Saturday, April 24, 2010

Broken Britain - the need for the return of trust

Whilst Broken Britain is a good shorthand I think there's a stronger thing there. Trust.

The world used to run on trust, you'd leave doors unlocked, employ people on their word, make contracts by shaking hands, let children walk to school.

Now that trust has gone, government assumes we're guilty, traders assume we're cheating, we assume traders are ripping us off, all adults are a risk to children. None of these "untrusting" assumptions actually makes things any better.
A more complex regulatory regime is imposed, or people trust other people less and so we are able to enjoy our world less.

If the Conservatives win back power and set to work to mend Britain, then trust is the thing to promote. If society can earn back trust from itself then we'd be a long way towards being unbroken. But by doing that we expose ourselves to the untrustworthy. They will have to be dealt with more severely; and effectively. They abuse trust, and that diminishes our world.

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