning of food security, recognising the importance of nutrition, celebrating the abundance of local foods, and embracing the power of individual and collective action, we can build a more resilient, trustworthy, and nourishing food system for everyone.

The stories, research, and practical tools shared in these pages are meant to spark reflection and empower change. Whether you are growing a few herbs on a windowsill, joining a community garden, supporting local farmers, or simply making more conscious choices at the supermarket, you are part of a movement toward a healthier, more connected future.

Food security begins with each of us, but its impact reaches far beyond our own plates.

By working together – as individuals, families, communities, and citizens – we can ensure that everyone has access to foods they can trust, and that our food system serves the needs of all.

Let this book be both a blueprint and an invitation: to question, to learn, to act, and to share. The journey does not end here. It continues in every meal, every conversation, and every seed planted for tomorrow.

Together, we can build a future where food is truly at the heart of life – secure, nourishing, and accessible for all.

Glossary

Accessibility (Food Context)
The ease with which individuals or communities can obtain the food they need, regardless of location, income, or circumstance.

Affordability (Food Context)
The extent to which food is priced within reach for all people, allowing them to purchase enough nutritious food without financial hardship.

Allotment
A plot of land rented by individuals or groups for growing food, often as part of a community initiative or local council scheme.

Barter and Exchange (Local Economy)
Systems of trading goods or services directly, without using money, often used to supplement traditional economic models and improve access to essentials during times of crisis.

Citizen Farmer
An individual who actively participates in food production—whether by growing food at home, joining community initiatives, or supporting local agriculture—to strengthen personal and community food security.

Community Garden
A shared space where people come together to grow food collectively, fostering social connection, education, and local resilience.

Foodbank
A charitable organisation or initiative that provides emergency food supplies to people in need, often as a response to food insecurity or poverty.

Food Chain
The sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of food, from farm to table, including growing, harvesting, processing, transporting, and retailing.

Food Security
The condition in which all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life.

Food Sovereignty
The right of people to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.

Local Food System
A network of food production, processing, distribution, and consumption that is geographically localised, supporting local economies and reducing reliance on distant supply chains.

Macronutrients
Nutrients required in large amounts by the body, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibre, and water. They provide energy and are essential for growth and bodily functions.

Micronutrients
Nutrients required in smaller amounts, such as vitamins and minerals (e.g., Vitamin A, B, C, D, calcium, iron). They are vital for health, development, and disease prevention.

Nutrition
The process by which organisms take in and utilise food substances, including macronutrients and micronutrients, to support growth, health, and bodily functions.

Resilience (Food Context)
The ability of individuals, communities, or systems to withstand and recover from disruptions to food supply, such as economic shocks, climate events, or global crises.

Self-sufficiency (Food Context)
The ability of a person, household, or nation to meet its food needs independently, without relying on external sources or imports.

Seasonality (Food Context)
The times of year when certain foods are naturally available or at their best, often influencing local food choices and sustainability.

Supply Chain
The entire system of organisations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving food from producer to consumer.

Sustainable Agriculture
Farming practices that maintain or improve environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity for current and future generations.

Vulnerabilities (Food Context)
Weaknesses or risks in the food system that can lead to shortages, insecurity, or reduced access, often exposed by global events or policy failures.

We Need a New Constitution for The United Kingdom

And we need a completely new Establishment to run and deliver everything too

Your politics, religion, ideas, background, age, education or anything else that has, can or will be used to divide us, does not matter when it comes to recognising that for every one of us, there are parts of life that simply don’t work in the UK, anymore.

Whether we are being affected and impacted directly, or the problems we recognise are just something happening to other people or different communities that we can somehow see, we all know that things aren’t working as they should. And the horrible truth is that for some of us, nothing is working at all.

We could go down the rabbit hole of trying to identify, apportion blame and then demand that politicians and government change whatever we identify as needing to be changed. Or, that they step aside so that they can be replaced by whoever we believe will do whatever it is that they either cannot or are choosing not to do.

Indeed, many are doing just that, and already expect that all it will take is just a change in government. So that we have ‘the right people’ in charge.

It’s a nice idea and it’s appealing to many of us. Because this pathway also leaves the real work, commitment and doing whatever it will take to enact change, to someone else.

Unfortunately, we’ve been here before. And very recently too.

In fact, many of us genuinely believed that the downward chaos of all the Conservative governments between 2010 and 2014, which was aided and abetted by the Liberal Democrats between 2010 and 2015, would unquestionably be stopped by the election of Keir Starmer and The Labour Party in July 2024. Because Labour was supposedly offering something new and would know what to do, or in any case could never possibly be as bad as what we already had, could they…

It took just a few months to prove the point that the power of our vote can have consequences that are completely out of our control.

Whilst some seem prepared to make the very same mistakes all over again, the reality is that as things stand today, we can no longer trust anything that politicians promise or offer us as part of an election manifesto. Because they are without fail behaving the same as all the politicians we have ever known and will inevitably go on and do whatever they want to do once they hold the power, we trusted them with.

And once they are elected, they will do whatever they want to whilst telling us that it’s in our best interests, knowing there is nothing that we can do about it democratically until the time of the next election comes around, when we will hopefully by then have forgotten whatever they have done which might then be years before.

Whether we voted or not, millions of us made the mistake of electing yet another group of politicians who are out of touch with real life; are motivated by all the wrong things and above all, have no real control over the apparatus of government and the legislative devices that should be at their disposal. Either because they are too frightened; are being very badly advised or misled; are out of their depth and really have no idea what they are doing and what they could do; or a mixture of them all.

This page is not here to make excuses for this government, the Sunak government or indeed any one of many governments before them both that have harboured and given favour to the wrong politicians and what decades of poor, absent and self-serving non-leadership has given us, whilst we are somehow always the ones who are getting everything wrong.

This page is here to make clear that politicians and the political class that we have today, right across the tiers of government in the UK, are just a part of a much bigger problem. And they are the only part of problem that we cannot otherwise see.

If we need a divorce, we go to a lawyer. If we need our car fixed, we go to a mechanic. If we want and extension built, we go to a builder. If we want a load of bread, we go to a baker. If we want a beer we go to a brewer. But for decades, we have gone to the Polling Stations on election day and chosen who we vote for from a list of candidates that only Political Parties have offered up.

Specialist professionals and tradespeople like these that provide goods and services that we genuinely need, learn a very specific craft. And they get better at what they do, because they spend all their working time doing just that.

Yet when it comes to everything to do with government, governance and how every kind of public service and are systems of rules and regulations are managed and designed across the UK, we currently leave strategy, planning and everything important in the hands of a few people who are always there to represent what they Political Party wants first. So-called politicians who cannot possibly know or understand every part of life they are making decisions upon, and certainly don’t have the leadership skills, experience or awareness to listen, consider and then act appropriately on our behalf, only after referencing all the people that they really should be, whilst being sure that they are being impartial and working in the best interests of everyone at all times, too.

Anyone with a platform, the words and a great speaking voice can sound like a leader. But leadership is about the actions that genuine leaders take and in the case of politics, the actions they take when none of us are either looking or able to see what they are doing; where they are doing it and who they are doing it (for or) with.

In other words, to lead any Country properly, it takes integrity, purpose and a commitment to public service before Party or anything else.

The evidence from what we can see today, tells us that no politician or would be leader in the public eye has this purpose, spirit or a level of integrity that we can put our trust in that in power, they will always do the right thing – even when it might require that they step up and do some very difficult and perhaps unpopular things.

We can all see that genuine leadership and integrity don’t exist within UK politics today.

Unfortunately, both have been absent for so long that the whole system has been so corrupted and become self-serving that it must be completely replaced.

The system is so established with the way it works and operates that it continues appearing to function. Whilst the reality is that in whichever direction we turn and begin to look, every part of it is either dysfunctional or going completely wrong.

The illusion of effectiveness is only held in place by the reality that like everyone else, our politicians have fallen into the trap of believing that every problem can be solved with money. And that if politicians have enough public money available to spend, every problem for them can be addressed. No matter the problems their inability to lead and acts of avoidance using that money will and have meant that we and people in every UK community subsequently face as a direct result of their ineptitude and what they have(n’t) done.

This isn’t a problem that can be fixed with politics or politicians who are just about the politics.

Because politics has become all about the politics and who’s in charge of the political process. Rather than being anything to do with results, outcomes or whatever gets done.

Politics is now the biggest distraction of them all when it comes to the change and scale of change that we need. Because the way that elections and the electoral cycle work mean that we really are just going around in circles, whilst everything gets worse, and we keep waiting for the merry go round to come full circle so that the whole problematic rotation can begin all over again.

Our Local Future | FULL TEXT

The Grassroots Manifesto | Full Text

An Economy for the Common Good | Full Text

Manifesto for a Good Dictator | Full Text

Officially NONE OF THE ABOVE | Full Text

The Way of Awakened Politics for Good Government | Full Text

The Makeshift Manifesto | Full Text

We Need a New Constitution for The UK PDF_Vers1_17Sep25 Download

Farm Inheritance Tax was always about wrecking independent UK food production. That’s why it defies common sense

Watching the continuing bewilderment, frustration, fear and anger from so many across the UK farming community is not easy.

But the real difficulty for someone like me isn’t the wholly avoidable tragedies that are part of the much bigger engineered tragedy that is unfolding.

It is the reality that we cannot do a thing about what is happening, and why it is happening, until many more of us, and not least of all people from within farming and its related industries, begin to accept that what we are seeing, experiencing and increasingly becoming victims to, bears no relationship with our reasoned expectations of government and governance. But is instead being driven by a different set of truths that are very difficult to accept.

Whilst many within the farming industry may feel that you can only understand and relate to the turmoil that this one change in public policy has caused, if you are a farmer and have obvious skin in the game yourself, the action taken by the government and its failure to respond to months of concern, in any way which makes sense, is far from being isolated. Not least of all because the Tax that could be raised by the policy is in public spending terms trivial and was never what the change was really about.

Indeed, what appears to just be a nasty attack on ‘rich farmers’, was, is and will continue to be all about food and the independence that locally controlled food production gives us. It’s this that should be concerning us all more than anything.

It is vitally important for anyone who wants to address the real issues that UK food production faces to stop and look beyond the question of Farmers IHT itself.

To begin understanding how the bigger and deliberately complicated picture works, we all need to see how the IHT policy didn’t arrive in isolation. But was in fact just the next step in a long and calculated chain of policy changes and their implementation, which have been reforming, remodelling and slowly strangling, if not killing off all parts of UK food production for a period that now exceeds 50 years.

We should be under no illusion that the Farm Inheritance Tax Policy is part of a much bigger strategy and plan. One that places the end of independent farming and food production of all kinds across the UK at its very heart.

Likewise, we must recognise that food is power. And Who Controls Our Food Controls Our Future.

So those who wish to have control over everything – including people and how we are allowed to live and behave – want to secure complete control of the food chain. Simply because of the absolute control that it will shortly allow them to impose, if the status quo continues, unopposed.

The last thing an establishment already struggling to hide its totalitarian and authoritarian plans for the future wants, is for anyone or any business to exist that can provide any person or any community with the independence that could very quickly derail and wreck everything they aim to do.

Whilst this malfeasant but cleverly legitimised strategy is being slowly but very surely implemented across every area of life today to restrict freedoms, including just about every rule that’s meant to create safety and switch to digital and online alternatives to ‘real life’ that there is, there are none that have quite the same level of potential impact on all of us as food and the supply of it.

Many of those farming smaller, ‘family sized farms’ or rather farm businesses that lie outside of corporate control, understandably perceive a specialised business landscape that cannot exist without subsidies, commercial contracts and the revival of the golden egg – which is a fair income from whatever they produce.

However, contrary to the accepted narrative that tells us ‘This is just how things work’ or this is where ‘progress’ has taken food production in the 21^st century, the truth that we all have to wrestle with a very serious paradox indeed, namely:

The only business sector that can genuinely provide UK Food Security, and with it the freshest, most nutritious, healthiest, most cost-effective food supply, that every person’s body across the UK needs at least twice daily is unable to provide the producers with a viable, unsupported or independent income.

Truly, the idea that growing the food that we genuinely need is not possible, can only begin to make sense when we accept that the whole problem has been created for farmers (and consumers), so that specific interests can be advantaged above others and that this was the deliberate choice of whoever has and is now controlling the levers of government.

Far from being the anachronism that many of today’s two-faced politicians would like voters to believe, small independent family farms are the future of food as a part of a great future for us and for our communities.

The relatively easy to solve problem for farmers and consumers that really is a very big concern of the establishment, is the threat that we will rediscover the legitimacy of food independence, whilst realising that we don’t need centralised power structures and business models to thrive and have much better life experiences on our own.

It’s this that the establishment really doesn’t like and is quietly terrified of.

All the rules that have slowly choked small farmers out of business, following policy change after policy change, heralded by Trojan horses like the Common Agricultural Policy, and bureaucratic initiatives that have cascaded down into practical business operations in ways that have made support industries like abattoirs unviable, through health, environmental and quality rules, have all been created with long term outcomes in mind.

Policy after policy has been created, changed and implemented that have at best been intended to redirect and at worst destroy businesses that could have and still could adapt to the needs that people genuinely have for food. Needs that could otherwise already be being fully met by functioning and supported UK food producers, rather than what is left of UK food producing industries being the victims of engineered circumstances that tell everyone they are unnecessary and are therefore done.

6365 farming businesses have closed in this past year alone and with suggestions made that over 100,000 were lost between 1990 and 2023, it was arguably inevitable that as wider plans for controlling the food supply and pushing public dependency towards sources such as factory made ‘alternative proteins’ became more important, that remaining independent food growing and producing businesses, still capable of changing direction to meet direct public need, should be encouraged to close.

Whilst even now, many reading this essay may well scoff at what I am sharing, I’m afraid that the evidence of all this is now beginning to shout very loudly as it emerges into public view at breakneck speed.

To be fair, it certainly defies the logic and expectations of so many of us, who have always believed that we could trust public representatives to actually do what’s best for us.

Dealing with this problem should be as simple as getting politicians to change their minds. Perhaps do a U-turn. Or even waiting until the next government comes in behind just the latest in a long line who everyone believes to be solely responsible for wrecking everything today.

But it’s not as simple as that in any kind of way.

Government and politics no longer work anything like we expect them to. Or in any way as they should.

With many of the politicians we can publicly identify being incapable of leading as they should and they themselves being wholly reliant upon the advice and direction of many other people and influencers who are both considered to be ‘experts’ (in what?!) and who we are unlikely to ever know of, we have to begin to understand that what and why the politicians we have are doing what they are doing may actually be for reasons that may be very different to what we expect.

Even then, if we knew what the politicians honestly believe, the genuine purpose or truth behind what they are being advised or directed to do may not even then be something that they themselves would easily believe.

Regrettably and rather worryingly, the establishment and any political party, group or movement that is aligned with the establishment, rather than the people and what remain of al independent businesses themselves, will not change the direction of travel of any of this, until they either succeed or their plans are stopped.

This means that to reshape and redirect UK food production, farmers, growers and fishers must themselves voluntarily step away from the reliance and expectation historically placed upon the establishment as well as those who wish to become part of it.

Food producers must take all steps necessary to develop a new, direct relationship with the public and therefore go it alone.

Regrettably, the alternative is to keep shouting whilst continuing to accept the status quo, whilst in effect sitting back and watching as UK food production and everything that still remains able to provide us with genuine freedom is destroyed, right up to the point that traditional, ‘natural’ farming and food growing practices no longer exist, and people will never be able to function independently and away from the control of the establishment ever again.

Who controls Our Food controls Our Future (Full Text)

The need for a collaborative approach to the UK Farming and Food Security Problem

FOOD FROM FARMS GUARANTEED | Full Text

What is Food Security?

Our Local Future | FULL TEXT

The Planned End of UK Food Production PDF_Vers2_15Aug25 Download

Foods We Can Trust – A Food Journey with Everyone in mind

Hi Everyone,

For a long time, I’ve been concerned about Food Security, The Food Chain and the way that the role of Food seems to have been deliberately dismissed, as if Food is not something that is essential for everyone to consume, each and every day.

I wasn’t aware that a common theme was emerging as I began writing a series of eBooks that started with Levelling Level in early 2022, and has now spanned 8 or 9 different books, essays, and blogs.

Food is so much more than being about what it costs. Even though our culture expects and encourages us to think about Food that way.

However, Food isn’t all about Farms, Food Production and the Economy either. And I have been saddened as I have watched the growing issues surrounding UK Food Production and specifically the UK Farming industry. Not because I don’t agree that our Farmers need help. But because none of the issues surrounding Food are as they appear, but everyone continues to believe that treating them as if they are, is how all our Food-related problems will be solved.

The Food Chain should be at the centre of everything. And if we were treating the importance of what we eat in the way that we should be, the way that we live and the way that we experience life would be much better than what we are living through right now.

The Growing Food Crisis

Farmers, like many others with absolutely nothing to do with Food Production who will read this, are victims of a growing Food crisis that many of us don’t even realise exists.

Everyone is being affected in different ways.

This growing Food crisis isn’t directly to do with Farmers Inheritance Tax, building on green belt land, covering productive agricultural land with solar farms, any one of the seemingly endless issues in the News causing upset, or anything you are likely to find from an internet search around foods, farms, climate change or the environment. Although it will certainly flag all sorts of stories that will be viewed by different people, differently.

These Food-related issues are all important in very specific or subjective ways.

But there is a much bigger issue at the heart of all of this that we need to consider carefully before any of the solutions that we can come up with can really work.

The real crisis about our Food and what we eat each and every day, is this:

We take Food for granted.

We take Food for granted. Not just in terms of the supply of our Food and the misplaced confidence we all seem to have that Food will always be there, on a supermarket shelf or ready to be delivered. But more significantly, because we rarely, if ever, give real thought or think consciously about what it is that we actually eat and what the ‘food’ we treat as being a normal part of our lives contains.

Yes, you may have immediately thought something like ‘It’s not that I don’t think about it. It’s just not worth it because what I eat is always about what it costs.’ And you certainly wouldn’t be alone if you did think this.

However, this and the many other thoughts and different perspectives that might be triggered by touching on this question certainly reveal or open the door to a rather uncomfortable truth: We have all allowed or just accepted that the food we consume is not as important to everyone as it should be.

The importance of The Food We Eat

Let’s be clear. Food is as important as the Air that we breathe and the Water that we drink.

Yet because the results of eating food that isn’t good for us aren’t in any way as immediate as they are if we breathe bad (or oxygen deficient) Air, or drink Water that is contaminated in some way, we really have become dangerously indifferent about the Foods that we eat.

Perhaps the easiest reason to be dismissive (or excuse not thinking consciously about our Food) is the idea that as long as we are not feeling hungry, nothing else matters when it comes to what we eat.

Yes, people do eat whatever food is available, that is accessible and fits with their lifestyle and think that if it has all been financially affordable, then as far as what they eat is concerned, that really is all there is to worry about.

We cannot and should not blame anyone for feeling that way. They are supposed to.

Regrettably, accepting the status quo and all the messaging that goes with it, without question can have and for some already has had life-changing consequences.

Mental health issues, physical health problems, obesity, compromised longevity and the many offshoots that shoot out in every direction of life are just the issues already affecting millions of lives because of the Food that we eat. And that’s before we begin to consider what our relationship with Food should really be because of the impact that it has or will have in so many other ways across our lives too.

Changing Minds Changes Lives

The importance of the Food we eat is something that we all have in common – whether we like it or not.

Once politics, idealism, religion, profiteering and other agendas and self-serving ideas are removed from the Food Chain, We are all the same. We all have the same essential needs.

We are all human beings with the same need to consume Foods at every mealtime that are genuinely good for us.

Eating properly and eating well should be normal for all of us. Just as it once was, before an endless list of apparently compelling reasons began to grow, peddling what sound like compelling stories like the one that says, ‘Good Food is too expensive to eat’.

The reason stories like these become the accepted truth is because Good Food being expensive to buy IS the experience that some people genuinely have. An apparent problem that someone else always seems happy to provide a solution to that only really benefits them in some way.

If the idea that we cannot afford good food, as opposed to the reality that we cannot afford the cost of not eating well in so many ways sounds conflicted to you, you are certainly not alone. And thinking differently about ALL of the Food that crosses our lips and that we consume at every mealtime really is the start of a Food Journey that has the ability to fix so many different things that aren’t working well for us today.

