The Hidden Power

• Special Episode - Old Tory

  "There's a class war alright," chirruped Investor Warren Buffet recently, "But it's our class making war on yours. And we're winning."It reminded me of the Lao Tsu, where he says that the Way of Heaven is to take from those with excess, and give to those who do not have enough."The way of man is different," the sage quips. "He takes from those who have nothing, in order to give to those who already have too much."When did the worm turn? When did the liberal centrist consensus become this nightmare of neo-feudalism? How did the Tories, in particular, drift from their one-nation, Compassionate Conservatism to the libertarian bandits who rarely miss an opportunity to darken our media with stirring xenophobia, and hallucinations of Getting Things Done? Was this written into economic neoliberalism from the outset?In this episode we rehearse the history and make some observations, not least the upcoming opportunity to vote.Talking Points:Some context of the Centrist ConsensusHow the worm turned: BrexitEmpire and Old ToryFeudalism in Britain and RussiaThe Thermocline of Truth: erosion of the middle classThe Irish answer to Neoliberalism and inequalityWill they ever learn?Links:Ed's Cris de Couer - Old ToryStart the Week - Left Behind But Not ForgottenIreland and Neoliberalism - David Mc Williams PodcastJohn Pilger - Governments and Media roles in War Propaganda | The War You Don't See - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mDuxFnn2RY Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Special Episode: Democratic Yorkshire

  In this special edition of The Hidden Power podcast for Democratic Yorkshire, Philip Tottenham talks with Ed Straw, and Professor Malcolm Prowle on the subject of the day and panacea England's ills - Regionalisation. Talking Points:- The experience of government: consultancy, Thatcher, Blair, powerlessness at the centre of power- Problems with centralisation. How we experience it.- Devolved parliaments and regions. Wales, Switzerland, Germany - How this might look for Yorkshire. Some of the challenges and pitfalls.- What’s the next step? Talking about it. Taking an interest. The long road ahead.Links:Wikipedia on Regionalism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regionalism_(politics)Localism - a tangible route to Regionalisation:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Localism_(politics)#:~:text=Localism%20can%20also%20refer%20to,power%20becoming%20centralized%20over%20time.From the time of the Scottish referendum on independence:https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/17/scotland-independence-referendum-england-counties-devolutionWidely respected community action group Locality:https://locality.org.uk/Some links from Malcolm:Has Devolution Worked - a 2019 Institute for Government report reflecting on the first Twenty years:https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/has-devolution-worked-essay-collection-FINAL.pdfSome reflections on Government dysfunction (Malcolm Prowle, LinkedIn):https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7130931236369231874/Ed Balls and others on regional inequality in the UK for the Centre for Economic Policy Researchhttps://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/how-tackle-uks-regional-economic-inequality-focus-stem-transport-and-innovationFrom Ed:Northern Independence Party:https://www.freethenorth.co.uk/ourfutureCharter to End Westminster Rule:https://citizen-network.org/library/charter-to-end-westminster-rule.htmlA Nation Trapped Inside England (YouTube):https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=C2DFTj0Ot2o Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  52:33
• Is God the Biosphere? - 6 - Sense-Making

  Philosophy, famously, will not get the washing up done. And it will not fix the crises of climate and biodiversity. So what can I do? An individual amongst Billions?In economics, a basic unit is - The Household. And while economics tracks the flows of goods and services, it is striking that both goods and services require energy and other resources. Therefore The Household is an important unit to think about in terms of how we metabolise - exhaust and pollute - the planet.Confronted with countries and large companies, we all have recourse to wringing our hands - but the Household is a strikingly accessible unit for pretty much everyone.So - having surveyed, in Series 1, Proof of Concept, just how effective Systems Thinking can be; having rehearsed in Series 2 Preflight Checklist the principles that would see us through the climate and biodiversity crises; having explored in Series 3 - Is God the Biosphere? - how making the Biosphere a central partner in our governance systems requires us to rethink our religious demeanour - what next?Given our relative entrapment in what are in many ways systems of extraction and poisoning, what levers might be available to a Household to minimise harm while maximising the best life has to offer?This episode is a call to action to all our listeners -Can you articulate your household constitution?Can you produce a suitable systems map of the flow of goods, services and ideas passing under your roof?Send your household constitutions and household systems maps to [email protected] or tweet a link to Ed @EdAStraw - we are v excited to see what people have to show, and will set up a Google Doc to exhibit any responses.Talking points:Model of change in the 1850'sConvening as accessible - Systems convening event SCIO - thttps://youtu.be/vdohTndxWSMOur innate Systems Sensibility, governance as adequate development and mental healthReligion, science, commerce, a moral code - and consumer powerThe migration from past state to future state - in increments- awareness beyond the binThe power of collective action - The Preston Modelhttps://www.uclan.ac.uk/articles/research/preston-model-community-wealth-buildinghttps://cles.org.uk/publications/how-we-built-community-wealth-in-preston-achievements-and-lessons/Family constitutions: some relevant points -News media:Preferential Lobbying (articles)votingProportional Representation (podcast)https://theconversation.com/how-to-express-yourself-if-you-want-others-to-cooperate-with-you-new-research-182705thehiddenpowerpodcast@gmail.comEd @EdAStraw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  32:49
• Is God the Biosphere? - 5 - Superstition

