I am very aware as I read through the pages of the Journal that many people are deeply saddened by the state of humanity, here and around the world.

Many people feel helpless faced with the constant barrage of ‘bad news’; what can I/we do? How do I cope with all this, and trying to live a life, raise children, look after the elderly and so on? There is a growing sense of precariousness.

As I have discussed before in these pages, many people feel abandoned by officialdom of various kinds, not listened to, and frustrated. In my experience the things that the majority of people need and want are not that outrageous; a reasonable and secure income, food on the table, somewhere safe to live, and access to reliable services. Above all we want fairness, to live in a society where there are opportunities for all, and where those with power, money and the privileges that can be bought for a price, do not take advantage of everyone else.

Having a proper say in how our lives are run requires democracy; not in some abstract way; vote for someone and hope for the best, while expecting the worst; but actual engagement in decision making. As I wrote in my 2008 book ‘Herbivores and Carnivores: the struggle for democratic values in post-war Britain’

‘As I write this, there is a good deal of discussion as to whether democracy is in decline in Britain, and if indeed there is a democratic deficit in our lives. Moreover, what is actually being mourned is not democracy, because we have never had it, but the loss of hope we had in achieving a democratic life.’

I do not feel the need to change my mind.

So, what do we do? This brings me to the idea of ‘utopia’, the achievement of the good and fair society, fair shares for all. Karl Mannheim, the great 1930s German Sociologist, was primarily concerned with problem of how people actually think, linked inevitably to the values that people hold; who and what do they value and why. How do we form these ideas? One of the key issues that has concerned me all my working life.

Manheim called ideologies (sets of persuasive ideas) ‘wish dreams’, which were constantly challenged and often side-lined by the constant flow of information that people receive on a daily basis from TV, the press, and other forms of popular culture, social media, politicians and so on. But also from our schooling and education, or lack of it. A relentless barrage; the hidden, and often not so hidden persuaders. We are all aware that most people are assailed by aspirations and expectations to be this kind of person, live this life, consume that. People absorb these ideas and are entranced by them, regardless of whether they are in any way realistic desires or not. There is always that voice whispering in the ear.

To make even gentle moves towards a fairer society and more equitable life will require us all to put the needs of all within the public sector of everyday life; doing things for the vast majority of people; rather than offering up visions of private only access to resources to meet our basic and essential every day needs.

In my experience young people are good at wishful thinking, often clear in their understanding that what they are being, or not being offered, as they grow up, needs a much more imaginative and alternative approach.

In my recent Journal article, I looked at the irreconcilable tensions of liberalism (freedom of action for us all regardless of the costs of this) and democratic life. We are still dealing with those ideas in the issues discussed above.

And, as Oscar Wilde once said;

‘A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at for it leaves out the country at which Humanity is always landing’.

Time to be packing some bags?