Please join me on the Foods We Can Trust Food Journey

I’m writing about this today, because I have just launched a new website and social media channels to begin a discussion, information sharing, signposting and awareness raising ‘Food Journey’ that I have called Foods We Can Trust.

Foods We Can Trust really should be a name that immediately speaks for itself – and it does.

But ‘Foods We Can Trust’ also triggers many different thoughts, feelings and suggestions that always being able to eat the right Food for us is no longer something that the world we live in today can enable us to do.

I’m about to begin posting about Foods We Can Trust, and I hope that as someone who eats Food every day, you will join me along the way.

If once you’ve visited www.foodswecantrust.org, you’ve had a look around and you feel there is something more you could share that might help others – even if its just a recipe for making a great meal out of Foods We Can Trust, or tips on how and when to Grow Your Own, please do get in touch.

Let’s all share this genuinely important Food Journey together, as it may give us an opportunity to help everyone else who values Foods We Can Trust too.

Best wishes and thank you for your support.

Adam

http://www.foodswecantrust.org

Manifesto for a Good Dictator | Full Text

The outcomes that we want from politics and government can only come by first embracing governance that takes us a very different way.

Introduction

There are few of us who remain happy with the way that politics, elections, politicians, government, public services and public servant’s work. And that’s when we are just looking at the bits of the whole sorry picture that we understand.

January 2025 saw much hope invested in the returning President and Administration in the USA – with many believing that the arrival of the man in the red hat will signal positive change throughout the world.

Meanwhile, the first 6 months of a new Labour administration in the UK, that has already caused so much public concern, is giving way to polls suggesting that the Reform Party may be on its way to forming the next government. Whenever the next general election comes.

However convincing these narratives may be, they are based only upon what people and the media see. Not what is really happening behind the scenes.

They are surface deep or taken at face value at their best. And because none of the key or leading players in this game have actually changed – but we being told they are, it is likely to be the case that we will all again be feeling very disappointed before long.

Nothing has changed. And as far as any ‘realignment’ is concerned, the only thing that’s realigned is that which has been necessary to change, so that we believe or will at least accept that there has been some kind of change.

Meanwhile, the same people, same motives and same plans are in charge and everything really has stayed the same.

For too long, a few people have been using groups and influence to shape our worlds to serve only themselves. We now need just one person to shape the world so that it serves not only every different group, but each and every person too.

Many will argue that no such thing as a Good Dictator exists and that the term itself is an oxymoron.

However, the world and the impact of systems of governance we are experiencing today are already being run by dictatorships. They are simply presented to us differently and sold to us with narratives, giving them different names which appear to mean very different things.

In the pages of Manifesto for a Good Dictator, I will explain why now is the time for us all to think differently; why it is becoming increasingly likely that only the right person can sort the mess out that we are now in, and what the policies would look like that they would need to implement, so that future generations will be able to experience living in a genuine democracy, that actually works.

Part 1: A Good Dictator is the only option if we want Freedom and a Just, Fair and Balanced world

The problem at the centre of all problems

Politics and the political system in the U.K. are broken.

This means that government and everything that government does is broken too, and that everything we understand as being a public service probably isn’t working for me, for you, or for anyone else that we know either.

It’s a simplistic way of putting it. But the chances are that you can relate to part, if not all of the above sentence.

Whilst few of us may be able to explain why, this is a statement that feels like it makes perfect sense.

Politics is fickle at best. And as far as the relationship that voters have with politics is concerned, we regrettably have very short memories about what politicians are doing. But most importantly about what our politicians have done.

Do you want what sounds good for your future, or do you need what works best?

The challenge we face today, is that no matter what happens next in politics, whether we have a General Election, have a different political party running the country, or even adopt a different system of electing politicians from the same pool of political parties, nothing is going to change.

We only need look back to July 2024 and the expectations that people had that Labour would be better because they were different, to see what lies ahead.

It really doesn’t matter what politicians say. It’s what they do that counts.

The problems that we have across society are set to continue.

In all likelihood, they are likely to get considerably worse. Just as they have since July.

But how did we get here? Why are politicians so poor? What would make them different?

Is it possible for the same people and the same system to deliver change?

There are key factors that are common for politicians across today’s political class, no matter which political parties they represent. They have all contributed to the situation that we are now in.

They are:

Anger
Ambition
Avarice
Control
Corruption
Fear
Greed
Ignorance
Lack of care, compassion, humanity and understanding of human value
Lack of life experience
Lack of self-awareness / awareness of others
Nepotism
Obsession with power
Self-aggrandisement
Self interest
Selfishness
Self-righteousness

If you stop to think about your experiences of anyone you know who you could attribute any, some or all of the above character traits to, the one thing that draws all of them together is the need to put themselves and what is important to them, first.

However, politicians have also become highly skilled in making it sound like whatever they want is in everyone else’s best interests – no matter what the cost of achieving what is important to them might be to everyone else.

Our so-called Democracy is a sham that is now failing each Person that needs it most.

We are already ruled by a Bad Dictatorship

The time has passed when it could be argued that any disquiet, concern and frustration with the political and electoral system that we have can simply be attributed to the Country or our Councils being led by people we didn’t elect.

None of the political parties we have today represent anyone other than themselves and whatever cause is most important to those who lead them at any one time.

Which will either be ambition, ‘job’ security or both.

Politicians representing the political parties themselves are told what to support and what they should vote for. Either by a very strong leader, or by the very small group of usually unelected advisors, experts and specialists that surround those who ‘lead’.

As the decisions on public policy that affect us all are being made by a very limited number of people, we can conclude that we are already living within a dictatorship.

We are therefore living in dictatorship that is hiding in plain sight, being led under false pretences by people we probably don’t know and would never elect.

Getting to this place has been a long journey.

Democracy can work well.

But democracy doesn’t work well unless there is a robust system of checks and balances in place that prevent it being taken over by the imposters who covet and then progress themselves and those they favour towards positions of power and influence.

The flaws of Democracy

Unfortunately, the problems with our democracy are neither new nor specific.

The rot extends throughout the whole thing.

The problems with our democracy have happened before and classical philosophers such as Socrates and Plato both talked about the flaws that exist within a democratic system.

A Democracy is only as good as the people who are appointed by it.

If a system of checks and balances cannot maintain an appropriate level of quality through the majority of the representatives, so that the majority of the representatives can hold the existence of that body fully accountable at all times, it is inevitable that democracy will fail in its democratic purpose.

The UK should be run only by those with the appropriate skills, experience, knowledge, attitude, ability and above all by those who are equipped with the morality and ethics and with the integrity necessary to always act in the best interests of everyone.

This holds true, even when decisions may outwardly appear to hurt or disadvantage some so that all can benefit or prosper from the outcome.

This is a very big ask when the UK is in a mess that is getting increasingly worse.

Unfortunately, the cost of failing to act is rising for everyone.

We must ask the question, ‘How long can things continue like this, in the hands of the same people and interests, before what we understand as freedom and the ability for us all to be happy, healthy, safe and secure finally collapses?’

Those who broke our Democracy and System of Government will not fix it

The point we have reached today, when we are aware enough to ask such a question about our so-called democracy is where things begin to get tricky.

All at a time when everything else is getting very tricky too.

Everything across ‘The System’ is broken or has been manipulated to serve specific interests so effectively, that the entire System must be revised, replaced, restored, reinvigorated, re regulated and completely transformed. So that ‘The System’ works for everyone in a Balanced, Fair and Just way.

The people who are today’s politicians or who are impatiently waiting at the electoral door to replace them will not change what really needs to be changed.

Because that would mean changing the politicians and that would mean them stepping aside so that they themselves can be replaced.

The politicians we have, whether elected or in waiting, will not take the steps necessary to change a system that they and their kind either created, facilitated, and even now continue to believe they will benefit from.

The change of politicians we expect to be able to make at the next General Election will not change anything

If we were to replace every one of the politicians that we have now – with The System that we have, through democratic elections, the politicians we have the ‘option’ or ‘choice’ to replace them with would not collectively possess the understanding of the current system that would be needed to instruct the process of change necessary.

Those ‘replacement’ politicians certainly wouldn’t agree upon the steps necessary to achieve that change, no matter how well they might be guided by those who know.

The complexity and interconnectedness of the problems that span every part of public policy require a level of vision, understanding, determination and leadership that cannot be achieved through a process of reaching collective agreement over every decision that must be made.

Yes, democracy requires that the support or agreement of the majority will make decisions upon who we elect and how we elect them. Whether that be as an individual or as a political party or group.

It then also requires that the ‘elected’ decide who leads them and then in turn how the decisions they are supposed to be responsible for are then made.

However, we are now in such a mess because the version of democracy we have is completely broken.

Our democracy has been so twisted and manipulated to work in the best interests of those who are elected and influence them, that our version of democracy or anything that resembles it cannot fix the problems that it has already created.

And the problems that we now have are snowballing every day, leading to many more.

Changing the electoral system will not change the outcome, for as long as the same people and ideas are involved

Whilst many will have sympathy for the argument that the flaw of our democracy is only the biggest group of voters are represented and that it would be fairer for every different view to be represented by the same percentage through Proportional Representation (PR), it’s not the existing First Past the Post (FPTP) system that is the problem.

It’s the ideas and the motives of the people who want and believe they would benefit from PR that are the problem.

Without changing the politicians themselves, PR would only ever appear to benefit many additional sets of ideas and thinking.

However, without changing the politicians and the political mindset, all PR would achieve would be to solidify a situation where even less people will get what they really need from government, the public sector and our system of governance.

Promises need majorities. Promises aren’t kept when everything is about compromise

With PR, there is even less likely to be a majority within our councils and parliament too.

Meaning that public policy will not resemble anything like that we are promised on the doorsteps and in the party manifestos in the weeks leading up to an election or vote.

The uncomfortable truth that those who want the political jobs but not the representative responsibilities is that as far as making the changes across the entirety of the public sphere that we all now desperately need are concerned, PR would simply give us more of the wrong politicians to make decisions ‘on our behalf’, which would in turn set the problems that we now have very firmly in stone.

It’s all human nature. We need a solution that respects humanity and doesn’t exploit it, without being weakened by human nature itself

A healthy democracy can only be maintained when everyone within that democracy is committed to being responsible for it.

This is not where we are today.

Many genuinely believe that the societal problems that we have will just get sorted out by someone else as they always have done. And that everything that feels uncomfortable at the moment, will soon be put right.

The problem with this approach to politics and surrendering the responsibilities that we have to the wrong people is that any belief that our responsibility ends with a vote, quickly disintegrates upon impact, with the reality that many of the politicians in The System understand and abuse how this situation works.

Those politicians go on to make decisions and take actions that are completely at odds with what anyone could reasonably expect that an honest public representative would do.

Because experience tells them that they can get away with it.

The mess poor politicians create easily gets hidden. Because when there are so many politicians arguing with each other and the system of government itself has become so complex, it is too easy for those with their own agendas to do whatever they want to benefit either themselves or the people they are influenced by.

Meanwhile, politicians hide what they are doing and the harm it is doing to all of us by answering any questions we have with responses such as ‘That’s just the way it is’, ‘That’s how it all works’, or ‘There weren’t enough of us to support the action we wanted to take in that vote’.

Is it all a big Conspiracy?

Regrettably, an increasing number of people believe the real reason so much seems to be going wrong and problems appear to be springing up everywhere, or public policy is always morphing into new ways that will hurt us, is because there is some kind of giant conspiracy at work.

However, the truth is much simpler.

In fact, the truth is so simple that it is very hard to believe.

The social problems that we have and the way that everything is being taken from us, is simply the consequence of how people with power and influence who are obsessed with money and material wealth, behave when they have become so insulated from the lives of others, they genuinely believe that what they are doing is a justified way to behave.

It is incredible just how quickly any person can lose sight of where they have come from and the role they used to play when they have been elevated to a platform that makes them believe that they are different to others and therefore special in some way.

When people have been insulated from the realities of the lives of others from birth, it makes the detachment and the lack of understanding they have for real life, even worse.

This is human nature at its worst. It’s how people can and will behave, based on the choices that they make.

The current democratic system doesn’t work because of the inadequacy of the ‘representatives’ within it

There are few people in positions of power and influence today who have experienced life from a range of different angles and pathways, who also have the ability, self-awareness and wherewithal to reflect upon what they have seen and how they have lived, and are then able to use that experience objectively for the benefit of others.

To have really lived and experienced the lives that so many are experiencing today, it necessarily follows that genuine leaders will have had to have endured difficulties, challenges and pain, as well as what we might all recognise as being good times.

A genuinely Good Leader would be able to rationalise and take the real learning away from their experiences in ways that would be of genuine help and benefit to others.

More importantly, they would be able to represent those who need proper representation and a real voice.

The attributes of good Leadership are currently scarce

There isn’t one person alive in the world today who has experienced the same life as anyone else.

There certainly isn’t anyone alive who possesses the life experiences of all other people.

However, there are some who can see how life, business and government works for everyone, who are able to cut through and see what is genuinely just, balanced and fair for everyone.

Beyond the temptation of considering only what is best for themselves.

The saying and acting vs doing ‘trap’

Let us be very clear. It is not as simple as suggesting that whoever leads us and makes decisions on our behalf needs to be someone who can empathise and cares.

Politicians being seen to be nice to everyone and requiring everyone to be nice to each other is a key part of the problems that the world currently has.

The kind of leadership that we now need must be able to recognise the influences and prejudices of their own human nature, in everything that they do.

A Good Leader will step beyond the restrictions, prejudices and barriers formed in isolation by their own experiences, even when their emotions tell them to take a different path – IF that is the RIGHT thing to do, for everyone who is ultimately involved.

Finding even a small number of people with these kinds of qualities who would be prepared to take on a political or leadership role would be almost impossible with the way that the world works and conditions everyone today.

This means that if such a leader or politician were available and ready to serve in this capacity, we might soon find ourselves having to accept that the Country isn’t led by many people democratically elected.

It may need to be run for a period of time by just one.

Democracy isn’t over and will return. But Our Future Democracy will not be anything like its current form

We must keep working for anything that’s worth having in our lives.

The same principle works for everything that benefits us at community level too.

It’s because we no longer value real democracy that our democracy is now broken beyond repair in its current form.

Decision making on public policy should always be conducted at the closest level it can be to the people and the communities who will be affected by the decisions being made.

That way, the people making the decisions on our behalf have real understanding of the issues that the community they represent faces.

People making decisions on public policy at local level within our Communities are equipped to consider the idiosyncrasies of the situation, and are close enough to be kept reliably informed in relation to matters that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to understand at the experiential level.

We are so used to the parade or circus of political party candidates – for 6 weeks before an election, that we have lost sight of how important the selection of candidates to run in democratic elections really is – no matter the level or tier of government that they will be elected to represent us.

Posting one-size fits all newsletters through our doors, or people who may not even live locally suddenly becoming all-knowing in the issues that are important to us may be able make candidates look and sound good.

But candidates presented to us on ballot papers as a choice that was made by people from outside the Community with their own agendas is not how credible, reliable and robust public representation can be assured.

It will take time to change a system that has been choosing the people we elect for us, for decades.

Regrettably, we have surrendered the right to check the qualifications, motives, abilities, skills and suitability of the people we elect and left that choice to political parties who generally choose candidates based on whether or not they will toe the party line and do exactly what they are told by the political parties they represent.

Our Communities will need time to adapt to a very different approach to political candidate selection.

An approach that will put power back at the heart of the smallest of our Communities and reverses the damage that has increasingly been done by years of candidate selection driven by people who we don’t know and are likely to never visit the streets or the villages in which we live.

As much power as possible must be brought back to our communities from Westminster.

This will not be achieved through the current political policy of ‘Devolution’, which is Regional Centralisation by another name.

Bringing so much power back and placing it in local hands means we must have a robust system in place to select those people who will use it on our behalf.

This is a process that will take time and careful design to create and implement.

The most pressing issue we have is that we cannot continue to allow poor politicians to operate at any level whilst that change takes place.

But neither can we just assume that people who are completely new to public representation and what that responsibility really means will be ready to take all the steps necessary, when the only example of politics that they have experienced is one that doesn’t work.

The direction politics is taking us today isn’t a good one

There are still too many of us who believe that change will be achieved simply by changing the people who we elect to political office.

Meaning that change will continue to be based solely on the political parties and therefore the ideologies and agendas that they represent.

Many genuinely believe that the problems that the Country faces today have been caused in a matter of months.

Perhaps since the Ukraine War began. Perhaps because of the Covid Pandemic. Or perhaps because of Brexit and the way that the Government responded to that before.

The more political among us might also suggest that problems have only existed in government since Labour were elected in July 2024.

Whilst none of them are wrong in a manner of speaking, or from a particular point of view, they are also far from being correct.

Equally, the way the period of history that we are already experiencing is being referred to in different ways and with names such as The Age of Consequence, The Age of Disorder, The Great Reset and even World War 3 are not correct. But neither are they wrong.

All of these are someone else’s truths.

Politics and political decisions can impact People and Countries for centuries

The study of politics and current affairs will quickly demonstrate that events can be influenced either directly or indirectly by public policies that were implemented and adopted perhaps centuries before the event or issue in question.

It can be argued that the majority of the problems that we face today are built upon an economic theory called Neoliberalism and the adoption of a related monetary system and policy called FIAT throughout the western world in 1971.

However, the reality that we face is that many of the behaviours visited upon the poor and vulnerable by the wealthy and those in power, have also been visited upon the poor and vulnerable for centuries before now.

A process with different names such as capitalism, industrialism, socialism, neoliberalism, corporatism, globalism and communism, that we associate with centuries of history, all relate to the acceptance, adoption and maintenance of a system that is neither fair, just or balanced.

Just as the ability for the elites to influence politics, government, money and manipulate laws exists today, what has always been a very unjust situation for those at the bottom of the wealth pyramid has steadily headed upwards through the classes and the demographics, as the distance between rich and poor has grown.

The wealth divide has become increasingly and progressively worse. Because The System we have can only make the few fantastically wealthy, by making everyone else progressively poor.

The System is over. It just hasn’t ended yet

The difference between the centuries where change and deterioration was slow and what we are experiencing today, is that the whole period or cycle is now coming to its end.

As it does so, events like Brexit, the response to the Covid Pandemic, the War in Ukraine and the Fiscal and Public Policies of the Labour Government (and the Tories before them…) have simply speeded the process up – much like an overrevving engine will run fastest in the moments just before it explodes.

The political parties that we have to choose from today have nothing new between them that they can offer us or anyone else.

The existing political parties are all committed to the establishment-driven neoliberal model and the free-market idealism that it promotes.

That is why we hear politicians from every side telling us that the success of the country can be measured by ‘growth’.

What many, perhaps even all of the politicians that we have today do not realise is The System that that has been so good to them and all the various interests that have been making huge financial gains by exploiting others and inflicting so much pain, hunger and expense, cannot and will not be able to continue in its current form.

Life cannot continue as it has: The System will collapse

We are and have been living unsustainably across the planet for decades.

Not because we need to.

But so that those who have much already, can make more and more money, without any care for the true cost.

There is no money left.

The Country has technically been bankrupt for years.

Politicians have been creating money out of thin air using little more than accountancy tricks, that have made it necessary for them to make highly damaging policy decisions to justify what they are doing.

The only reason that the financial system hasn’t collapsed yet, is because so many of us still believe that the pretend money that bankers, financiers and governments have created is actually real.

The Coming Collapse

‘The System’ that we have is likely to collapse at any time.

The Collapse could come from any one of a number of different directions, and be set in motion by any one of a range of different things.

It could be because of another pandemic. It could be because of a war. It could be because the FIAT monetary system falls apart first in a country such as the USA.

It could also be because we end up with people on the streets rioting in the UK. Because the Basic and Essential food that they and their loved one’s need for meals each day is no longer something that they can afford.

It won’t matter who we elect when the next General Election comes.

The direction of travel will remain the same. The end result or outcome that results directly from being led by people who couldn’t do anything to help us if they even wanted to, because of the way that the system around them now works, will end up with the same outcome, with everything collapsing just the same.

The threat of tyranny – from doing nothing or from allowing anyone who is able to seize control to do so

We already know what the results of having a bad dictator or dictatorship look like.

Because with the broken form of democracy that we have in the UK today, a bad, albeit hidden dictatorship is what we have already got. A Bad Dictatorship is what we are experiencing already.

Even if we can accept that we only have a democracy today in name, the number of us who are ready to accept that the situation that this Country faces is very serious and that events could take over at any time is remarkably small.

