From the page to the pod
The proposition behind The Green Book was and remains that those with a broadly liberal democratic political outlook – in the Liberal Democrats but also others outside the party and outside politics – need to chart a distinctive alternative approach to the prevailing consensus which is failing on so many fronts.
The central argument running through The Green Book was that, faced with the pressing challenges of the times, a low-carbon economy and environmental investments were the best ways to deliver lasting economic growth, create new jobs and share prosperity. It is now widely if not universally accepted that the environment should not be seen as a separate issue but integral to all others.
A decade on, the challenges have changed significantly. Britain has exited from the European Union, closely allied with the rise of populist and polarising forces here and in other countries. Donald Trump has returned to the US presidency. In the UK successive Conservative governments presided over political chaos, an underperforming economy and failing public services. The Labour Party, elected on a platform of ‘change’, have so far massively underperformed.
In the run-up to that election, the Green Book group was reconstituted, proposing a radical agenda for the Liberal Democrats to make a real difference to the future of the UK. The aim was to identify distinctive, innovative and robust solutions with realistic strategies to deliver them.
The chosen vehicle for advancing such solutions was a series of podcasts, produced in association with LibDem Podcast, in which several themes were explored with expert guests.
These have included Vicky Pryce, economist and commentator; Richard Murphy, tax justice campaigner; Tom Burke, chair of the E3G think tank; Professor Anand Menon, director of ‘UK in a Changing Europe’; newly elected MPs, Lisa Smart (Hazel Grove) and Caroline Voaden (South Devon); Lord (Tim) Clement-Jones, former chair of the Lords Select Committee on AI; Norman Lamb, former MP and co-chair Health Devolution Commission; Wendy Taylor, former oncology consultant, chair of Newcastle City Council’s health and social care committee.
The podcast series
You can catch up with all the debates by following links below
The Economy
October 2023: Concerns about the economy, be they low paid jobs, insecurity or our apparent inability to fund decent public services and infrastructure, are at the top of most people’s concerns.
Lack of investment, both public and private, led to this situation. However, the standard answer from most of our politicians has been ‘but there is no money’ – the excuse for the austerity of the last 13 years – which has only made things worse. Meanwhile our debts, both personal and public, have just got bigger.
What’s needed is a different approach and a new way of thinking about political economy.
More about the economy podcast
The Net Zero debate
November 2023: We need no reminding that climate change is the biggest threat to humanity. It is directly contributing to humanitarian emergencies from heatwaves, wildfires, floods, tropical storms and hurricanes, and they are increasing in scale, frequency and intensity.
This second episode of Green Book Pod examines the place of the Liberal Democrats in the net zero debate. Do the Liberal Democrats have the robust policies needed to achieve the UK’s net zero targets and, at the same time, build a lasting prosperity?
View the Net Zero Debate podcast
LibDem messaging on Brexit
December 2023: A clear majority of voters now say they would support Remain (or Rejoin) in a new referendum, and yet many of them have no desire to go back to the divisiveness of the pre- and post-referendum period.
That makes the route back into the EU one that has to be handled with great delicacy – a question that we explore in the third episode of the Green Book Pod series.
More about the Brexit Debate podcast
Artificial intelligence – opportunity or threat?
February 2024: The use of AI is becoming pervasive, whether we like it or not. Some say it offers huge potential to transform business and government, reducing costs and creating entirely new capabilities.
Others worry about threats to democracy, the potential for job losses, and the concentration of power in a few hands – and that’s even before dire warnings about AI systems taking over humanity altogether.
Our three expert guests discuss how policy makers should respond.
More about the artificial intelligence podcast
Health – the elephant in the room
April 2024: Worries about health and the NHS top most voters’ lists of concerns, from accessing GPs to long waiting lists and much more. Growing demand from an ageing population coinciding with a squeeze on resources is creating a ‘perfect storm’.
Is there a way through the crisis? Our four expert guests discuss the ‘elephant on the bedroom’ issue – how to combat ill health at source.