Photo: Principles for Responsible Investmen
'Our blueprint for a post-coronavirus future'
'As we recover from the pandemic, here’s how we must create a more caring and united society'
The above is the heading of a letter published in The Observer on Sunday 24 May 2020. It very much resonates with me. It is my blueprint for the post-coronavirus future too. I will say a bit more on this later. Now let us see and read the letter together.
‘The Greek word krisis originally denoted that critical moment when things could go either way for the patient. We believe that our society is at a similar turning point. As we recover from Covid-19, we must confront other, potentially graver crises, and create a more caring, united and resilient society. We must:
- Revalue care: nurses and carers deserve a pay rise, not just a round of applause. We should reverse marketisation of our NHS, and better integrate physical, mental and social care.
- Reduce inequality: present levels of inequality benefit no one, fragmenting society, distorting democracy and overburdening care systems. We must reject austerity measures, house the UK’s homeless and consider implementing a universal basic income.
- Get to grips with the climate and ecological emergency, by “baking in” good lockdown practices, adopting strict year-by-year carbon budgets in line with the UN’s 1.5 degree target, and localising production, consumption and travel where possible.
- Set up an independent public inquiry on the handling of the pandemic, to make sure the lessons are learned.
- Create a UK Citizens’ Assembly for the Future, selected at random, to counter the short-termism, lack of representation and bias of our political institutions. This body would work alongside parliament, focusing on longer-term issues such as disaster planning, institutional reform and the low carbon transition.
There can be no doubt that we face a krisis – now we must take urgent steps to ensure a full recovery.’--Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC; Baroness Ruth Lister, Loughborough University; Richard Wilkinson, University of Nottingham; Baron Rowan Williams, Magdalen College, Cambridge; Jonathan Wolff, University of Oxford; and 33 academics, lawyers, writers and activists.- The Observer 24 May 2020 (Full text and signatories at theunfinishedrevolution.net).
Now, reverting back to the beginning of what I was saying about why this letter resonates with me, why their blueprint is mine too.
To demonstrate this, I can do no better than highlighting a few recent postings from the gcgi.info. They speak volumes and volumes on what the GCGI has been standing for since its founding in 2002.
Coronavirus and the New Tapestry of Life
The Klimt Tree of Life tapestry – by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
Life after Coronavirus: We Must Not Be Cheated and Exploited Again
Coronavirus and the New Tapestry of Life
The Sweetness of Being Human: ‘We have all of us one human heart.’
Out of the coronavirus crisis, a new kinder and better world must be born
On the 250th Birthday of William Wordsworth Let Nature be our Wisest Teacher
Healing Our Way to a more Caring, Kinder and Fairer Society: A View from a CEO and a Recovered Economist
People like us, all of us, together will make the world great again
Dear Mr. Johnson, your Covid-19 survival must become a force for good
Crisis after Crisis: Ten Steps to Save the World
Every move you make, every breath you take leaves its mark on our world
Prof. Kamran Mofid, Founder, Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative (GCGI)