This lack of acceptance has led to a lack of preparedness for the future, to uncertainty and a resistance to beneficial change that is directly related to the way of thinking that could be best described as being ‘It couldn’t happen here’.

When public trust in politicians and the establishment is as paper thin as it is today, it will not take much for a majority of people who appear to be completely bought-in to the gaslighting and mind games that the establishment have been playing, to realise that ‘The System’ is no longer one that we can trust.

If and when that happens – and the chances are that without there being significant change, it certainly will – it will happen quickly and is likely to create a political void into which anyone could step in.

The future of the world could change by accident, in little more than a moment

Whilst we look back at history as if every event that has taken place was destined to be, or was just a guaranteed thing even before it happened, this certainly has never been the case.

Timelines most definitely exist and in some of their most obvious and basic forms, find their way into our lives as choices that the people who lead us have or will make at key moments in time.

The 1917 Russian Revolution could very easily not have turned out the way that it did.

Because many of the key moments and actions taken were based upon Lenin and the key people around him being bold enough to exploit opportunities at very specific moments in time and in circumstances that others did not.

Had the sequence of events been different, the Russian Royal Family may never have been slain. The Cold War may never have happened and Putin might not have invaded Ukraine.

Pivotal, epoch-changing choices could be made and exploited by people in the future, just because they are in the right place at the right time to do so.

People who we would never want to have in charge of our lives will quickly do everything they can to prevent anyone who opposed them from being anywhere near power over everyone ever again, once they have the power to stop them.

The hidden dictatorship dressed up as democracy that we are experiencing now is bad enough.

Freedom will be gone in every conceivable way, if we should accidently find ourselves with an openly bad dictator who sees everything ahead of them as being about them and their own personal choice.

Part 2: Why We need a Good Dictator

We have discussed why our current system of government and the way that we elect people to represent us as politicians is no longer working.

We have also discussed why the current political system cannot and will not deliver the change that the UK now needs.

Before we discuss the purpose of this book, or the outcomes we can expect from having a Good Dictator, let’s take a moment for a quick review of the reasoning that has led to this Manifesto for a Good Dictator.

The reasons we need a Good Dictator include:

The flaws that exist within our democracy have now taken over and overwhelmingly influence the system of politics and governance that we have.
The political system in the UK is broken.
The politicians that we have and those who wish to replace them will not change the relationship that they have with The System unless they are doing so to solidify their position.
Changing the electoral system from First Past the Post to Proportional Representation would only make the issues we have with politics and politicians even worse, if the way we select candidates for elected office hasn’t been changed.
Everything in politics today is about a level of compromise that only serves the best interests of the people we elect.
Compromise won’t deliver the changes that we now need.
The interconnectivity and complexity of the issues surrounding public policy will take too long for any multiple-member council, parliament or other body to address.
Changing the public representatives we have just by changing the political party will be no better than keeping those we already have. Because their inexperience will leave them as vulnerable to the advice of civil servants, advisors and specialists as those ‘in power’ now.
The level of change necessary now requires a level of commitment and leadership that cannot be delivered on the basis of which argument wins.
The risk exists that with a political and leadership void opening up, a dictatorship is now inevitable in some form.
If Dictatorship is indeed inevitable, we should make the choice between outright tyranny and leadership that is driven for the right reasons, so that the net outcome for everyone will be A Good Future for Everyone.
Only sheer bloody-mindedness, vision, belief and unquestionable integrity on the part of one leader, supported by people who have also left their egos behind, can drive and make the changes necessary to save and expand our freedoms, secure the future and give everyone a Fair, Balanced and Just experience of life.

The Noise of ‘No’

As you progress through the Policies that follow in this Manifesto for a Good Dictator, you will notice that they are geared towards people and more importantly, towards systems, ways of being, rules and regulations that deliver a system of governance that treats everyone as being equal. Or, that puts People First.

Some will argue that such an approach would be ‘socialist’ or ‘utopian’. And that this form of governance or model for our future society is impractical or chimeric.

However, whilst those voices lined up against the need for change use labels as a simple argument against change that they perceive as likely to result in loss for them, what is proposed in this Manifesto does not restrict creativity, entrepreneurial spirit or freedom in any way.

In fact, it encourages all of it.

Manifesto for a Good Dictator proposes that industriousness is harnessed for the good of all. That any material or monetary reward for doing so will recognise the effort made and the risk taken, without being excessive or coming at unforeseen or deliberately overlooked cost to others.

Those who have exploited people they will never meet, and caused misery, just so that they can accumulate profits and wealth, to levels that they would never need just to live very comfortable life, have no right to prevent anyone else from achieving either the same.

Nor do they have the right to stand in the way of any Person being able to live a life and to experience a standard of living that means they can be content without looking to the community for support, for charity or having to resort to debt, just so that they can survive.

Nobody has the right to make a profit

Profit will always come from doing the right thing by everyone.

But profit can be measured in multiple ways.

The majority of the ways that any Person can profit from their actions and ideas, do not relate to money.

The right thing for everyone is for the community to ensure that every person has the opportunity to enter life without immediate financial disadvantage.

It is then the responsibility and choice of the individual that determines where and what steps they will take.

Disadvantage has been used as an excuse for punishment and actions that are no better than punishment against others by those who see themselves as being different for too long.

No Person who finds themselves with advantages in life, should ever be able to exploit those experiencing disadvantage, by choice.

Whether that decision be conscious or without thought.

Anyone who says ‘No’ directly, to a fair, just and balanced system, through the words that they use or the actions they take has forfeited the right to enjoy any privileges that advantage them over others.

Aiming for the best Outcomes without being tied to a fixed plan to get there

Beware any Person or politician with a leadership role who says they have a plan or spends time getting people or other politicians to approve or agree to one.

Plans for government and the public sector are notorious for the failures that they are and that they become.

Simply because any plan made today cannot account for the issues that will arise along the way.

Politicians have either fallen into the trap that fixed plans or strategies inevitably create or have deliberately hidden behind them as a way to apportion blame when anything they cannot avoid committing to isn’t going to work out.

Even a satnav has to deviate from the preferred route that it might provide when we begin a journey. Because the events and issues like accidents and maintenance that get in the way, cannot always be predicted.

Changing the way that public policy and The System works for the better, is very similar to the Satnav. Albeit the complexity and interconnectedness of all the issues that need to be addressed almost guarantee that nobody and not even AI could create a perfect working plan or strategy that would never have to change. Simply because there are going to be so many different unforeseen factors or ‘working parts’ involved.

However, when we use a satnav, the destination always remains the same, no matter the route that we use that actually gets there, or the time that it takes for us to do so.

It’s the outcome that is most important. Not how we get there

The desired end result or outcome from using and trusting that satnav, is that we want to reach that certain destination.

We now need a very special kind of satnav for the journey that our Country is on so that we reach A Good Future for Everyone.

We can no longer afford to keep getting lost because somebody somewhere is changing direction along the way.

In order that we achieve the outcomes that we need so that we can achieve a Just, Fair and Balanced way of life for everyone that has genuine equality at its very core, it is essential that we dedicate ourselves to a journey that focuses on the destination, rather than getting bogged down by ridiculous arguments on the best way to get there from the very start.

Today’s political parties and the politicians have proven they cannot do this.

Because their own aims, ambitions, motives and ideas always influence the route that they want to take. With the outcome inevitably being very different from whatever they tell us it is or is going to be.

The drive, determination and dedication necessary to delivering the results and outcomes that will be good for all of us can only be delivered by singlemindedness.

That level of singlemindedness will only be possible and achievable through the acceptance of just one person as leader.

And it is essential that the Leader we have is Good.

Timeline

It is foolish to believe that change of the magnitude now required can or will be achieved overnight.

The quickest that any form of meaningful change can be achieved would be as the direct result of an event or series of events that make change for everyone necessary.

Meaning that real change will be something that even those who would never consider change otherwise, would then be willing to accept.

This kind of event is not something that any of us should knowingly or willingly wish for.

Such an event is a real prospect however, given the state of the world today and the mess that we are now in.

We are currently heading for a date with destiny

There is considerable risk that if the void in leadership and governance is extended beyond the political void that we have today, someone or a group will willingly step into it and take us on a path or trajectory that could prove to be even worse than the one that we are already on.

Opportunists rarely take opportunities for anyone other than themselves.

Because doing so at the speed required means that they can only relate the situation faced in terms of the benefits to themselves and what the future would mean for them, if the steps they take were to be successful.

Preventing the intervention of a tyrant, if the future should unfold in this way will be hard enough.

And there are plenty who would argue that we are already beginning to experience such a situation right now.

However, embarking on journey of massive change will also lead to many moments when other opportunists will try to step in and take whatever opportunities they can for themselves.

These interventions will be based on impatience and what may be perceived as a lack of progress, to anyone who cannot see that progress will not always resemble anything and that the progress necessary will be underway as a process over a prolonged period of time.

A civic term in local government today is 4 years.

In parliament, the maximum term of any government cannot extend beyond 5 years.

5 years is not enough time to do anything with the structure of government that exists today.

Because the structure of government that we have today is being used to say no to anything helpful or puts People First at every turn.

We face a situation where government, every part of the public sector and the governance it provides needs to be revised.

Whilst immediate steps can be taken to halt the problems that so much mismanagement has caused, it will take a much longer period to restructure and reform everything and then implement the replacement systems and processes.

All whilst the country continues to function and ideally thrive, and before a new model of democracy is operational and ready to step in.

The timeline of a Good Dictatorship could easily be a period of 20 to 25 years.

20 – 25 years will seem like an eternity to the young who will be the leaders and politicians of tomorrow, by the time that this work has been done.

But it will seem like no time at all to the older generations who have either experienced the realities of time, or have ignored them when they have been the main contributors or architects of all the problems and pain that have been caused.

The Watershed: Everything for All

Whilst it will come as a great shock to those who believe wisdom can only come with age, young people have been taking the lead in recognising that the answers and the solutions to our problems aren’t going to come from anything that we’ve already got.

Many young people like the idea of having a Good or Beneficent Dictator.

When older generations can see from history what Dictatorship could mean, they may well wonder how it could possibly be that younger, inexperienced people are right.

Even though it is older generations that have already allowed a dictatorship to exist that masquerades as a form of democracy that shows it doesn’t work, the moment that you begin to look at how it really functions.

The young are the Future. Our Future.

Those who will lead us when the change that we need has been created and delivered will be those we know as millennials, generation Z and then generation alpha.

Older generations are quick to dismiss young people, and the world today gives many reasons why they should.

However, the change that is coming is about everyone.

The change that delivers A Good Future for Everyone will be within everyone.

By the time the process of change is complete, the world and the way that our responsibilities are structured will not be anything like they are or as we understand them to be today.

The model for living and the design for life that we embrace will be crafted for the benefit of everyone as they will expect A Good Future for Everyone to look.

But our future will also be designed with careful consideration of how with age and the addition of experience our perceptions of the world and everything we experience will change.

Part 2: Creating a Democracy and future for each Person that today’s phoney democracy cannot

The Reestablishment

There are no easy choices, halfway houses or hacks that we can fall back upon when it comes to fixing everything that is broken in the world that we know today.

Change of the magnitude required will take time. It cannot be rushed.

But change will be happening continually throughout the period of time we require A Good Dictator, so that everything and every part of the new system and our new democracy is ready to work, when the Good Dictator steps down.

This period or chapter of our time will not be a revolution as such.

Even though that’s how history will see it.

This period will be a Reestablishment of a System that actually works beneficially for all, and for the purposes of the policy outcomes that follow.

It will deliver A Good Future for Everyone.

Democracy (Policy 1) [P.1.0]

The key outcome and meaningful change that will result from the Good Dictatorship, benefitting everyone in a Balanced, Fair and Just way, will be the replacement of the existing phoney democratic system, electoral system and system of government that exists today.

With the system of Governance that we have working only for itself and for those who benefit from it, The System has passed any point of good it could reach.

The existing system has proven to be too easily corrupted for it to be able to provide the assurance of impartiality that will ensure a truly Balanced, Fair and Just System of Governance for the future, that can be fully accessible to all, and for it to be maintained as such.

The public policies that will provide the foundation of the new democracy:

[P.1.1] The Foundation of The New Democracy

Democracy will begin at Community level and flow from the Grassroots Up.
Existing tiers of government (Parish, Town, Borough, District, County, Unitary, Assembly, Parliament, Mayorships, Police & Crime Commissioners etc) will cease to exist.
ALL today’s ‘sitting’ politicians are representatives of the old world. The ‘seats’ they were elected to represent will cease to exist.
Today’s elected Politicians will no longer hold any responsibility – assumed, or otherwise – for anything in the public realm.
Political parties will be prohibited because they pursue ideologies and motives not shared by the majority.
No former politician who was a member of any former registered political party will be eligible to become a candidate for election as a Community Representative or to any public office for a minimum period of 12 years.
The creation of the New Democracy shall not rely upon the guidance or ‘expertise’ of today’s establishment figures or any advisor, expert or specialist who has played their part or have been directly responsible for the problems that the UK faces today.
All former establishment leaders will relinquish their posts.
All public policy decisions and the weight of responsibility and power placed by the people under trust shall be placed upon Local Assemblies.
Responsibility for public policy decisions shall only be deferred to a level of Community covering a larger geographical area and include public responsibility for more people where it makes practical sense to do so.
The functional, operational or service delivery aspects of all existing tiers of government (with the exception of what are stand alone or non-government public organisations) shall continue under the management and guidance of the relevant Community Assembly until such time as those services have been removed, reformed, revised or redefined.
Responsibility for the provision of public services provided by stand alone and non-government public service providers will be allocated to Community Assemblies under Public Interest Companies (PIC).

[P.1.2] Local Assemblies

Local Assemblies will be opened to the membership and democratic participation of all adults who reside within a Community or locality.
Local Assemblies shall be responsible for all decision making on public policy that can be carried out and implemented at Community Level.
A Local Assembly area may be defined by what were previously known as Parish or Town Council Wards (Not the whole area of an existing Town or Parish Council catchment – as these may be significant), or by the geographic boundaries of a small village, hamlet or definable suburban or Town area, whichever is smaller.
Where Parish or Town Councils currently do not exist, equivalent areas shall be defined and used as the catchment area for its own Local Assembly.
The Community shall appoint no less than 5 and no more than 7 Community Representatives to take decisions on behalf of the Community, when there is not sufficient time for a Local Assembly to be called.
Community Representatives will be elected to Local Assemblies for terms of 3 years.
Community Representatives can be re-elected to a Local Assembly no more than 6 times (allowing them to ‘sit’ as a Community Representative within a Local Assembly for no more than 21 years in total).
Community Representatives shall possess appropriate skills, knowledge and experience that will enable them to answer questions and discuss public policy matters objectively and without bias in a Local Assembly.
Community Representatives will each be appointed to research and gain understanding of public policy areas that fall outside the remit of the Local Assembly itself.
Local Assemblies will meet monthly or as frequently as necessary to ensure that no Community business is carried over for a period exceeding 30 days from when it became known.
With the exception of emergency decisions – which will themselves be defined by the Local Assembly, ALL decisions will be made by majority vote, by all members of the Community present at the relevant meeting of the Local Assembly.
Local Assemblies will elect an Assembly Facilitator for each Year.
Local Assembly Facilitators can be re-elected twice (and able to Facilitate for up to 3 consecutive years).
Local Assembly Facilitators will not be permitted to volunteer to for the role again, once they have stepped down.
Local Assemblies will make all local decisions on public policy, with delivery itself undertaken under the operational management and guidance of Community Assemblies.
Local Assemblies shall elect 2 Community Representatives to its Community Assembly.
Community Representatives will become eligible for election to a Community Assembly after serving no less than 54 consecutive months on one of the Local Assemblies that form the same Community Assembly.
Community Representatives will be elected to Community Assemblies for terms of 3 years and can be re-elected to a Community Assembly no more than 5 times (allowing them to ‘sit’ as a Community Representative in Community Assembly for no more than 18 years in total).

[P.1.3] Community Assemblies

Community Assemblies will be opened to bring together Community Representatives from all of the Local Assemblies within an area defined by what were previously known as Counties or County areas.
Community Assemblies shall take legislative responsibility for any matters that fall between the Local and National Level for purposes of practicality and no more.
Community Assemblies will meet monthly or as frequently as necessary to ensure that no Community business is carried over for a period exceeding 30 days from when it became known.
Community Assemblies will elect an Assembly Facilitator or Chairperson for each Year.
Community Assembly Facilitators can be re-elected twice (and able to Facilitate for up to 3 consecutive years).
Community Assembly Facilitators will not be permitted to volunteer to for the role again, once they have stepped down.
Community Assemblies will take responsibility for operational management of all Local Service Provision and provide all relevant services through Public Interest Companies (PIC) which shall function on a not-for-profit basis.
Community Assemblies will have the joint role of being the relevant legislative body for decision making that sits between Local and National Assemblies, whilst also being the facilitator or provider of all Local Services.
Community Assemblies will have no ability or remit to refuse, change or adjust directives for service provision provided by Local Assemblies.
Community Assemblies shall elect 2 Community Representatives to the National Assembly.
Community Representatives will become eligible for election to The National Assembly after serving no less than 84 consecutive months on one of the Community Assemblies.
Community Representatives will be elected to The National Assembly for terms of 3 years and can be re-elected to a Community Assembly no more than 4 times (allowing them to ‘sit’ as a Community Representative in Community Assembly for no more than 15 years in total).

[P.1.4] The National Assembly

A National Assembly will be opened to bring together Community Representatives from all of the Community Assemblies from across what is known as The United Kingdom or Great Britain.
The National Assembly will be convened with a membership of Community Representatives elected from each Community Assembly.
The National Assembly will elect an Assembly Facilitator or Chairperson for each Year.
National Assembly Facilitators can be re-elected twice (and able to Facilitate for up to 3 consecutive years).
National Assembly Facilitators will not be permitted to volunteer to for the role again, once they have stepped down.
Community Representatives will be appointed to research and gain understanding of specialist National and International public policy areas that have been delegated to The National Assembly.
Community Representatives with allocated National or International Briefs will be able to provide any or all members of the National Assembly with detailed analysis, advice and where appropriate solutions, to inform before any vote is taken.
All decisions of The National Assembly shall be taken by majority vote, with the exception of emergency matters, which will be temporarily delegated to The National Assembly Facilitator and all Community Representatives appointed to the relevant Briefs.
Emergency decisions will be reviewed at the next sitting of The National Assembly, where they will either be endorsed, changed or rescinded by majority vote.
IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, The National Assembly can only pass emergency decision-making powers to The National Assembly Facilitator for a period not exceeding 1 (one) calendar month.
The delegation of emergency decision making powers to The National Assembly Facilitator must be approved by a majority of The National Assembly and can be rescinded by a majority vote of attending Members at any time.
The National Assembly will appoint members of the National Assembly as representatives to all international bodies that have relevance to the pursuit of collective collaboration, mutually beneficial trading arrangements and National Security.
The National Assembly may not confer legislative or decision-making powers to any other power, assembly, council, meeting or parliament, whether constituent with the UK / Great Britain, or outside, in any circumstances or at any time.

[P.1.5] Lobbying

All forms of closed lobbying by Community members, businesses and interest groups will be prohibited.
No Community Representative may accept gifts or hospitality of any kind from any type of organisation seeking to influence public policy, during their tenure, or for a period of no less than 5 years previously, or 10 years thereafter.
Community Representatives shall enter details of any relationships with any organisation that has or may have reason to seek to influence public policy both before and following their tenure, in a public record.
Where any individual or business has a matter of public or Community interest to share, this will be raised within the Local Assembly and where necessary escalated across to the Community or National Assembly where it is in the interest of the Community to do so.

[P.1.6] The Monarchy and ‘Hereditary Position’

The Monarchy and ‘Hereditary Positions’ as we have known them are at their end.
Today’s Monarchy and Hereditary Position structure is representative of the Old World, Top-Down hierarchical order and forms of hereditary power and influence that are not aligned with new earth and Grassroots-Up Governance of any kind.
No person shall be able to influence the life of another, simply because of their birth or their relationship to any other person.
A Referendum or Plebiscite will be held during the process of change where the full UK / Great Britain Electorate shall be asked to choose between complete removal of The Monarchy, or its transformation into a small, figurehead organisation where a.) Members of the House of Windsor will continue to provide a strictly ‘figurehead’ role, or b.) Any future ‘monarch’ or ceremonial leader shall be selected for set periods by a system of voting through Local Assemblies and Community Assemblies before being administered by The National Assembly.
In any case and in all circumstances, members of the existing ‘Royal Household’ will not be protected by position or relationship and shall be treated the same as any other UK / Great Britain resident if they are accused and/or convicted of any crime, or of the misuse of their privilege.