  It is no secret that the various tribes and bubbles of our world have wildly differing beliefs about things. Why can't people just accept the truth? But the truth is so contentious. And framing is so contentious. And all these people seem to have the most outlandish superstitions.An abiding feature of these podcasts, as we've highlighted many times, is this thing called Systems Thinking, and while this is a broad enough discipline to be fairly tribal in its own right, one key feature of this Systems Thinking is thinking about your thinking.In this episode we review some of the things in normal western life that have the character of superstition, and explore to what extent our innate capacity for gullibility and naïvity might be used to our advantage, in evolving a more constructive mindset; in connecting better with Nature, and specifically in nurturing the health of our habitat.Talking Points:An experience with a palm readerThe power of belief and ritual in performanceListener comments - a bishop, a yogi, and a reflection on who we areSome superstitions - recognisable, and hiddenLike Science - eg impact of false HRT Study warning cancerTo what extent are your superstitions working for you?Heuristics and humility regarding knowledgeGood and bad fairy-talesWhat you do and what you think about itWhatever gets you through the nightWe all need superstitionsFaith as an alternative to cynicismFaith in your own human systemFaith in our project of a viable habitatThe Good Place - it's impossible to be "Good"The system is fundamentally badThe challenge is bigger than all of usAnd that is why we need faith in a higher power to sustain usLinks:Fundamentalism as a superstition about text:https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/a/armstrong-battle.html?_r=1&oref=sloginOn the placebo effect:https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-power-of-the-placebo-effectOn a scientific Truth that turned out to be untrue - HRT and cancer - https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/cancer-clinical-archive/study-linking-hrt-to-breast-cancer-was-wrong-26-01-2012/William James (Philosopher and psychologist)On pragmatism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James#Pragmatism_and_%22cash_value%22On the Variety of Religious Experience (Wikipedia preçis)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James#Philosophy_of_religionTimothy Morton:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Morton#Ecological_theory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  26:21
• Is God the Biosphere? - 4 - Rituals

  The late Ken Robinson, in one of his TED talks, tells the story of a child who was drawing with wild strokes. The teacher asked - What are you drawing? And the child replied "God". The teacher said, "But nobody knows what God looks like." And the child said, "Well. They will in a minute." Badum Tshhhh.Last week we explored what people are talking about when the talk about gods. But for most people, this is a secondary aspect of religion - the primary aspect being the rituals. So what are rituals, and why are they so powerful?In this episode we look at some rituals, religious, secular, useful, destructive, and start to imagine what rituals might help us to place the biosphere at the pinnacle of our aspirations.Talking Points:Listener Email - A moral revolution is possibleRituals. What are they?Ablutions, Jewish weddings, Christian signs of peaceConscious and unconscious rituals in daily life: focus and distractionPositioning the biosphere and political willRituals of nurturing and kindnessWaste is an affront to nature, not wasting feels goodGods - conscious and unconsciousAddiction and deificationHuman power - like a bull in a china shopPossible futuresPossible rituals - the 12 step recovery process as a route out of the addiction systemWhen things change, we'll be happier!Habits as the b-side of ritual - and their powerGetting past the Doom Bar - learning to love stressLinks:Peter Oborne - the Triumph of the Political Class (review/Guardian)https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/sep/30/politicsWater and religion ( incl Ablutions) - BBC podcast "How Water Shaped Us" -https://open.spotify.com/episode/5NURa5GgoD7PxTzJQNrjzG?si=0hgb5f6hQkuo4Oc_XbleqAThe 12 Step Program (Wikipedia) - main points:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_programDr Alia Crum on mindsets Excellent paper on the subject:https://mbl.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj9941/f/2014_mindful_stress_chpt_crumlyddy_handbook_of_mindfulness.pdfAnd podcast on mindsets in general,( 1:04:50 - The three step process: 1 Acknowledge; 2 Welcome; 3 Utilise):https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ELdxrMTQum8E4ulpMSb2J?si=HGPXTCRiR9ykMy-UOdn2qw&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A79CkJF3UJTHFV8Dse3Oy0PThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Wikipedia summary):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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