[P.1.7] Honours & Titles

Hereditary Titles, Positions and all associated benefits shall cease to hold any deferential value during.
The existing ‘Honours System’ shall cease to exist.
A new Community Honours system will be created, with awards made for recognition of service to the Community by those who have done so voluntarily, without seeking recognition, and outside of their normal professional roles.
There will be no appointments or honours made politically, or by ‘public figures’ of any kind.

Frameworks (Policy 2) [P.2.0]

[P.2.1] Frameworks for Freedoms

The solutions to the majority of the social problems that we face are not for any one of us, as individuals, to find answers to, or to come up with the right ‘fix’.

Today, we have specific groups, including politicians, banks, businesses, elites and others, attempting, and in many cases succeeding in dictating public policy and so-called solutions to problems (that their behavior has usually created).

For no better reason than they believe their ideas are best for everyone, when they are only best for themselves.

Meanwhile, although many of the speakers and publicly known influencers who recognise the need for change have their own ideas and solutions, and often appear to provide alternatives, these ideas are also made in isolation, represent their own agendas and will rarely if ever, address any major issue in a fair, just and balanced way.

This means that the result of electing an alternative set of politicians might appear different.

But if we were to simply exchange what we have now for what many loud voices and false prophets are offering us instead, we would inevitably end up with many more problems that would only get progressively worse.

The outcome would at best be exactly the same as what we have and are experiencing now.

Freedom can only exist when everyone has influence and power over their own future

People and their Communities must be supported to make all of the decisions that affect only them.

Amongst those decisions must be the selection and appointment of public representatives who will represent each Community when decisions are made about anything else.

As long as any person’s behaviour does not hinder the freedom of others, they themselves must be free and unhindered to do and behave in any way that they wish.

The obligation of the Community will only ever be to manage and to provide resources, rules and regulations that work for and are in the best interests of that Community. Nothing more.

These ‘Frameworks for Freedoms’ overseen by the Community must always be universal in nature. So that they treat each and every person exactly the same.

Frameworks for Freedoms will ensure that no person is given either an advantage or disadvantage, if they should find themselves with nothing in terms of material wealth, or if holding no material wealth should indeed be their voluntary choice.

In its simplest and most easily describable form, an example of a framework rule would have some similarities with what we today understand as the Minimum Wage. A universal framework that is similar as EVERY PERSON must be paid that minimum hourly rate, no matter what job it is that they do.

Universality does not entertain prejudices. Nor does it recognise the differences and therefore the prejudices that today’s social conditioning has created or indulged.

So, no matter how we might have been previously conditioned or required to identify someone – whatever the reasons might be, those reasons that we have used to attribute social value to other human beings in the past, must now be discarded and left behind.

EVERY PERSON enters and leaves this world the same.

Frameworks for Freedom must exist to ensure that no rules exist which allow anyone to define themselves as being different to others through any position or wealth that they have attained or have been gifted in other ways.

Success and the appearance of happiness do not make anyone better than anyone else.

Genuine success and happiness are defined by the individual and their own reflections. Not by anyone else or by the world outside.

Frameworks for Freedoms are the doorway that allow everyone to thrive and achieve happy, healthy, safe and secure lives – if they so choose.

The real power and responsibility of community centred governance is to provide these Frameworks and to protect them. Nothing more.

[P.2.2] Why frameworks can be relied upon, but rules, regulations and laws cannot.

Every Community must be able to make rules that are considerate of the different dynamics that relate to it.

These rules must always sit outside and beyond making specific requirements that suggest how every individual will enjoy their own freedom and the related right to exist in tangible forms.

These Community rules might relate to very practical measures such as the infrastructure that exists, the types of foods that can be grown or produced in the area, or other ways in which the Community’s Economy or Local Marketplace works.

Every Person must always be treated and respected as an individual and given every opportunity to express their freedom to choose how to live. Without unnecessary rules, regulations and laws that seek to control – that would only exist for the benefit of those who write or set them.

Genuine frameworks are principles that do not need to be changed.

Whereas rules, regulations and laws tend to be dynamic and must be updated to reflect changing times.

Rules, regulations and laws are always open to interpretation and to abuse.

If we want A Good Future for Everyone that works in a Balanced, Fair and Just way and always puts People First, it is the principles that need to work, to be consistent, universal and reliable, before anything else.

It is not the detail or the control of any detail that matters.

[P.2.3] The First Framework for Freedom: (The Basic Living Standard)

There is nothing insignificant about the process of change and the transition from a money, wealth, influence and power-based culture, to one that values and puts People First.

Frameworks that allow everyone to act, think and to behave like the adults that they are will be the very best way to help us all to survive and thrive through the transition into A Good Future for Everyone and to play our part in establishing a new system that is waiting for us beyond.

We may not be able to see how a very different way of living and relating to others would work from where we are looking at the future right now. As the culture we are experiencing today has taken over every part of life and even influences the way that we think.

Considering anything contrary to or beyond what we believe to be ‘normal’ today can easily leave us feeling overwhelmed.

This is another reason why we need to place our trust in the hands of someone who can see how so many interconnected things will need to be changed. So that the benefits of transition into A Good Future for Everyone will quickly begin to reach us all.

The relationship that we all have with money is the most important element of the change or transition process and will be resisted by many in ways that no other change will.

This is why changing our relationship with money is so important.

Every societal problem we have today relates to our relationship with money.

This can only be fixed with the surety and direction that can be delivered under the leadership of a single mind.

The First Framework for Freedom (or The Basic Living Standard):

A happy, healthy and balanced life will be affordable and sustainable for everyone, without the need for debt, subsidy or government handouts of any kind, when receiving the minimum, most basic or living wage for working the equivalent of a full working week.

If you remain tied in your beliefs to the old-world system and money-based culture, it is unlikely that you will be able to see the defining value of the First Framework.

Indeed, you may not even conceive that The First Framework is viable and would certainly not be something that would be supported by choice.

However, if we take the time to consider the dynamics and impact of The Basic Living Standard in its fullest context, and picture the reality that people, businesses and all organisations must consider this obligation in each and every action or transaction that they make or undertake, we will begin to see how this is a central framework rule that has the power to influence and impact upon them all.

ALL people must have the ability to be able to sustain their lives fully on the lowest full-time wage without handouts from the Community, without relying on Charity and without having to rely upon debt.

Within the people-first economic model that A Good Future for Everyone offers us, everything will point in that direction and contribute to making it work.

The 11 Principal Frameworks: (Policy 3) [P.3.0]

We must accept that for many today, a world that focuses on living life differently to how everything appears to work and revolve around money today, simply doesn’t make any sense.

However, just because we cannot see a different future, doesn’t mean that it does not exist.

Likewise, just because we may only be able to see the future in the same context of how we understand everything in the World around us works today, doesn’t mean that we cannot think differently, putting values and our relationships with other People at the heart of everything to embrace what will soon become necessary for everyone – no matter what we might currently believe.

Governance should always be light-touch and government should always be as small as it can be to fulfill its requirements.

In so far as it is possible, People must always be allowed to set their own rules for life.

However, the success of A Good Future for Everyone will be based upon us all agreeing upon, working with and committing to Governance frameworks that provide the necessary direction, standards and security, so that people and our Communities can thrive.

There are 11 Principal Frameworks, where Governance Frameworks will exist:

People First
Economic Localism
Freedom will not hinder and will not be hindered in any way.
No Hierarchies. Top-Down is at its end
Local People MUST make Local Decisions Locally & influence from The Grassroots-Up
Local Businesses buy, sell and promote Local Goods first
Every link of the supply chain must add value.
Money or currencies have a fixed value and can only be used as a medium of exchange
Technology must only be used as a tool to improve life, not to end or replace it
The Internet is a tool for life, not an alternative to it
In a People First system, the people will always be the first to speak.

In the 11 chapters that follow, we will go through each of these Principles, one by one.

1. Economic Localism [P.3.1]

If you cannot see it, be in the presence of it or directly engage with it, you cannot trust that it will be in your best interests – whatever it might be.

In a world where everything has been telling us to place our trust and belief in people, businesses, Governance, manufacturing , production and services that are somewhere else – either out of our locality, our presence or somewhere online, it does indeed sound counterintuitive to suggest that a better life and way of living for everyone can only come by redirecting the way we live and have relationships with everything in a completely different way.

Yet that is exactly where we need to be.

Easy living, based upon processes and the input of people that we will never meet or see, mean that we have lost sight of responsibility, whilst we have also surrendered our control.

To live well, to live freely, to live healthily and to live happily, the focus of life, living and of everything that feeds into life and supports it must be as local as possible.

Everything must be transparent and be completely under our own control.

Every commercial activity that exists relates to a business, service or process that serves the interests of people in some way.

When commercial activities of any kind are placed in the service of specific interests and interests that are either deliberately hidden or kept out of sight, whatever they do will never be in the interests of us all. The balance between us and the sense of justice and fairness is quickly lost.

The priority for all Communities must be to meet everyone’s basic needs so that everyone has the food, the clothing, the transport, the technology, the education, the work and the means to be self-sustaining without the need for help or support, in return for the work they do or the contribution to the Community that they make.

This means that the growing of food, production of goods, manufacturing, supply of services and all the supply chains that support normal life and that exist to meet everyone’s basic needs, must be returned to their most locality focused and people-centric forms.

2. Freedom does not hinder and is not hindered in any way [P.3.2]

We think that we are free today, and that any fight that might lie ahead is to maintain that freedom.

This is not correct.

The fight ahead is the fight for freedom itself. That’s why we need single-minded leadership.

The alternative is to accept further forms of control and tyranny from an establishment or system that still insists that everything it does and will do will be done with our best interests at heart, whilst it seeks to profit from and exploit us all at every turn. All the time, reducing every one of the freedoms that we have today, whilst also seeking to continually reduce and remove our own individual forms of control.

Some might relate this statement to issues like the arrival of new generations of AI and the growing digital tyranny that we are being increasingly controlled and oppressed by. But nothing is so simple as that.

The reality is that we have forgotten what freedom really is.

By being so beholden to and manipulated by the consumer mantra ‘you can have whatever you want, it will always be available, it will always be affordable and we’ll always give you money to pay for it – as long as you behave’, we have collectively become shackled by always wanting more.

We have forgotten what it is to live life in way that centres only upon what we actually need.

Today, we are slaves to a values set based upon wealth, money, power and influence being the only things that are important.

We have become so addicted to this way of being and thinking, that we cannot even see how badly we are being hurt by what we already have. Yet we remain desperate for the same self-interests that brought us here to reach out and offer us even more.

True freedom does not hinder us or restrict us in any way.

True freedom only ends when our actions and behaviour become a genuine hindrance to others.

Freedom will always be freedom. Freedom is not something that depends on what people with power and influence dictate.

We must create and maintain a culture, understanding and framework that allows each and every one of us the freedom to be ourselves and who we believe ourselves to be. But at the same time does not restrict or hinder this same freedom in others so that it can contradict its own legitimacy, or force change upon the freedom of anyone to be.

3. People First [P.3.3]

We are led to believe and to accept that The System that we have today is run on behalf of the people, by the people and for the people.

It is not.

Most people understand that the system is run in the best interests of those who either run it, or those that they look up to or receive favour from in some way.

But that is not the whole truth.

Everything that we know and understand today revolves around and is focused upon a values set based upon money, wealth, influence and power, along with the processes and actions that help everyone – no matter who they are – to gain and accumulate more of it.

We put money and the value we place in it before people and everything else.

The rise of the internet, the smart tech revolution and now the evolution of AI have made the downward spiral that has existed for over 50 years even worse by creating more and more devices and processes that dehumanize relationships.

Today’s internet creates the impression for anyone or any organisation with a platform that the people they interact with online aren’t actually real.

As far as real life is concerned, people in the digital world simply do not even exist. Yet in return we listen to and respect them as if they are.

This way of living is already unsustainable. But it is set to get even worse as we embrace the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), without any ethical framework or rules being set up that recognises the negative impacts and outcomes from profit-driven and control-driven misuse.

We must flip or completely turn this situation on its head and create a universal environment that puts people at the forefront of everything and every relationship instead of money.

Using benchmark frameworks that ensure fairness, balance and justice for all such as The Basic Living Standard, which will guarantee the ability of all people to support themselves without going into debt or without having to call on charity or government support, we will have the ability to provide a self-sustaining standard for a happy, healthy, safe and secure life for everyone.

With frameworks that are focused on People, we can also create a light-touch system of Governance that uses transparency as an open tool for the new earth system to police itself too.

Today, humanity as a value set has been lost.

We can and will regain our true and most beneficial value set by focusing on the benefits of new earth and putting People First.

4. No Hierarchies. Top-Down is at its end [P.3.4]

Whilst some of us will understand the concept, none of us alive today have known a world without hierarchies.

Yet hierarchies are one of the most effective tools that exist for the dehumanisation and distancing of humanity and human relationships.

Hierarchies are the reason that societies and industries ultimately fail.

The intrinsic reason for the failure of all hierarchies – where the failure itself can take centuries to reach those at the top – is because hierarchies instantly make decision makers out-of-touch with those they rule.

The System that is failing and collapsing around us today is a classic example of a hierarchy. It is a textbook example of a system that operates from the top-down.

Today’s system is so complex, that the tiers or levels of the hierarchy are not only top-down.

The way that we have evolved culturally has meant that we have also extended these tiers or levels from side to side.

This means that the responsibility for decisions that affect our daily lives are not only made by people and organisations or bodies that we will never have contact with.

It also means that their role, responsibilities and influence are also heavily – and all too conveniently obscured from our view.

Leadership has become synonymous with hierarchy. Yet the interchangeability of the two words or terms must no longer be considered as meaning the same thing.

We most certainly need leaders to shine and take responsibility for leading us.

But leadership does not come by right. It does not appear through career progression. It certainly doesn’t come through position or assumed power – even though the elites want us to believe this – try as they might.

Poor leaders who have no appreciation of the mechanics of leadership, nor any understanding of what leadership genuinely is, usually surround themselves with leaders who are even weaker, who then do exactly the same thing when it becomes their turn to lead.

Likewise, the accumulation of wealth or apparent success with a certain kind of business is no guarantee of anyone’s ability, the ethics or the morality that will drive them if they find themselves in a position where deference and the way that society works would enable them to take a lead.

Today, we have reached a position where everything we know in terms of Governance and the way that the rules governing the way society, business and culture function has such people at the top and intrinsically involved.

We must end these hierarchies. We must end everything that functions in the sense of decisions being made by any form of power and influence that is remote and that we can identify in any way as being top-down.

5. Local People MUST make Local Decisions Locally & Influence from The Grassroots-Up [P.3.5]

When we have a problem, we look to the people closest to us or those who are around us and in our lives for help. We quite literally reach out to our local support networks.

So why do we always reach outside of our local support networks for everything else and believe that the people, the businesses, the politicians and whatever else we interact with will value us at a personal level and with our best interests at heart, just the same?

Whilst there must always be an objectively created framework of rules that establish and maintain equality in all things that will be equal and that there is equality for all, the creation of such rules and regulations must be undertaken by people who understand what life is really like for all.

If decision makers do not interact with the people, the area, the Community for which any set of rules are made, they cannot make those decisions in the most informed manner.

True equality of opportunity must exist for society to be balanced, fair and just.

But equality of opportunity and one-size-fits all are never the same thing. That is, unless you are the one with all the power and you sit in isolation at the very top.

In new earth Communities, it will be Local people – that’s the people we talk to and see regularly or could call on easily and without difficulty – who will always be making the decisions on public policy and Governance that will have any effect upon us and the people we care about.

There are very few decisions made by any of the existing levels of government today, that could not be returned, along with the power that enables them, to the most local or Community level.

Instead, rules are today being made that have a real impact upon the quality of life that we all experience, by people who will never visit or understand our areas and Communities, and who we will never have reason to know.

Lawmaking powers must be returned to the level nearest to the people possible to do so. In the majority of cases, this will always be within a local or Community framework.

Cost or political expedience is in itself no excuse for rules to be passed to anyone or to any organisation outside of our local frameworks. The reality is that excuses like these are quite literally all they are – excuses that sound beneficial to everyone.

The truth is that they are all about taking power away from us so that someone else can better serve their own self-interest, by taking and misusing our control.

Local people will always be best equipped to make local decisions. There is no need for anyone else, any group or political party to be involved.

We can only return power to the people by rejecting the phony democracy that it will take a Good Dictator to replace.

6. Local Businesses buy, sell and promote Local Goods first [P.3.6]

We shouldn’t trust what we cannot physically experience, even if it physically exists somewhere else.

Just as it will be in the interests of our health to avoid foods that don’t resemble their basic, raw form – unless the processing used is simple, such as was traditionally undertaken by hand (e.g. Bread, Butter, Cheese), we will learn to avoid and distrust the processes of growing, manufacturing and production that are not accessible or cannot be accessed, viewed and assessed by people who are known to us and that we can trust.

People with money, influence and power today have abused the trust that so many of us have placed in them by exploiting the rationale that out of sight is out of mind.

They do this because they remain confident that if we cannot see it, we do not care about it, we are not interested in it, and that we will take the provenance and care for our best interests that go into it for granted.

Corruption is not only a term that relates to financial payments, favours and backhanders that skew decisions today that should always be impartial and fair.

Processes of all kinds have become corrupted by the self-interest and profiteering that drives them.

There is no reason why the basic goods, foods and services that we all need for life cannot be grown, produced, manufactured and supplied locally – IF we are putting people and a values-based way of living first, using methods that will quickly resolve some of the biggest issues that society currently has.

Yes, there may always be a need to trade local goods that exist in excess, for those that cannot be locally produced. Or to create a regulated currency for the purposes of being a medium of exchange that can do the same.

But if we work locally, with local people, in the interests of the locality and the local Community, a balance for this will always exist.

It is only when greed and the self-interest of the few enter the equation that a process begins where balance, fairness and justice is lost. Selfishness is where it all begins to go wrong.

Local Businesses must always prioritise local suppliers for their services, raw materials and goods.

Quality and experience are always the key, and by chasing profit or by attempting to avoid rules that achieve the same, transparency, provenance, authenticity and everything good will always be lost.

7. Every link of the supply chain must add value [P.3.7]

Whilst it is the money system and the way that money creation and circulation are managed that are the fundamental problem with the way that the worldwide economy works today, this mismanagement itself has encouraged a cultural mindset that focuses on saving costs and making more profit. Not as a consequence of what the business does; not because there is some kind of rule requiring them to do so; not because circumstances demand it of them. But because they can.

We have reached a stage where businesses that we could argue have a legitimate involvement in supply chains that provide a service or supplies to the people, such as supermarkets, already use every excuse that sounds plausible to convince retail customers that prices need to keep rising.

Meanwhile, supermarkets push producers and growers at the other end of the supply chain to sell at prices where they can barely continue to exist (and increasingly don’t).

However, the problem today reaches way beyond businesses such as those we would recognise as having a legitimate role in production and supply to play.

There are also many other companies, ‘agents’, speculators, and other ‘interests’, who buy and sell raw materials, components, ingredients, fuels, minerals and even currencies, who do nothing to add value to the product or whatever it is they are buying and selling.

But in whatever way they become involved, they nonetheless add and take a fee for themselves.

That excess profit, made without adding value to the supply chain – when adding value could be refining, making an engine out of components, or even selling to the customer at the end of the ‘chain’, raises the costs of all of these goods and even services unnecessarily.

In every circumstance within a supply chain where anyone takes a margin without adding any value to the process, it makes the end product or service more expensive for everyone to buy and makes it more difficult to live.

There must always be a reward for input, whether that be growing, mining, processing, refining, delivering or selling.

But nobody and no business will be able to take a reward, just because they can afford to insert themselves into any part of any supply chain that exists or may be under discussion ahead of time – pushing up prices as they do so, and then selling on at a profit which pushed those prices up further.

Regrettably, the historic greed of growers, producers and all the different companies that in some cases also carry out unnecessary cost-raising activities or roles, has surrendered the ability of whole industries to take back control of their own marketplace because they are today tied into commercial relationships they feel unable to leave behind – even though they are being progressively broken by them.

Supply chains must be as short as it is possible. No unnecessary business, agent or entity of any kind can be allowed to be involved in the growing, production, manufacturing, storing, transport or selling of foods, goods and services that are essential to life – of any kind.

Of those businesses or entities that have involvement at any stage of any supply chain, they MUST add value to the chain with whatever it is they do.

No other interests other than those that are adding value to the chain must ever be allowed to be involved.

Speculation or ‘futures’ must be prohibited for any raw materials, foods or goods that are part of any supply chain that provides essential goods, services or supplies that are essential to basic life.

Speculation and ‘futures’ selling or handling is nothing more than gambling and no one has the right to gamble with anyone else’s life.

8. Money or currencies MUST have a fixed value and only be used as a medium of exchange [P.3.8]

Money isn’t real. Yet we have been conditioned to believe that it is.

Money is a unit or medium of exchange.

Yet we have been conditioned to believe that money is a thing. That money holds value of its own, and that the value that money holds is variable in its own right – well beyond the basic principles necessary for currency exchange.

Money has become the benchmark that dictates the value of life and the value of every individual’s existence.

For as long as this money-based order, reality or culture that we have today continues to exist, the values that underpin humanity and human existence will matter less and less.

Money and currencies of any kind are useful to us, as long as they are only used as the medium of exchange that they are. Rather than being believed to be or considered to be an accumulation of material wealth in itself – as it is today.

For as long as we continue to allow the value of anything and everything to be determined by the value of money, which itself can then vary from day to day, the power of any individual, business or Community to regulate, manage and sustain healthy lives will be compromised.

Until 1971, when neoliberalism fully took over, the value of the money that existed was always pinned or anchored to the value of gold.

‘The Gold Standard’ was far from being a perfect system or system that was balanced, fair and just in itself – as any good study of economic history will demonstrate. But what its existence did demonstrate was the benefit of having the value of money restricted, which meant that there was considerably less opportunity for the system to be ‘played’ – as it has been, to our considerable cost, ever since.

A fair, balanced and just economic system that puts People First, must rest its economic base upon the people that exist within that system, along with the fundamental value we can associate with what those people then put in or take out of it.

That value may indeed be translated into money or a form of currency or digital currency of some kind.

But there is no requirement or need for that value to ever be variable in a system that puts People First and does not accept that non-essential or basic goods that it cannot itself produce must be secured, no matter the price.

The value of human existence and the value of the work or effort that any individual puts into the system must be the benchmark which everything to do with monetary exchange and value must be pinned.

For life to be valued and for that value of life to be maintained as it will always be, money or currencies of any kind must always be a unit of exchange that holds no value of its own that can be bought, sold or exchanged.

9. Technology: A tool to improve life, not end it [P.3.9]

It would be foolish to not recognise the value of the advances in technology that humanity has experienced throughout the industrial age.

Those technological advances have increased exponentially as we have picked up speed through the digital age, with advances that we have experienced in just the past few years alone, already providing us with the opportunity to look at life in a very different way.

Technology has always had the power to do much good. To improve life in many ways and to remove all kinds of risks from the workplace for everyone who may be involved.

However, technology and its development has also been increasingly abused.

Technological advances are used by industries to increase profits and are today increasingly seen as a way to reduce the numbers of people employed to work. All without any due regard for the impact on individuals, Communities, entire countries and the industries that are involved.

It is true that no business or organisation exists purely to employ people.

Employment and the need to employ people to carry out any function that the development of a business or organisation and the products or services that it delivers, has and always will be a happy consequence of organic growth from the provision of goods and services of a quality that are essential to life and which people and Communities genuinely need.

Profit should always be a happy consequence of good delivery and management. Never the primary aim.

The power of good in technology rests in its ability to be used to improve and enhance working practices and quality of life.

Not to make work or employment unnecessary for anyone, or to be used as a functional device to control or restrict people or humanity in any way.

There are and always will be negative consequences when technology of any kind is used and harnessed for purposes other than to improve life or working conditions.

Those who lose out will always lose out badly.

Whilst those who believe they are using technology to benefit themselves or their business will only every experience a pyrrhic win.

In a people centric or people-first economy and World, technology must always be used to improve the experience of everyone. Not as a tool that can only ever benefit the few.

10. The Internet is a tool for life, not an alternative to it [P.3.10]

Many neither realise nor appreciate that the arrival of the internet and the functionality that it has offered us, has never been governed or regulated by governments and those that govern on our behalf in ways that benefit us.

The internet and the online world that is developing with it is and always has been a two-edged sword. It has brought as many downsides or dark aspects with it, as the positive or good aspects that it has given us – and potentially a lot more.

Many of the social problems that we experience today can be attributed to behaviour that was deemed acceptable online before it then found its way into the real world or the mainstream.

From early on, people and businesses using the internet – whatever the purpose may have been – didn’t recognise the same social etiquette, politeness, manners, morals, standards or behaviour that we considered to be the cultural norm in ‘real life’ outside. Principally, because there was never any real system of Governance in place and so none of those same rules appeared to exist.

The rate of behavioral change in social conditioning from locality to online has been confined to within what might only be one generation.

Young people today take all of their social cues and conditioning from the world online. Rather than from the young people, adults and Community figures around them.

The effect has been massively profound.

Today, upcoming generations and those above them who follow common narratives take these social cues into ‘real life’ without realising the parallel universe or pretend world that the internet or online world offers, is dictating or rather destroying rules and the remaining values for life.

This reconditioning is helping to dehumanise every aspect of life that we experience, as it progresses.

Like all technology, the value of the internet and all things online cannot be understated. Just as long as it is used and operated within a framework, with rules and restrictions that are always based upon and maintained for the common good.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and all online technology will prove to be bad for humanity if it is programmed, created and driven by motives and designs that are in the interests of the few, rather than being in the best interests of all mankind.

The internet is a tool. It must be respected as such.

The online or digital world must always reflect or mirror the rules and practices that we use in real life. Rather than having the ability to completely reset life and every agenda, as it and all the technology that feeds into it, does today.

11. In a People First system, the people will always be the first to speak [P.3.11]

We have been told over and over again that we live and enjoy freedom that can only come from being in a Democracy.

The political system and the system of Governance or administration that we have today could certainly operate in a very democratic way. But only when the incumbents within that system or the politicians and officers respect Democracy and democratic practices themselves.

Whatever system of government or administration we may have, there will always be a dependence upon those who have been entrusted with the responsibilities of public representation having the integrity to respect and work diligently with that trust.

Today, politicians simply do not do this. Not least of all because once elected, politicians of the existing political parties are inevitably expected by their party to vote and support policies as they have been told.

But also, because very few politicians today are able to discern the difference between what is right for them and what is right for us all.

Many of us regrettably still think that change can be achieved just by voting for a different party, or by changing the way that votes are counted. So that smaller parties will get elected as they pick up alternative and second preference votes.

What those who believe this fail to see is that the way that we elect politicians doesn’t matter one bit, if the politicians don’t care for or consider the people they have been elected to represent.

It would be foolish to believe that any of us can trust that every politician we elect can be relied upon 100% of the time to make decisions on our behalf that are always 100% right.

But there is a colossal difference between where we are today, and where we will be when we have created a very different democratic framework that requires all public representatives to establish and qualify themselves at Community level. Then live the principle that true Democracy will always operate from the Grassroots Up.

Yes, we must have politicians and public representatives to represent us and make decisions on our behalf.

But the perversity of a system where just a few thousand people from a group that has very specific interests and motivations can select the next Prime Minister of the UK, should never have existed.

The people who represent us all must be selected and appointed by us all, first.

It may neither be possible nor appropriate for us to appoint a Prime Minister in the same way that the United States does.

Our Communities will all be able to take an active part in selecting the people who will represent us and take the majority of the decisions that will affect us all locally.

The people who represent us at Regional, National and potentially international level, will always be selected from those who have been successful and demonstrated their suitability as a public representative, to the people they represent, from this pool.

Part 3: What we can expect from The Future

Keeping it real: Managing our own Expectations

An openly acknowledged Good Dictatorship would fail as quickly as an openly bad one and continue to be as bad as the hidden one that we have now, if policy were only to focus upon the next steps and then what follows immediately afterwards.

Whilst todays politicians cannot see it, one of the greatest flaws in creating legislation and in policy making today comes from the fact that so many of the decision makers that we have now believe that they can control what will happen. Or rather, that they can control the outcomes of what will happen, not just after one decision, but perhaps after many different decisions have been made along the chronological line.

This is a reflection of the poor quality and ineptitude of the people that we have in elected office and running every part of government across the UK today.

Taking the next decision, as if it is the only one, and making the right choice based on what we know to be so and what is in the best interests of everyone, is the only way that any decision that will have an effect upon others or indeed everyone should ever be made.

Making decisions based upon bias or personal choice may appear to work out well for the person taking the decisions.

But there will always be negative consequences for someone, somewhere. And sooner or later, the impact of every bad decision will find its way back to the decision maker, whether they believe that to be the case when they made their choice, or not.

Begin with the end in mind. But not as the next step

You can be sure that the more we hear today’s politicians use a particular word or term, the greater the chances are that they are trying to convince themselves of the value of whatever policy they might be chasing. It’s not just the case that they will be attempting to convince everyone else that they really know and understand what they are on about, and that they are competent too.

The most common word we are likely to hear spoken by todays UK Politicians is ‘growth’.

Growth is important to this entire political class. Because in the sense that ‘growth’ is being used, which for politicians relates directly to the size of the economy or the amount of money that exists or is in circulation, growth of this specific kind immediately devalues the value or size of the existing national debt.

‘Growth’ as a political narrative used by all of today’s political class therefore allows politicians to print and spend more money. When spending money is the only thing that inept politicians know how to do.

The second word we are likely to hear spoken by todays UK Politicians is ‘plan’.

‘We have a plan’, ‘There needs to be a plan’, ‘The government needs to explain its plan’.

Yet plans really are no use to anyone or anything other than as a mission statement or statement of intent. One that can be used to demonstrate to anyone who is interested, what those who have made that plan are aiming to achieve.

What plans don’t account for is the reality that in a world like the one that we live in and where everyone involved in putting any plan into action has free will of their own, is that events, choices and influences, that can often turn out to be remarkably small, can change the direction of a policy, project or just about any plan, no matter how well constructed, in what might be a very short period of time.

Plans are for those who are more concerned with the journey, the method of getting there and who gets all the credit for every step taken along the way, than they are about reaching the destination itself.

Plans create a trap of their own that requires stopping to plan all over again – or to even give up, as soon as anything is perceived to go wrong – which it inevitably will, many times over.

Real leadership might use plans or strategies as tools to bring different working parts of a situation together.

But the endgame, outcome or result will always look the same. That destination will just be the driver behind everything that a good leader will do. Much as the allies planned for the manpower and logistics that enabled the Invasion of Europe to take place in 1944, whilst defeat of the Nazis was always the required outcome all the same.

Wartime or not, good leadership doesn’t fall into the trap of slavishly sticking to or relying on plans.

The fact that we have a political culture today that has been so obsessed with plans and the bureaucratic systems that sit behind them is in no small part responsible for the problems that the work of the UKs public sector now has, and that have been growing for so long.

A single-minded, good and effective leader will always be driven by the outcomes that are in mind, rather than all of the details of how the journey will take place that will get the UK there.

That’s what good public servants who are dedicated to public service rather than to only themselves will do.

We all have a part to play in this equation.

Each and every one of us can adopt a mentality that is congruent with the outcomes that need to be achieved that will be better for us all.

We have the power to take steps and decisions along the way that may seem small or even irrelevant. But they will help the bigger picture and the desired outcome at every step along the way.

We all must be committed to making those choices, each and every day.

The Destination: Policies of a Balanced, Fair & Just Society

The following pages focus in on the public policy areas and the public policies that a Good, Beneficent Dictator, who has the right motives and understanding, will set out to achieve as recognisable outcomes, by the end of their term in office.

Reading these with eyes in front of a mind that takes for granted everything that we believe we have and how everything appears to work within ‘The System’ today, is likely to meet comment that suggests such policies are impossible to achieve. Or that they would never work.

The key to understanding such views is that these comments are made in the context of today. Without a full understanding of the perilous situation that ‘The System’ that such people love and benefit from is in. And without recognising the increasing levels of harm that ‘The System’ is doing to people who have done nothing wrong and just want to be able to afford to look after themselves and the people they love – whilst leading normal lives.

In ‘The System’ we have today, nobody gains anything without there being a cost to someone else. More often than not, that cost is directly to ourselves, even though we might not even realise this until the damage has been done and it might be too late to do anything about it.

We must take responsibility for ourselves and the people whose lives our actions will impact. Whether they are within our family, our circle of friends, our community, our country, in another country or they haven’t even been born yet.

Only a single minded Good or Beneficent Dictator can drive through the changes that will be necessary to deliver a world that works for and benefits everyone.

But the responsibility for supporting, embracing and helping to implement that change is one that belongs to us all.

Policy 4: An Economy that puts people first (Policy 4) [P.4.0]

[P.4.1] Principle Values

The impact and consequences of our decisions and actions upon others are the principle guide for life.
Each Person and their Communities will always consider the consequences of any behaviour or action and only proceed when there will be no involuntary cost or impact upon anyone who has not voluntarily and knowingly involved themselves within the process. No matter how many times removed those persons might be in terms of the existence of any impact chain.
Each Person and their Communities shall not engage in any activity or process where the decision to do so will inflict harm or consequences upon any other person, whether alive today or yet to come, that those persons have not consciously, knowingly and voluntarily agreed to.
Each Person shall always have Freedom to speak. Freedom to learn. Freedom to hear. Freedom to be upset. Freedom to remove ourselves from the debate. Freedom to not have the ideas of others physically imposed upon them.
Each Person will be free to do, to be and to say what they please, when doing so will have no physical implications or offer no physical threat to the physical existence of others.

[P.4.2] Putting People First

The value of the Economy shall be tied to the number of people living within the Country, National Community or Community at any time.
Each member of the National Community shall represent a Fixed Base Value to the National or Universal Currency and be directly proportional to the total value of that Currency in circulation – whether digital or in cash.
A system of values to The Economy shall exist that relates to the input and productivity of each Person to the Economy itself.
The only circumstances in which money or currency can be created during the process of the establishment of new earth and thereafter is from key life events such as the birth of a child, a child beginning school, a child qualifying in standard proficiency at 14, and then a young adult finishing academic or vocational pathways at the age of 21.
Money created upon these key life events shall be payable to the individual, their parents or guardians, with an equal sum being added to the Local Assembly balance sheet.
The creation and deletion of money shall be the responsibility of Community Assemblies.
Responsibility for the creation and deletion of money shall not be deferred to any bank, financier, private or other interest at any time or in any circumstances.
At the point of any death, the economic value of that Person to The Economy must be taken from the overall circulatory value of The National Currency, with the value payable by priority to the local Community Assembly from the deceased’s estate.
Economic Value within The People First Economy will be created through a) earnings in exchange for labour, skills and experience of the individual b) the production of basic foods and goods c) the manufacture of goods and equipment and the provision of services that add value.
The payment or accumulation of Monetary or Financial Interest payments of any kind shall be prohibited.
Money or currency will only be borrowed for a fixed transaction or facilitation fee, which under no circumstances may exceed the value of 10% of the total loan.
Transaction or Facilitation fees shall be repayable on a proportional basis with each repayment.
Bankers, Lenders or Financiers of any kind shall not regulate or police their own activities, in any way, and shall have no influence upon any organisation that does.
Any form of credit worthiness monitoring will be provided by an impartial service, where basic ratings will be offered and no more.
The purchase and sale of personal financial data shall be prohibited, with financial penalties and lifetime industry bans applied to anyone directly or indirectly involved.
Any device or mechanism created by industry or private interests to ‘qualify’ lending, finance or insurance of any kind shall be prohibited.

[P.4.3] The Basic Living Standard & The Basic Living Wage*

The Basic Living Standard and the corresponding Basic Living Wage shall be the benchmark policy of The People First Economy.
The prices of all foods, goods and services that are deemed essential to providing a happy, healthy, safe and secure lifestyle shall relate, proportionally, to the total value of the Basic Living Wage.
The Basic Living Wage shall equate to the value apportioned to one full working week within the lowest paid employment, or what is known today as the minimum wage.
All Companies / Businesses providing essential provisions or contributing to their supply, will be registered with the Community Assembly.
It will be the duty of all retailers, manufacturers, growers etc, to maintain the prices of essential provisions at each stage of the supply chain.
Any individual or business directly or indirectly seeking to manipulate prices or add additional profit during the process of providing essential provisions within their relevant supply chains shall be fined a minimum of 3x the potential gain they would make, and will be banned from the industry for life, with all assets relating to production forfeited to the Community Assembly.

*Please see the Section on ‘Frameworks’ [P.2.3] above, for a description of The First Framework / The Basic Living Standard.

[P.4.5] Community Services (Formerly Public Services and Charity Organisations)

All Community services shall employ the minimum number of full or part time staff necessary to ensure continuity in management and streamlined operational delivery.
Staffing of all Community Services shall in the main part be provided directly by Community Contributions made by each Person within the Community.
Where members of the Community have ‘opted out’ of Community Contributions, their Community Contribution Tax will be paid into a ringfenced fund held by the Community Assembly and redistributed to the Community services network according to need.

[P.4.6] Community Contributions

Every working Person shall be required to give 10% of their working time or the equivalent of each and every working week to supporting the provision of Community services and operations.
No person below the age of 40 years may opt out of actively contributing 10% of their working week to Community service provision.
At the age of 40 or above, each Person may opt to pay the equivalent of 10% of their weekly income as an alternative tax, to the local Community Assembly, when they are earning at least 2x the equivalent of the Basic Living Wage.
All employers shall be required to support Community service provision without prejudice to the employee.
Where possible, all persons shall offer and provide experience, skills and knowledge to a related Community service on a like-for-like basis, equivalent to the role they undertake during a normal employed working week.

[P.4.7] Welfare & Benefits

The Basic Living Standard shall be the accepted benchmark for the level of income required for any individual unable to work for any reason.
Benefits shall be administered by Community Assemblies.
Benefit Payments will be made directly to a Restricted Benefits Current Account held with the Local People’s Bank.
Payments to essential service providers such as landlords, phone companies and transport providers shall be made directly to those essential service providers from each Restricted Benefits Current Account.
All other payments made from each Restricted Benefits Bank Account shall be digital and will only be made to recognised providers for the purchase of essential goods and services.
The Balance of any Restricted Benefits Bank Account shall have no redeemable cash value.
There shall be no assumed right of Benefits Payments to economic migrants.
The Assemblies shall only be obliged to meet the basic essential needs of any unqualified migrant.
The Assemblies will prioritise the care and support of UK / Great Britain residents who are ‘vulnerable’ before assisting unqualified migrants.
The National Assembly shall endeavour to return all unqualified migrants to their home country as early as possible, and in so doing take every action to facilitate this.
Unqualified Migrants will not become naturalised UK / Great Britain Residents
Disability payments shall be qualified by a G.P.
Qualified recipients of The Basic Living Standard Payment with disabilities that prevent them working shall receive payment directly to a Bank Account of their choice.
Unqualified or ‘malingering’ recipients of The Basic Living Standard Payment shall be treated the same as any normal benefits payee.

[P.4.8] Poverty

Each Person shall be valued before money, profit and technology.
No company shall replace any employed role with technology unless each Person displaced is moved to alternative permanent employment with that company of the same level of responsibility or higher.
Companies using technology to complete tasks that can be completed by employees shall be obligated to employ suitably qualified staff from within the Local Assembly Area to complete those tasks, where they are available and claiming Welfare or Benefits.
The Basic Standard of Living, based upon ensuring that every adult will always have available what it costs to feed, cloth, house, transport and cover all basic essentials to ensure a happy, healthy, safe and secure life will be introduced universally, as a Framework Policy.
All benefits will relate to the value of the Basic Living Standard and value of the Basic Living Standard Wage.

[P.4.9] Homelessness

A system of Community Hostels and services for the homeless shall exist, with provision and management being the responsibility of Community Assemblies.
Community Hostels will offer a tailored approach to individuals and arms-length care and support for those who choose not to use any accommodation offered.
Large Companies and Agricultural Estates that have reduced the numbers of non-technical roles as part of profit-led mechanisation will be required to provide ‘bunk room’ housing and related support, and to reemploy staff, where the essential supply chain system will not be compromised.

[P.4.10] The Right to be Forgotten

Each Person who has not committed a crime that has impacted the welfare or wellbeing of other people will have the opportunity of a ‘second chance’, and to begin adult life anew, again, if it will be beneficial for their own mental health and state of mind to do so.
Each Person shall have the Right to be Forgotten at least once during their natural lifetime.
The Right to be Forgotten can be applied at any time from the age of 18 years or upon leaving full time education (at whichever point is latest)
To qualify for The Right to be Forgotten, each Person must be assessed by no less than 3x impartial mental health specialists.
The Right to be Forgotten will erase names, history, and all legal ties to their formal life, including post age 14 qualifications.
The Right to be Forgotten will require the individual to break all family ties and associations with any people or Community / Communities known to them.
Each Person who has exercised their Right to be Forgotten shall be able to apply to their new Community Assembly to have former qualifications rewarded by a different education provider (reinstated), where such qualifications are in short supply, and it will be beneficial for the Community for such an award to be made.
Any Person who has successfully exercised their Right to be Forgotten and breaks the requirements made of them will immediately relinquish the rights and protections associated with their Right.
Any Person convicted of identifying or of making the details of any Person who has exercised their Right to be Forgotten known to others, without good reason, will be charged with compromising a Person’s Right to Freedom, and shall be judged in a Community Court.

Policy 5: Financial Levelling (Policy 5) [P.5.0]

[P.5.1] Reestablishing the True Value of Money

The establishment of new earth shall see and/or act upon the devaluation and end of the British Pound and the values associated for anything it is used for.
1. This necessary and unavoidable devaluation will either come naturally, through the collapse of the current or FIAT monetary system and end of the neoliberal economics model, or as a direct consequence or unavoidable need created by other events.
1. Monetary wealth that exists before the Reestablishment shall not be directly exchangeable to the new National Currency or any Local Currency, and shall have no redeemable cash value.
1. Monetary wealth that exists before the Reestablishment will not be transferable, proportionally or in relative terms to the new National Currency or and Local Currency.
1. No form of compensation shall be paid to those who have failed to invest only in what they need, and/or have willingly sought to enrich themselves further by making investments that have encouraged or facilitated the exploitation of others – whether such acts be conscious or otherwise.
1. The value of the UK / Great Britain economy shall be valued in relation to the number of People resident in the UK / Great Britain during the process of The Reestablishment.
1. All property owned / held* at the commencement of The Reestablishment process shall be owned by the occupant, person or business in possession of that property** at the time, with the exception of social and privately let housing, which shall be passed to the ownership of the Local Assembly.

*Squatting of illegal occupancy shall not qualify any persons, business or other to receive ownership of a property at The Reestablishment. Properties under illegal occupancy or possession shall be transferred to the ownership of The Local Assembly.

** No person shall own more than one home for their own use and businesses shall only own the minimum number of properties necessary to conduct their business within their Community Assembly area of operation.

[P.5.2] Financial Resetting & Restoration

During the process of The Reestablishment, the prices of all goods, services and transactions within the UK / Great Britain shall be revalued and reset with their real, true or uninflated value.
1. Following The Financial Reset, all prices will realign to their ‘natural’ or true value, in line with the People First system of economics that shall be implemented by The Reestablishment.
1. Where values are attributed to a material object or to property of any kind, their value shall be proportional to the value of The Basic Living Standard and The Basic Living Wage.
1. These basic or ‘essential values’ shall continue to be the benchmark value of all goods and property that carry value, as they are essential to use and shall be deemed to be a public good.

[P.5.3] Money

Money and all forms of currency, whether cash or digital, shall be deemed legal only as a unit or method of exchange (a promissory note).
1. Money, nor currency of any kind shall hold no value of its own.
1. Trading of money or currency speculation of any kind shall be prohibited. Financial penalties and lifetime industry bans shall be applied rigorously to anyone directly or indirectly breaking this rule.
1. Money shall not attract Financial Interest payments of any kind.
1. For the loan of money or the facilitation of a necessary purchase, the lender or facilitator shall be able to charge a fixed fee for the duration of that arrangement, payable proportionately with each repayment for the lifetime of the loan or facilitation.
1. No fixed charge for lending or payment facilitation shall exceed the value of 10% of the total monetary value of that loan at any time.
1. No form of money or currency based and in circulation or use within the UK / Great Britain may be bought or sold as a commodity or with any form of foreign currency within the UK / Great Britain marketplace.
1. The value of foods, goods or services shall only be permitted to vary as part of an exchange process between any UK / Great Britain company, or Public Interest Company / Community Assembly and a Foreign organisation to facilitate necessary exports and imports.
1. Any external trade shall not influence the value of the UK currency itself.

[P.5.4] Local Marketplace Exchanges

Self-sufficiency and home production are an integral part of the People First Economy.
1. Local Assemblies and Community Assemblies shall create, operate and manage a system of Local Marketplace Exchanges (LMEs)
1. Local Marketplace Exchanges (LMEs) shall allow all local producers, whether businesses or home producers, to buy, sell or exchange their goods, produce and services either for money/currency, or in exchange for other goods, produce or services that they may themselves offer and which the other party requires.
1. The Local Assembly and Community Assembly shall be responsible for ensuring that the value of basic essentials will remain fixed and not open to variation at any time and shall as such create and maintain necessary protocols and local legislation to do so.
1. Any foods, goods or services that are non-essential may be exchanged or bartered at any rate agreed between the two parties, unless the goods or services offered contain an essential element, in which case the value of the transaction may not fall below the related basic essential value at any time.
1. Any app or online software used to provide the online version of the Local Marketplace Exchange (LMEs) must be maintained, managed and based within the Community Assembly area, with no form of remote management or updating required following purchase and instalment.
1. A fixed fee shall be payable for access to LMEs by all parties at rates to be determined by the Community Assembly.
1. A fixed transaction fee shall be payable for both purchase/hire and sale/provision transactions within LMEs that shall be determined by the Community Assembly.

[P.5.5] Taxation

The administration of Tax Collection will be Regionalised and provided by Community Assemblies.
1. All Taxes will be paid directly to the Regional Tax Office, located with the local Community Assembly.
1. Tax Codes will be applied universally, with no exceptions for individuals or organisations.
1. The only ‘tax breaks’ that will apply in any circumstances will be for the purposes of supporting the establishment of new businesses within a Local Assembly area that provide goods or services that do not already exist within that area.
1. ‘Tax Breaks’ will not be given to any business new to a Local Assembly area, that have operations elsewhere.
1. The value of any ‘Tax Breaks’ will be awarded by the Local Assembly, transparently and with a majority vote of the Community, and shall be renewable annually for a period of up to 3 (three) years and no more.
1. No form of income tax will be payable on any earned income, up to the equivalent rate of the Annual Basic Living Wage.
1. Savings and Cash held for a period of 12 Months or more will be taxed at the rate of 50% (Fifty Percent) per annum.
1. Tax will be applicable from the income gained from sums invested of at the equivalent of 10x (ten times) the Annual Basic Living Wage or more, from interest, dividends or any payment in return for investment made of any kind at the rate of 50% (Fifty Percent) per annum, where those sums are accessible with notice or on an any time basis.
1. Tax will be applicable annually to the ownership of non-essential property, or proportionally to the ownership of any non-productive property which is in excess of that necessary for personal use, or proportionally for the number of people using or sharing it.
1. All Land and resources owned and not in use for the production of essential foods, goods, services and infrastructure shall be taxed at the rate of 25% of market value, per annum.
1. All Commercial Property will pay a Variable Utility Tax (VUT), based on the location, access and publicly owned infrastructure that supports its use.
1. The rate of Variable Utility Tax (VUT) shall be set by the Local Assembly and will not exceed 25% of the annual rental or lease value of the property, paid annually.
1. A Consumption & Use Tax (CUT) shall be applied to the sale of all goods, services and high value items that are non-essential – or to the excessive proportion thereof, of 50% of the purchase value.
1. Pension Fund Account Income shall attract Tax when it reaches the equivalent of each Persons annual earned income. Thereafter, this income shall be taxed at the rate of 50%.
1. Following the sale of assets or the cash out of pension plans or any other protected forms of investment, each Person shall have no tax liability for a period of 12 months. Thereafter, all other Taxation rules shall apply.
1. No form of devaluation, amortisation or write-down for the purposes offsetting Business Tax or benefits of any kind shall be permitted.
1. All Taxation shall be payable to the Community Assembly on a monthly basis.
1. The Tax year shall commence on the 1^st day of January of the calendar year. The Tax year shall end on the 31^st day of December of the calendar year.
1. The Tax month shall commence on the 1^st day of the month. The tax month shall end on the last day of that month (28^th, 30^th, 31^st etc.).

Policy 6: Business & Finance (Policy 6) [P.6.0]

[P.6.1] General Business

All business shall operate on the Local Economy model.
All Businesses shall function and operate on the basis of putting People First and will adopt and maintain the ethics and practical requirements of The Basic Living Standard.
No business shall be permitted to provide functions or operations to supply chains providing essential goods or services unless they add value to the supply chain e.g., growing, transporting, refining, engineering, milling, production, localised retail.
Companies that sell to the UK / Great Britain Market at any level, will be required to grow, source, produce, manufacture, store, transport and conduct all administrative functions within the UK / Great Britain area as a wholesale or B2B supplier, or within the Community Assembly area where their retail business resides.
Resources not available to the UK / Great Britain market, must be sourced from the nearest available location.
Seasonality shall not be an excuse for maintaining year-round supply of any goods or services from outside of the UK / Great Britain.
Taxation equivalent to the balance between the highest local price and the lowest price from out of area shall be payable at the rate of 110% for products or materials that are readily available within the most local area to the UK / Great Britain.
UK / Great Britain based businesses shall be owned only by UK / Great Britain residents or other companies owned by UK / Great Britain residents.
No company may exist only for the purpose of growing, manufacturing, transporting, assembling or retailing non-essential or basic goods or the provision of non-essential services.
Where trade with Countries or Trade areas outside of the UK / Great Britain is necessary, such transactions will be carried out directly by the business sourcing the resources or goods, or by a not-for-profit function of The National Assembly, which shall also have responsibility for monitoring all direct transactions.

[P.6.2] The Local Economy Model

The post Reestablishment UK / Great Britain shall adopt an unashamedly protectionist, UK first approach to all industries and services.
All businesses shall prioritise localised supply chains from end to end.
No retail business will operate outside of 1 (one) Community Area.
No more than 2 (two) retail businesses offering the same products or goods may operate in any Local Assembly Area.
Retail Businesses will be licensed to operate for periods of up to 5 (five) years.
Retail Business Licenses shall be renewable, by majority vote of The Local Assembly.
Independent, stand-alone businesses will be prioritised.
Basic and Essential Foods will be grown as locally as possible.
The resources and basic materials for all manufacturing and production will be sourced as locally as possible.
Taxation equivalent to the balance between the highest local price and the lowest price from out of area shall be payable at the rate of 110% for products or materials that are readily available within the local area.

[P.6.3] Ownership & Management

All businesses shall be managed and operated with the benefit to the end user and the role that the business plays and contributes to the Community in mind.
No shareholder in any commercial enterprise shall have or place expectations upon management of receiving payment, profit or a share thereof, in return for any investment based purely upon share ownership.
No commercial business or shares thereof may be owned in full or in part by any bank, financial institution or other commercial entity which has and maintains voting rights.

[P.6.4] Profiteering

No business shall be able to retain Net Profit above the rate of 10%.
All Net Profit above 10% shall be Taxed at the rate of 100%.
Companies or Business Owners convicted of Profiteering and/or undertaking any activity that will result in the same will be fined at the rate of 3x the value of the excess or profit made and will be punished with a custodial term where an impact upon the supply of any basic or essential foods, goods or services has been made.

[P.6.5] Finance

Privately owned or managed credit agencies or services offering credit worthiness checks shall be prohibited.
All financial transactions and devices shall be fully transparent.
Any loan, purchase facilitation or form of credit of any kind may not be sold on to another bank or financial institution, unless that sale is part of the bank or financial institution itself.
Hedging, speculation, the sale of futures or any other form of betting on any market shall be prohibited.

[P.6.6] People’s Banks

A National Peoples Bank shall be established.
Peoples Banks shall also be established within every Community Assembly area.
There will be a National Digital Currency that will be interchangeable with all localised currencies, without charge.
The National Digital Currency shall have a fixed value for all purposes and uses within the UK / Great Britain Economy.
There will be separate localised Community Currencies which will be available in Cash and as a Digital Currency.
The Value of Community Currencies shall be fixed.
Any person or organisation visiting or undertaking business within a Community Assembly Area outside of their base area can exchange the value of their local currency for that of the local currency in which they are doing business for a fixed 5% value of the transaction fee, which is payable to the Community Assembly providing the currency.
Any Person or Organisation may use National Digital Currency to exchange for any Local Currency other than that of their base Community Assembly for a fixed 10% value of the transaction fee, which is payable to the Community Assembly providing the currency.
Businesses which have National Importance as wholesalers and providers shall be Licensed at the discretion of The National Assembly to have currency fee transaction fees waived.

[P.6.7] Communication

Support will be provided to the public telecoms industry to ensure 100% Broadband coverage across the UK / Great Britain during the process of The Reestablishment using cable technology where possible, and satellite technology where it is not.
The Community will have the non-negotiable right to remove 5G masts and technology placed with 250 metres of any house, dwelling, school or workplace, without any requirement to provide an alternative location, and without any form of compensation being payable to the communications provider.
All critical infrastructure and software will be provided by UK / Great Britain Companies, with hardware managed and manufactured in the UK.
All communication software and storage systems that provide UK / Great Britain coverage shall be located within the UK / Great Britain.

Policy 7: Food Production, Security & Supply (Policy 7) [P.7.0]

[P.7.1] General Food Production

UK / Great Britain Agriculture will be refocused to prioritise essential and basic food production, with the aim that the UK/ Great Britain will both achieve and maintain self-sufficiency in food production and food security thereafter.
Regenerative Agriculture and sustainable practices that support and encourage ‘traditional farming’ methods where soil and land functionality is maintained shall be prioritised.
Local production shall be focused on the shortest food chains.
Wherever possible local food chains will begin and complete within Local Assembly or Community Assembly areas.
Farmers will be supported to undertake all growing, processing, packing and retailing on site, or by working collaboratively with local not-for-profit cooperative bodies that will run and manage all parts of the local food chain and provide centralised retailing where farms do not run farm shops or offer alternative forms of direct retail.
Traditional process resources such as milling and abattoirs will be shared between local farms to ensure that light touch processing will be available with minimal additional travel or haulage required within the food chain.
New framework rules for food production will be introduced during the Reestablishment, with appropriate sub legislation agreed by majority vote by Local Assemblies where necessary, post Reestablishment.
Food Producers shall prioritise vegetables, fruits, dairy, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, potato and arable crops that will feed directly into local and/or UK Great Britain milling, brewing, animal feed production or retail.
UK / Great Britain food production will be prioritised and any agricultural or fishing industry products which are deemed essential basics that are imported from outside of the UK / Great Britain at a lower price will have a Tariff imposed at the rate of 110% of the value of the balance between the highest local price and the buying price (including all ancillary costs), when those products are locally available.
Foods will not be imported from outside of the UK / Great Britain for the purposes of countering seasonality and the Farming Industry will be expected to offer the widest range of seasonality on all products grown or produced within the UK / Great Britain.
No experimental chemicals or pharmaceuticals shall enter the food supply chain at any stage and no foodstuff may be processed, sold or used for human consumption that has been exposed to such.
MRNA or any other man made or manipulated technologies that presents even a minor or trace risk to the Human Genome as a result of agricultural or horticultural use shall be introduced to the food chain.
Chemical fertilisers shall only be used where the rationing of basic and essential food supplies from UK / Great Britain sources is likely.
Only UK Fishing Boats will fish UK territorial waters.
Food Production contracts will exist only between Farmers and Community Assemblies and will be renewable on a 12 monthly basis.
Local food will be consumed within the Community Assembly area where it was produced and only made available for sale or exchange with other Community Assembly areas or beyond, when excess has become available.
The sale, exchange or citing of any kind of ‘future’ for agricultural or fishing production, with promises thereof shall be prohibited.
Any person or business convicted of dealing directly or indirectly in futures for agricultural or fishing production will be liable to fines not less than 3x (three times) the value of any and/or illegal transactions and shall be banned from working within that or a related industry for life, thereafter.

[P.7.2] Home Growing

Self-sufficiency or home-grown food production is essential to achieving the aim of the UK becoming self-sufficient in food production and providing the Community with Food Security.
Every family, individual or group living as a household, will be encouraged to grow their own food where it is practical for them to do so.
Community Assemblies shall make provision of adequate allotment space for every existing household without sufficient garden space to grow fruit and vegetables, where ground is available to homes within a 15 (fifteen) minute walk.
Planning Regulations will require that all future homes will have adequate garden space provided for growing fruit and vegetables, and that where this is not possible, provision will be made for sufficient window boxes, vertical growing, hydroponics systems or similar to be easily installed.
Public Interest Companies shall be tasked with the supply and sale at cost, of all equipment, seeds, seedlings and supplies necessary for those members of the Community who are vulnerable or unemployed.
Practical help and assistance will be provided with home growing to the elderly and the vulnerable through the Charitable Provision Scheme.

[P.7.3] Animal Welfare

No animal will travel beyond the boundary of the local Community Assembly area from farm to slaughter.
Hunting with Dogs Legislation shall outlaw illegal or disruptive intervention by non-hunters, to remove any right to prosecute for accidental Fox hunting, whilst also tightening Law on prosecution against those seeking to circumvent Hunting with Dogs Legislation using birds of prey or other by-pass devices.
The RSPCA shall be taken into public management and provided with an evolved role to support the work of Community Services dealing with Animal Health & Welfare.

Policy 8: General Public Policy & Service Provision (Policy 8) [P.8.0]

[P.8.1] General Rules for The Public Sector

The Public Sector, which includes all organisations providing services to the public and for the public benefit, are not and will not be considered to be a ‘business’ at any time or in any way.
The People and Community will always be the absolute priority of The Public Sector.
It is required that all activities and decisions made under the trust of the Community and deferred to Public Sector Officers will always be in the best interests of those members of the Community who will be affected, no matter how indirectly they may be affected.
Cost, Performance or Targets, nor political expedience of any kind shall hinder the delivery of any public policy that has been correctly confirmed by appropriate Community Vote or has been correctly implemented by a Public Sector Officer who is appropriately qualified and has been officially delegated with responsibility to do so.
Public Interest Companies (Trusts) shall be created to provide all municipal services and administrative services across all Local Assembly areas within a Community Assembly area.
Public Interest Companies shall be responsible for operational delivery.
Public Interest Companies shall have their strategic direction set by each Local Assembly for its Community area.
A new standard or charter shall be created and set for public servants during the Reestablishment, requiring prioritisation of the end user, members of the public and the Community, before anything else and in all activities.
Where a Public Sector Officer is unable to carry out a strategic function under which they hold properly delegated responsibility, they will either refer the matter to a more experienced Public Sector Officer, or where that is not possible, to the Local or Community Assembly that appointed them.
Where a Public Sector Officer is unable to carry out any function delegated to them to oversee, which they then delegate to a specialist or less experienced Public Sector Officer, they will forfeit their role and will be required to step down without compensation of any kind.
No Public Sector Officer shall confer or pass decision making responsibility for matters delegated to them, to any third party, consultant or person employed specifically to fulfil such a task.
Any services required by a Public Sector Organisation that can be considered unique enough not to justify that function being carried out ‘in house’ or by the local Public Interest Company, must be carried out by a business offering such services which is based within the Community Area.
Out of Area Commissioning for services that cannot be provided by a company or organisation based within the local Community Area shall be the responsibility of the local Public Interest Company, but shall be subject to the approval of the local Community Assembly.
All supplies required for ongoing operational functions will be provided by the local Public Interest Company, where all contract purchase arrangements shall be regularly reviewed by Community Representatives trained and/or experienced with business practices and fiscal auditing.
No organisation funding or in receipt of public funds which holds responsibility for providing and the delivery of essential services or services provided when needed to the public and Community, shall operate independently or on a stand-alone basis.
Public Sector Organisations will not lobby nor seek to influence the decision making of Local or Community Assemblies and shall provide all reporting in a factual, matter of fact, unbiased and unemotive way.
No stand-alone pension scheme shall exist exclusively for Public Sector Officers.
All former EU Tender & Procurement Legislation shall be discontinued during the process of The Reestablishment.
A new Public Sector anti-corruption framework, with localised charters shall be created that recognises the need to tackle all forms of corruption, on the part of Public Sector Officers, whether financial or otherwise.
Union rights will end during the process of The Reestablishment for all Public Sector Organisations.

[P.8.2] The NHS

As part of the Reestablishment process, The NHS will undergo complete reform, reinstating the prioritisation of clinical delivery and patient care above all unnecessary or backroom management functions.
ALL clinical and operational decision making, and strategy delegated to Community Assembly Health Trusts shall be carried out by panels of experienced frontline medical and healthcare staff.
The role of frontline medical and healthcare staff will be recognised as the core function of any NHS Trust.
The NHS shall carry out the majority of its functions as separate Trusts that feed into Community Assemblies for overall strategic support and direction.
Social care shall become the responsibility of Community Assembly Health Trusts.
Non-medical related services for Community Assembly Health Trusts shall be provided by the local Public Interest Company.
An independent court will be established to consider and address complaints made against Community Assembly Health Trusts.

[P.8.3] Access to the NHS

Each Person in receipt of The Basic Living Wage or its equivalent shall receive free medical treatment at point of care.
Each Person in receipt of an income higher than The Basic Living Wage or its equivalent shall pay a 3% medical insurance surcharge deduction from all additional income received.

[P.8.4] Health Related Public Policy

Each Person who has mental capacity and no recent or ongoing history of mental health issues, shall have the ‘Right to Die’, if they are suffering from a terminal or progressively debilitating illness or condition.
The ‘Right to Die’ of any ‘qualified’ person shall be confirmed by full medical consultation with no less than 3 (three) General Practitioners and/or Hospital Consultants who will not be known to the Patient and will be appointed from an out of area pool.
All medical professionals shall have the right to recuse themselves from any involvement in ‘Right to Die’ procedures at any time and without prejudice.
The ‘Sex Industry’ shall be legalised, Regulated and managed as a Public Health concern, under the strategic control of Community Assemblies and partnerships with Community Assembly Health Trusts.

[P.8.5] Covid, Vaccinations and future Outbreak Management

The term ‘vaccination’ shall mean a form of medical intervention, created or designed to target a specific pathogen or virus, that once administered will in the majority of cases prevent infection of the patient and also prevent the patient from therefore becoming infectious to others.
MRNA will be banned as a form of mass vaccination, therapy or treatment for humans and animals until such time as any and all risks to humans have been identified, what their impact will be, and the risks of their use have been limited to cases that can be proactively addressed with the use of other/additional treatment or therapies.
When the wider population is at risk from a pathogen or virus where the likely outcome of mass infection is unknown, or serious effects are only likely to be experienced by vulnerable people or by a small number of the population, the only obligation on the Community will be to provide support to those identified as being at that additional risk.
The Community shall not impose restrictions of any kind upon members of the Community who are unlikely to experience nothing more than a light illness from any form of mass infection.
Each Person shall be expected to take precautions on their own behalf and those they will have contact with, to reduce the possibility of transmission of any pathogen or virus that may be of an additional risk to any person whose vulnerabilities may not be known.
The freedom of an individual may only be restricted or that individual may only be placed in medical quarantine in cases of disease or infection where they are suffering symptoms alone, or any pathogen or virus that they have been identified as carrying is likely to cause irreparable harm or death to the majority of people that come into unprotected contact them.
In the very limited circumstances where any form of Lockdown will be necessary, all forms of economic activity and liability for those affected will cease and fail to exist for the full duration of that Lockdown and no form of compensation or back dated payment shall be made to any creditor.

[P.8.6] Education

Education shall be focused on the best interests of the child, the young person and their future role and contribution to a fair, balanced and just society.
The Education system will recognise the fundamental difference in learning styles of young people. In teenage and the years of early adulthood, young people are generally either ‘heads’ or ‘hands’ i.e., their focus is academic (with the ability to learn in the abstract) or their focus is vocation or experiential and in the present.
Educators will be fully supported and have the freedom to provide a balanced education, with prioritisation of essential and basic skills proficiency up to the age of 14, with the child and young person always experiencing a safe and secure learning environment, free of bias and the ideologies of politics, anger or division of any kind.
A full apprenticeship route shall be created and developed for students at the age of 14 (fourteen years) who are either a) not academically inclined or b) are unable or unwilling to apply themselves academically at that time.
Apprenticeships shall make full use of the former tertiary level of education to provide support and benchmarking to all forms of trade and business.
Apprenticeships will include universal life skills and qualifications such as obtaining driving licenses, vocational driving licenses and proficiency certification.
Apprenticeships shall be remunerated at the rate of 50% of the Basic Living Wage for apprentices between the ages of 14 and 18 years, with no less than 50% of that wage (25% of the Basic Living Wage) being paid directly to the parents or guardians of the apprentice for the duration of the apprenticeship.
Apprentices shall be remunerated at the rate of 75% of the Basic Living Wage for apprentices between the ages of 18 and 21, with deductions applied as above.
A full, completed apprenticeship shall be considered to be the experiential equivalent of a full undergraduate academic degree.
The Academic Pathway shall prioritise enhanced languages, mathematics, critical thinking, philosophy and traditional topics such as history and geography between the ages of 14 and 18, and then offer specialist 3-5 years degree programmes focusing on subject areas beneficial to industry and public sector requirements.
Higher Education and associated research-based establishments shall embrace forward looking, unrestricted or untied research programmes and theories in addition to standard academic practices that are tied to ‘published’ data, or what is already known.
Bogus, ‘worthless’ or ‘mickey mouse’ degrees shall be discontinued from any educational establishment that receives public funding of any kind.
Commercialism shall be removed from all places of learning to ensure that the focus is on teaching, not running as a business.
The salaries of senior academic and management staff in all publicly funded educational establishments will be set by the local Community Assembly in liaison with all Local Assemblies.
‘Private’ interest will be prohibited from making any form of donation or providing sponsorship of any kind that could in any way influence any publicly funded educational establishment or vehicle.
The Student Loan Programme shall be discontinued and replaced by an industry and public sector grant system, where companies and Community organisations will sponsor students through the Academic Pathway by paying them a proportional equivalent of the Basic Living Wage.
Companies participating in support of students on the Academic Pathway shall identify training requirements that form part of their long-term industrial strategy, so that the Academic Educational System may respond.

[P.8.7] Housing

Basic Housing provision will be an essential service and shall be known as ‘a Public Good’.
The provision of basic or essential accommodation on a commercial or profit-making basis shall be prohibited.
No residential property shall be let in full by a private landlord.
Residential property will only be let in part by a private landlord, where that property is in part occupied by the landlord themselves.
Multiple home ownership will be prohibited.
Second and any homes additional to a main residence thereafter shall be forfeited and passed into the ownership of the Local Assembly for use as Community housing.
Additional homes allocated to Community Ownership through Local Assemblies that provide for more than basic or essential need shall be sold with all funds then reallocated for the purchase of appropriate Community housing or building thereof.
No form of compensation shall be payable to any owner, charge or mortgage holder on additional properties passed into Community Ownership.
A tiered valuation system shall be created for flats, one bedroom, two bedroom and three-bedroom houses with the most expensive being proportional to no less than the equivalent of 25 years multiple of the Basic Living Wage.
All mortgages shall attract a standard 10% (Ten Percent) of the value of the property, purchase facilitation fee, payable in monthly instalments for the duration of the mortgage period.
Facilitators shall be entitled to charge the equivalent of no more than 1 (one) monthly payment for early surrender or repayment of any mortgage.
Public Interest Companies shall provide a private room letting register and service.
Homeowners with spare rooms that they are happy to let shall register with the Community Assembly.
No tax will be payable on income received by homeowners for the letting of rooms within their home.
Community Housing will be owned by the Community. Any housing stock sold must be replaced on a minimum like for like basis, or for a greater number of properties that can be let.
The Right to Buy will cease during The Reestablishment process.

[P.8.8] Planning

The former Local Planning Committee structure will end during The Reestablishment process.
Planning Determinations shall be made shall by Local assemblies.
Local Planning Courts will be created where no less than 10 Community members of a Local Assembly area shall be randomly selected to sit as a court to determine planning applications.
The local planning framework shall be created collaboratively by the Local and Community Assemblies.
The National & Regional Planning Frameworks shall be created collaboratively by the Community & National Assemblies.
Planning Applications and Reviews shall be submitted to Local Planning Courts by the appointed Public Representative on the Local Assembly.
The Right of Appeal shall be the submission of the application to the Local Assembly and be subject to a majority vote of the next Community Meeting.
A new Planning Investigation Unit shall be created with remit to investigate historic consent and overturn decisions not made in the Public Interest.
The Planning Investigation Unit shall have the right to seize land and property where corruption of any kind has been found or to instruct the immediate return of land or infrastructure to the previous state it was in before the Application(s) was/were made, with all associated costs becoming the liability of the Applicant.

[P.8.9] Science & Technology

The UK / Great Britain shall have a policy of UK / Great Britian Science & Technology First.
A National Pharmaceutical Development Company shall be established, under the guidance of The National Assembly.
The National Pharmaceutical Development Company shall be publicly owned and operated and shall not be privatised at any time.
The research, design and rollout of so-called ‘Free Energy’ solutions will be prioritised, with the manufacture, supply, installation and maintenance of all essential supplies’ infrastructure provided by Public Interest Companies.
The Nuclear Power network and infrastructure shall be further developed and localised to ensure that all UK / Great Britain energy needs are met by UK / Great Britain based infrastructure at peak times.
Foreign investment in Science and Technology development will be limited and regulated to ensure that Companies and Technologies critical to the UK / Great Britain remain in UK / Great Britain hands under all circumstances.
Technology will only be used to enhance and improve employment conditions.
Technology will not be used to replace employment itself.
Any Internet services provided to the general public as a social or retail platform shall only be provided within Community Assembly areas.
No web or internet-based platform will provide the access to localised content in any Community Assembly area that is already available in another.
The software or structure of a web or internet-based platform of proven benefit to the Community may be licensed with its full functionality, on a stand-alone basis to businesses operating in another Community area, without the transfer of any branding, marketing, content or user information of any kind. Only a fixed license fee shall be payable.

[P.8.10] Artificial Intelligence

The programming methodology, including all aims, motivations and protocols of any Artificial Intelligence (AI) programme used with the consent of the end user, shall be made available in accessible form as part of any opt-in agreement between the provider and the user.
Artificial Intelligence will not be used in any circumstances where the end user is unaware of its presence within any or all processes they have been exposed to.
Artificial Intelligence may not be used in educational classrooms, lecture or study theatres, examinations or educational coursework of any kind.
Any person or company convicted of being directly or indirectly responsible for creating, providing or managing any type of Artificial Intelligence which creates risk to the health, happiness, security and safety of any person or Community without their full knowledge and understanding shall be liable to forfeit all associated property and rights thereof (intellectual or otherwise) to the Community and shall be banned from further involvement in any related activity for life.

[P.8.11] Media

Each Local Assembly area shall provide its own Local News Service (LNS) using all available media platforms.
Local News Services shall be considered a Community service or asset and will be operated and maintained in the main part by members of the Community as part of their Community contribution.
Local News Services shall provide daily news bulletins and updates that are purely factual.
Opinion may not be presented as news by media in any circumstances.
Where Local News Services provide opinion or views as any part of their programming, the programmes shall carry or air a notice or disclaimer that clearly states this is the case, and will provide at least one alternative view, given the same column space or airtime, within the same programming or publication.
Each Community Member shall have the right to provide and have published a 600 word or 3-minute video, podcast or interview each year, in which they will discuss their views on the Community, Democracy or anything else related to the new structure of Governance itself.
Where news is provided by any privately owned company, an open and obvious disclaimer shall be published alongside or proceeding each programme which makes the sponsorship clear to readers and listeners.

[P.8.12] General rules for Internet based business

The Internet and all online software shall operate on a localised basis.
Social and Retail business models shall only operate and be based within Community Assembly areas.
Social and Retail business models may not be based in ‘the cloud’ if the servers used are located outside of the Community Assembly area where the company is based.
No company may provide social or retail business models to a Community Assembly Area where the services it offers are not available on anything other than a temporary basis and will cease operations in that Community Assembly area within 30 days of being notified that a viable local alternative exists.
Business to Business (B2B) Models shall be able to operate on a universal basis, under license from the Community Assembly.
Any Taxation will be applied at the location of sale or retail transaction and shall be payable to the local Community Assembly.
Banks may only operate online within their Community Assembly area and will provide physically accessible banking service during the working week within no less than 50% (Fifty Percent) of the corresponding Local Assembly areas.

[P.8.13] Internet Framework Charter (IFC)

A Framework Charter shall be created that recognises the need for the internet and all online activity to be governed by and treated the same as everything offline.
The Internet Framework Charter (IFC) shall also recognise the need for all online relationships to provide recognisable parallels with offline relationships that keep such relationships ‘human’ and fully respectful of the requirement that every user of the Internet treat all others in the same way that they would that same person through direct contact, offline.
The Internet Framework Charter (IFC) shall provide the umbrella or universal requirement that no form of Artificial Intelligence shall be used under any circumstances to provide therapy or personalised advice, coaching or otherwise to any person seeking or requiring support for any mental health, cognitive or mind-related issue, or any physical activity that a healthy human body would be required to do.

[P.8.14] Internet use ‘Licensing’ and Anonymity

An Internet Licensing Authority (ILA) shall be established.
Any person accessing or wishing to access a social business model or platform as a user or customer shall be required to register with the Internet Licensing Authority (ILA).
For any person to comment, edit or provide additional content to any existing content available on the internet or online, that person will be licensed by the Internet Licensing Authority (ILA).
Upon qualified registration with the Internet Licensing Authority (ILA) that person will receive a Unique Internet License Number (UILN).
Upon registering to use a social business model or platform, the provider will be required to check the registering users Unique Internet License Number (UILN) with the Internet Licensing Authority.
Where the circumstances of the user meet the requirements of the social business model or platform provider, users shall be able to present themselves publicly under a pseudonym or anonymous name, which shall only be linked to the corresponding Unique Internet License Number (UILN) itself.
Where a user of a social or retail business model or platform has provided a verified Unique Internet License Number (UILN), they will not be obligated to provide any further personal or identifying data under any circumstances, unless they voluntarily wish to do so.
Companies providing social or retail business model platforms will not incentivise or use deception of any kind to coerce users into surrendering personal data or information beyond their Unique Internet License Number (UILN)
From the process of The Reestablishment, all Companies providing social, or retail business model platforms will be required to destroy the data and information held of all historic users, without any information relating to any ongoing user being stored or held over.

[P.8.15] The Metaverse, Virtual Reality Ecosystems or other ‘Online Worlds’

Where any company that provides a social or retail business model or platform provides access to ‘The Metaverse’ a ‘Virtual Reality Ecosystem’ or an alternative ‘Online World’ of any kind, they will charge for entry to and continued access to that Metaverse, Virtual Reality Ecosystem, Online World and the service provided only.
Rules created and implemented within or for any Metaverse, a Virtual Reality Ecosystem or Online World shall at no time become applicable to or carried across to the ‘Offline World’ or become the liability of the account holder or user in their ‘real life’.
Unique users shall access The Metaverse, a ‘Virtual Reality Ecosystem’ or any ‘Online World’ for no more than 3 hours daily at any time.
Assets owned, created or awarded within The Metaverse, a ‘Virtual Reality Ecosystem’ or any ‘Online World’ shall have no transferable or tradeable value offline.

Policy 9: Caring for Our Environment, for our today and for everyone’s tomorrow (Policy 9) [P.9.0]

The old world has taught and conditioned us to believe that there would be no consequence for quick, cheap and easy living.

Whilst ridicule of the so-called ‘Global Warming’, ‘Climate Change’ and ‘Net Zero’ debates have become a dead cat argument that cynically buries the damage that ‘free markets’, ‘globalisation’ and a world driven by consumerism has inflicted upon the world, the damage caused to our environment by unsustainable living, focused on feeding greed, has left us without care for the wasteland these processes are leaving behind.

The Reestablishment asks that we all look at ourselves. That we become consciously aware of our behaviours and the impact that we have all had on the world and the people around us.

The Reestablishment requires change and with it the acceptance that we leave all forms of unsustainable living behind.

[P9.1] Net Zero

Net Zero and all references to it will end.
The changes in behaviours necessary to support, enhance and respect the environment will be delivered by the lifestyle and business changes that will be brought into being through the process of The Reestablishment and the resulting changes to our behaviours.

[P.9.2] Planning & Environment

From The Reestablishment, there will be a moratorium on all house building until such time as all alternative legislative devices have been agreed, implemented and the new system has had sufficient time to find its maintenance point.
Building on flood plains and restructured or built-up land shall be prohibited.
Both Fluvial and Pluvial flood modelling shall be the basic standard in all development planning.
The priority in consideration of all new permitted development applications will always be given to the risk to existing infrastructure and property, over ‘additional’ need.
All river systems shall be regularly dredged and cleared.
Water Companies will be prohibited from discharging untreated effluent into the sea or any water course.
Any treated discharge or effluent released into any watercourse shall not impact the environment in any way.
Soil restoration shall be a priority in all areas, with both responsive and proactive measures implemented to restore and manage all forms of productive land.
The need for efficient growing will be balanced with the need to reduce and phase out chemical-based interventions that have had or are having an impact on long term sustainability, wildlife, insect numbers, wild plants and trees.
Additional reservoirs shall be commissioned, making best use of natural features where doing so will not impact or harm Communities or irreplaceable infrastructure.
Both National and Community Assemblies shall focus development efforts upon water capture, desalinisation and micro storage technologies, where possible ensuring a crossover with green or free energy production.

[P.9.3] Business and the Environment

Planned Obsolescence or any variation of manufacturing or product creation intended to deliberately shorten the useful life of any product shall be prohibited.
Any individual or company convicted of either directly or indirectly engaging in the design, manufacture, sale or marketing of any product that has deliberately had its lifetime shortened to create a false marketplace will be fined the equivalent value of what they were projected to gain and be banned from the industry for life.
A Packaging Tax shall be applied to all disposable or non-recyclable packaging on a per-unit basis that will be added to the value of basic essentials and will not be included within.
A Framework Covenant of UK / Great Britain Environmental Standards for all foods, products, goods, services, manufacturing and other items will be agreed and shall be implemented during the process of The Reestablishment.
The introduction of all non-UK based Companies moving into the UK Marketplace which do not meet UK Environmental Standards shall be prohibited.

[P.9.4] Roads & Transport

All forms of public transport shall be returned to ‘public’ ownership.
Public Transport shall come under the management and operation of Public Interest Companies, with strategic direction set by Local and Community Assemblies.
Public transport shall be prioritised as the accepted form of transport for each Person who has access to it.
Public transport provision shall continually be improved to meet expectations as well as need.
Each Person using Public Transport to commute to their workplace shall receive no less than 50 free journeys on one form of public transport per commuter per year.
The development of new air and seaports shall be prohibited.
HS2 and all other planned or incomplete transport projects shall be discontinued.
The existing railway network will be enhanced, using improved management, the use of smart technology, the revival of infrastructure closed under the Beeching Axe, additional stations/platforms and basic trust in staff prioritised above all other solutions and remedies.
Improvement to existing transport systems and infrastructure shall be prioritised before replacement.
Commuter journeys and journeys to educational establishments taken by car, where sufficient and appropriate public transport is available, will be taxed at the rate of 100% the cost of all equivalent fares.
Multiple car ownership within households (families) shall be prohibited.
Households shall be limited to the ownership of no more than 1 (one) car per household, where that ownership is deemed essential.
Additional cars (2 or more) will only be deemed necessary where more than one member of that household can demonstrate that car ownership is essential to their employment and that no alternative form of public transport is available to access that location in order to meet the requirements of their employment contract.
All Local Assemblies shall own and operate a car sharing pool and battery powered bike lending hub that will be run on a not-for-profit basis.

[P.9.5] Recycle, Repair, Reuse

The throw-away culture will end during the process of The Reestablishment.
Each Person shall be expected to prioritise the recycling, repair and reuse of clothing, materials, equipment and technology, in whole or in part, where damage or use has not rendered them unusable.
All manufacturing, assembly and packaging processes will be required to use materials that can be reused easily by the end user.
Where the recycling of any material or item is possible, the recycling process must be completed as locally as possible, without extensive transport or mechanical processes.

[P.9.6] Make do and Mend

The sale and manufacture of single use clothing and essential goods shall be prohibited.
There shall be an expectation for each Person that clothing and essential goods will be used until they are worn out, or have been recycled, repaired and reused.
Local Assemblies shall run Community workshops and training to provide Community members of all ages with repair and restoration skills.

[P.9.7] Local Lending Libraries (LLL)

Each Local Assembly shall establish and manage Local Lending Libraries (LLL) and goods exchanges that are made available online and offline to all members of the Community.
Lending Libraries and Goods Exchanges shall have their own workshops where members of the Community can access repair and revitalisation services for the goods they own and wish to be able to reuse.

Policy 10: Foreign Policy (Policy 10) [P.10.0]

[P.10.1] General Foreign Policy

The UK / Great Britain shall exercise a non-interventionist Foreign Policy.
The only exceptions to the UK / Great Britain non-interventionist policy shall be when a) a legitimate foreign government, democratically elected by the majority of its people has requested such intervention and/or b) that to not intervene shall place the UK / Great Britain or any dependency and the freedoms of the resident population thereof, at unacceptable levels of risk.
The UK / Great Britain Foreign Policy shall be to not be involved in Foreign Electoral or Democratic processes of any kind.
No form of foreign aid shall be allocated whilst residents of the UK / Great Britain remain under involuntary need or need that has been created involuntarily through the actions of others.
No form of foreign aid shall be allocated unless the UK / Great Britain economy/economies are in surplus.
Where overseas aid is given, it will only be given to provide direct and meaningful support to residents and small businesses within that country.
Foreign aid shall only be provided through funds or contracts to private companies from the UK / Great Britain, or third-party nations where no complete or hybrid local solution is available.
Contracts awarded to private companies as part of Foreign Aid will only be given to businesses that are indigenous to that specific Country, with a focus on supporting local economies as part of that Foreign Aid effort.
A non-military foreign aid logistics and development service will be created and directed strategically by The National Assembly, with Community Assembly oversight.

[P.10.2] Defence

Defence management and strategy shall be the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Emergency Defence management decisions shall be taken by the National Assembly Facilitator / Chairperson with the relevant Community Representatives.
Emergency Defence Decisions shall be ratified or rescinded by the next session of The National Assembly during normal periods of business and shall be considered by a specially convened meeting of the National Assembly in no less than 3 (three) days at all other times.
National Service will be reinstated to ensure that all eligible young people have qualified academically, complete parallel apprenticeships or undertake military training as a key part of their professional development and steps towards the workplace by the age of 21.
Military hardware and software development and manufacturing shall be returned to the UK /Great Britain with outsourcing to companies outside of the UK / Great Britain only where no other options are available.
All non-UK / Great Britain military operations, with the exception of the provision of The Nuclear Deterrent shall end as early as possible during the process of The Reestablishment.
The UK / Great Britain International Military Policy shall be non-interventionist and non-aggressive.
The UK / Great Britain Military shall not engage in any foreign campaign unless the UK / Great Britain has been directly attacked or there is a requirement to maintain an appropriate military presence overseas either to support UK / Great Britain Foreign Aid activities or as part of commitments to international collaborations (NATO, UN etc)
UK / Great Britain Military or units thereof shall only be mobilised for any action or activity outside of the UK by the National Assembly.
The civil prosecution of alleged military ‘crime’ of any kind – whether current, recent or historic shall be prohibited.
A New Naval Ship Building programme shall include adequate ‘at sea’ Fisheries Protection for all UK Waters
The Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army will be rearmed, equipped and restored in size to ensure that combined forces are able to cover all domestic and possible/likely overseas requirements at all times.
All Community Assembly Areas shall have a military presence that will include a minimum of 1x Army Depot, 1x Military Airport (which may be shared), and 1x Naval Station or Port where Community Assembly areas are on the coast or exposed to an estuary which carried shipping.

[P.10.3] Immigration

Immigration shall be on a qualified basis only.
Genuine refugees shall be awarded temporary sanctuary and residency until it is safe for them to return to their home Country.
Qualified Entry Status shall only exist where a need for skills has been identified by Local Assemblies / Community Assemblies / The National Assembly, which cannot be provided in any other way.
Where there is a temporary need for skills, Qualified Entry Status shall only be awarded for the period of need and up to but not exceeding 6 months thereafter.
Economic refugees and their dependents shall be provided with temporary sanctuary with only the essential basics provided to meet their immediate needs.
There shall be no obligation upon Local Assemblies, Community Assemblies or the National Assembly to provide the essential basics on an individual or definable family unit basis beyond the requirements of basic privacy.
Where refugees have travelled beyond the ‘first safe country’, they shall not be granted special rights and shall be treated as economic migrants.
The UK / Great Britain shall be obligated to prioritise any Foreign Aid available to those countries where the greatest numbers of residents have become refugees and/or are arriving at UK / Great Britain seeking entry to stay.
Any person seeking refuge of any kind who has been convicted of any crime against the person or a freedom thereof, either in the UK / Great Britain or any other Country, shall have relinquished their Community rights and/or human rights. They shall be denied entry, with any stay necessary in the UK / Great Britain being custodial until such time as they can be returned to their home Country.

[P.10.4] The UK / Great Britain Relationship with The EU & other ‘Trading Partners’

All obligations made to The EU or any of its forebears by any government of the UK / Great Britain, shall end in full during the process of The Reestablishment.
All obligations made to any other foreign entity, Country or Trade Bloc by any government of the UK / Great Britain, shall end in full during the process of The Reestablishment, unless that relationship carries a net benefit for the UK / Great Britain, when it shall continue for the duration of that time.
Sovereign Power for all matters shall be that of Local Assemblies, then Community Assemblies, then The National Assembly.
The National Assembly shall not engage in relationships of any kind with The EU without the consent, democratic and transparent directives of the Local and Community Assemblies.
No form of EU derived law or legislation of any kind shall remain in force or be enforceable from The Reestablishment, with the exception of the production and/or provision of any goods to be exported to the EU, which it will remain the obligation of the supplying company to maintain.
Any post Reestablishment relationship with The EU shall be trade based only and will be negotiated from the point that no relationship between the UK / Great Britain and The EU already exists or has historically existed at any time.
The UK / Great Britain shall not relinquish any form of power or Governance to any Foreign Power as part of a trade or political arrangement, agreement or contract of any kind.
The UK / Great Britain shall make no payments or provide any subsidy to any Foreign Country or Trading Bloc as part of any Trade arrangement.
The UK / Great Britain must achieve and maintain trade neutrality or experience net gain within all trade partnerships for basic and essentials foods, services and goods.
Protection orders will immediately be made at the commencement of The Reestablishment to safeguard food security through British Farming, Fisheries and all areas of production at risk from foreign imports.
At The Reestablishment a temporary protectionist policy will be imposed upon all trade with the EU where the products, goods, foods and services are already available and/or can be produced within the UK / Great Britain and will remain in place until those industries can self-sustain.
At the commencement of The Reestablishment, there will be an immediate ban on the import of all EU derived products, goods, foods and services that are subsidised and therefore underwritten by the EU, unless they are not available or cannot be produced within the UK / Great Britain.

Policy 11: Freedoms, The Courts & The Legal System (Policy 11) [P.11.0]

It is essential that every part of the Court, Legal system and Profession be motivated and driven by the requirement for impartial delivery at all levels that will ensure balance, fairness and justice for all.

No financial, emotional or other form of influence shall interfere with the right of every person to enjoy their freedom, and no person convicted or directed by a court shall have their own rights to freedom compromised beyond the requirements of any punishment or the requirements of any directive that a Community court may lay down.

[P.11.1] The Courts

The existing Magistrates Court & Local Circuit or County Court system shall end during the process of The Establishment.
The role of Volunteer Magistrates shall end during the process of The Reestablishment.
All Criminal matters shall be determined by new Local Assembly Courts, convened with 7 Community Members randomly selected from a different Local Assembly Area within the same Community Area.
Assembly Courts shall be convened and sit for 1 (one) week and shall be overseen by a qualified Court facilitator.
All Civil and deferred Criminal matters shall be determined by Community Assembly Courts, convened with qualified Community judges.
The automatic pathway of all Civil and Family matters shall be mediation, following the initial assessment of all cases by a Community Judge to remove or reject spurious cases.
A criminal charge of obstructing the rightful process of the Community Court shall be applied to any party who refuses or fails to participate in the automatic pathway.
‘Ambulance chasing’ or ‘where there’s blame, there’s a claim’ court applications initiated specifically for commercial gain by legal professionals shall be prohibited with an immediate lifetime ban from practice for any legal professional directly or indirectly involved.
The right of appeal shall be limited to the next Assembly Level, and where appeals or more serious cases are passed to The National Assembly, they shall be determined by 7 randomly selected members of The National Assembly and determined under the advice of a senior Community Judge.
No court may use financial incentives or disincentives to discourage or encourage the pursuit of justice of any kind.
Impartial justice must be available to all UK / Great Britain residents at all times.
It will be the obligation of the Local and Community Assembly Courts to ensure that all cases are objectively led, factually driven and not motivated by material gain or emotional prejudice of any kind and in any way.

[P.11.2] Law & Order

All Policing targets will be discontinued during the process of The Reestablishment. A happy Community is one which has no requirement to be policed.
Any person arrested will be prosecuted by the arresting Police Officer(s) in front of the Local Assembly Community Court for any decision over immediate conviction, bailed or released, within 24 hours of their arrest.
Any person under the age of 21 who is convicted in a Local Assembly Community Court of any crime which is not against the person or freedom of the person shall, upon conviction, be immediately enrolled to complete National Service of no less than completion of the full apprenticeship period plus an additional 3 (three) years.

[P.11.3] Policing

During the process of The Reestablishment, the role of the College of Policing shall undergo review with any rights of the college to influence operational policing policy rescinded.
The weight of value in policing shall be returned to frontline police constables.
The priority of a police constable shall be the provision of visible, community policing with the burden of bureaucratic and statistical targets removed.
A policing apprenticeship shall be available for applicants at 14 years.
Other applicants for police constable training shall be no less than 21 years of age with a minimum of 3 years post-apprenticeship work experience.
The weight of police constable training shall be experiential and ‘on the job’.
All senior police officers must have served a minimum of 3 years, qualified, within the preceding role.
The role of police community support officer shall end during the process of The Reestablishment, with all existing PCSOs expected to complete police constable training.
The area of each Police Force or Constabulary shall correspond with the local Community Assembly area.
Each Local Assembly area shall have a manned Police Station.

[P.11.4] Terrorism

All terrorism shall be treated as treason and an attack upon freedom.
All convicted Terrorists shall receive whole-life tariffs, which may be upgraded by The National Assembly to a capital tariff at any time, with the support a majority vote within all Local Assemblies to restore the Death Penalty.

[P.11.5] Licensing (Gambling & Sale of Alcohol)

The gambling industry shall be required to have new system of Governance mirroring alcohol licensing where ‘point of transaction’ must be managed by a responsible, appropriately qualified and upstanding person who will be held accountable for the safety of all customers on the basis of legally backed right to refuse.
All Internet and/or app gambling will be regulated to reflect the same or banned if the Gambling industry cannot present workable solutions to support gambling supervision on remote basis.
A system of Alcohol Taxation shall be introduced to encourage the use of Pubs, Restaurants and Social Clubs for any/all alcohol consumption, actively discouraging drinking in the home or an ‘unsupervised’ environment.

[P.11.6] Religion, Freedom of Thought and Freedom of Speech

True freedom of the Person is the ability to think freely, and to act accordingly unless such an act will restrict the acts or ability to think freely of another, with the only exception being when they have been convicted of a crime and have had such freedom restricted by law.
Any person shall be free to believe whatever they wish, unless that belief becomes an action or behaviour that then calls into question the ability of any other Person to do the same.
No religion shall have the right to impose any law, framework for living, or any type of behaviour upon any Person who objects to doing so or has not voluntarily agreed to do so without solicitation or coercion.
It shall be recognised in Law that there is no discernible hierarchy of man between any man and his or her relationship with God, Source, A Supreme Being or The Universe, other than which is man made, and that Faith is itself an exercise in freedom.
No organisation or individual – whether ‘religious’, ‘spiritual’, or following another doctrine or philosophy which requires changes upon freedom of the Person, shall impose or force their doctrine on any Person.
The act of ‘cancellation’ shall be a criminal offence, whether committed directly, indirectly or in part.
The spiritual independence and individual value of every Person, their soul or ‘mind’ shall be respected at all times.
No man shall have the right to compromise the right of any individual to unassisted human function, unless the individual has knowingly and in full understanding given their consent for them to do so.
Where the right of a Person to enjoy unassisted human function has been surrendered, it can only be surrendered on a temporary basis, with the cognitive ability of that individual maintained and with their choice to have their self-sufficiency restored, safely and without detriment to them, at any time upon demand.

[P.11.7] Economic Delinquency, Public Manipulation & Control, Foreign Campaign & Covid Crimes Inquiries & Punishment

There shall be a recognition that the pre-Reestablishment decision making by the majority of former politicians and senior public figures has been based upon self-interest and reasoning based on the stupidity and ignorance that goes with it.
The most appropriate punishment for stupid and ignorant people is to remove them from their responsibilities and relieve them of any material gain they have made directly from the decisions they have made.
Any such person will forfeit their right to continue to hold their position and any future benefit that may have previously been intended from it.
Where individuals have been proven to design, impose and maintain any public policy that has been knowingly used to compromise the physical health, mental health and freedom of any individual or the public at large, for reasons that are not in the best interests of the majority, they will be appropriately tried in a Community Court.
Appropriate punishment shall be decided by the same court.
In any circumstances, punishments shall be proportionate and humane and not in any way applied in such way that the method of achieving the outcome is arguably ‘fitting’ the crime. I.e., any person convicted of a political crime may indeed receive a custodial sentence, but the removal of their liberty and any non-essentials for the period of the sentence duly given shall be punishment enough.
In the event that a court will impose a capital sentence upon any individual, the sentence shall be carried out in the most efficient, painless and humane manner possible, without an audience or public celebration of any kind.
Any persons appointed to oversee the administration of a court’s punishment will be appropriately qualified and trusted to respect the requirement for humanity to be shown and applied to any person, no matter who they are or what they have been convicted of.
Bankers and Financiers tried and convicted of playing any part in profiteering, excessive interest raising, usury, market manipulation, betting on the markets, creating deceptive financial devices or any other activity that has either involuntarily compromised others or risked/damaged any economy in any way shall, at a minimum, be banned from engaging in any financial industry or financially related activity for life, and shall forfeit any wealth attributed from such activity to their Community Assembly.

Policy 12: Transport (Policy 12) [P.12.0]

[P.12.1] Public Transport

Public Transport is an essential public service and shall be provided on a not-for-profit basis.
All Public Transport provision shall be made by Public Interest Companies
The technological development of Hydrogen, Battery and free energy powered vehicles shall be supported at all Assembly Levels.

[P.12.2] Road Transport

EU Legislation requiring Professional Drivers to do stepped tests for different vehicle sizes in same class (e.g., HGV 3 and then HGV1 only afterwards following a qualification period) will end during The Reestablishment process.
The requirement for Driver CPCs shall end and be replaced with short online course and tests as part of first Licensing, with regular refresher courses and tests online thereafter to be provided and managed by the Vehicle Licensing Authority for UK ONLY commercial drivers.
Visiting or transiting professional Foreign Drivers will be required to undertake the same short online courses and driving tests before accessing UK / Great Britain roads.

[P.12.3] Roads

All road building plans and projects shall be halted where the cost of continuing will be higher than to cease and restore the previous infrastructure.
Utility companies will be fully liable for all road repairs where they have devalued the structural integrity of any road surface, whether community or privately owned.
Any Utility companies leaving temporary roadworks without work taking place at weekends and during business hours shall be fined for the value of expense to the Community, by the Local Assembly.
Investment will be made in new road surface technology research to extend the lifetime and durability of all roads.

[P.12.4] Shipping

A new scheme of public sponsorship or loans to create new shipbuilding enterprises shall be established with the aim that all Community Assembly areas with access to the UK / Great Britain coastline or a ship going estuary shall have appropriate and accessible ship building and repair facilities.

[P.12.5] Cycling

A system of Bicycle & Rider Licensing shall be created for all bicycles, scooters, battery powered cycles and mobility carts.
A penalty points system shall be created for bicycle, scooter and mobility cart use which shall be interchangeable with and relate to existing Driver Licensing.

History of this Book

Manifesto for a Good Dictator is based on the book ‘Why we need a Good Dictator’ which was first published as an eBook for Kindle via Amazon on 18 March 2024.

Previously I had written and published The Makeshift Manifesto in December 2019, a matter of days before the General Election, where I had outlined the types of public policies that a ‘good government’ would use and implement in the following Parliamentary Term.

You will not need me to run through the four and a half years of Conservative Party led Government that followed. But what was clear, a long time before the General Election of 2024 was called, was that nothing is going to change, whilst the way we are doing and politics remains the same – even when the faces, the words and the Political Parties seem to change.

When I put a copy of the original Makeshift Manifesto on to my screen nearly a year ago, I began reading and quickly realised that almost nothing had changed and that it was time to talk about the journey or pathway to the outcomes that People need, and this time consider perhaps the most radical route that we could follow, but perhaps the only route that we can now follow, if we genuinely want to experience real and meaningful change.

As they say, a week is a long time in politics. So, a year and all that has happened has meant that the message that needs to be shared here, is even more relevant and therefore important than it has been at any time before.

As I have written in many different eBooks over the last few years, there are a range of options for change that are open to us. The problem is that we are not open to those opportunities and therefore are currently ignoring what all of those open doors are actually there for.

A Good Dictator may seem unreal or mythical. But the way that change is evolving in the world around us means that we may need to think more seriously about the prospect of trusting just one person to be the difference that so many before in world history have failed to live up to. And yes, they may need to be like The Phoenix and much, much more.

Author’s Note

Introduction

PART 1 – What is Food Security?

Introduction

Food Security Unpacked: Perspectives, Risks, and Realities

What does Food Security mean to you?

The things that Food Security can and does mean

The Establishment view: If people can eat, they have Food Security

If you aren’t hungry, you don’t have a problem

Foodbanks are a very uncomfortable truth

The Farmer view: Food Security is about the Food that we Produce in the UK

The impact of the Global Food Chain

The UKs Food Security is at MASSIVE risk, right now

What Food Security and being ‘Food Secure’ should mean

Reliable and not under Threat

Available

Cost

Supply

Religion and Ideology

Greed and Profiteering

Accessible

Meets Nutritional Needs and Health Requirements

Affordable

Food Security and Income are inextricably linked

Truth vs Truths that serve someone else’s purposes

Where Food Security is concerned, Farmers cannot be victim and saviour at the same time

Going round in circles

Part 1 Summary

PART 2 – What our bodies need every day

Introduction

Nutrition Made Simple

Part 2 Summary

PART 3 – Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow Locally in and around the UK

Introduction

Rediscovering Local Abundance: Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow

A Work in Progress

Table 1: Fruits that grow or can be grown in the UK

Table 2: Vegetables that grow or can be grown in the UK

Table 3: Crop Types that grow or can be grown in the UK

Table 4: Livestock that is Farmed or can be Farmed in the UK

Table 5: Wild Livestock & Game found in the UK

Table 6: Natural Fish and Seafood that is or can be landed at UK Fishing Ports

Table 7: Natural Fish that is or can be line caught from UK Rivers and Watercourses

Table 8: Fish that is or can be Farmed in the UK

Table 9: Dairy Products that are or can be produced from UK Milk

Worth a Look

Overview on ‘Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow Locally in and around the UK’

Part 3 Summary:

PART 4 – Grow Your Own or ‘Home Growing’

Introduction

Growing Together: The Power of Home and Community Food Initiatives

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Suggested further reading for this Section:

Suggested further reading for this Section:

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Suggested further reading for this Section:

Suggested further reading for this Section:

Suggested further reading for this Section:

Suggested further reading for this Section:

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Suggested further reading for this Section:

Suggested further reading for this Section:

Part 4 Summary:

Conclusion

Glossary

Further Reading

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And we need a completely new Establishment to run and deliver everything too

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The Growing Food Crisis

The importance of The Food We Eat

Changing Minds Changes Lives

Please join me on the Foods We Can Trust Food Journey

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Introduction

Part 1: A Good Dictator is the only option if we want Freedom and a Just, Fair and Balanced world

The problem at the centre of all problems

Do you want what sounds good for your future, or do you need what works best?

We are already ruled by a Bad Dictatorship