Britain is a nation in precipitous decline. Our proudest achievements, like schools, universities and health service are in emergency mode, needing intensive care.
The pandemic reaction has been the worst response ever from any government in history with billions of losses and over 220,000 lives lost. And still we hear this abysmal former Prime Minister Boris Johnson throwing the toys from his pram, telling us that he was a great leader and deserves to be respected and honoured! We are a nation betrayed by elitist leaders for far too long.
My research and that of a few others shows that in finance and economics, we have become the world’s biggest tax haven inviting bad money into the country to drive out good. Our regulatory system is deeply flawed. And yet we boast of having a great City of London, stock market and financial centre.
Hypocrisy is written large into our national culture and history. Slavery was invented by the British too and so was mass industrialisation which ruined millions of lives and hundreds of communities in rural Britain creating large urban ghettos full of smoke and open sewers.
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It is important to acknowledge the hope and ambition immigrants bring to Britain and the desire to build a better more equal and entrepreneurial society where everyone grows and flourishes. Hypocrisy is not our culture, but public service and servant leadership are deep in our psyche. We do not give up hope easily, but also ought to understand the structures and institutions that have brought Britain to its knees. As the first Indian immigrant Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has an opportunity to bring back this hope and he certainly is not behaving anywhere like the charlatan that is Boris Johnson.
The future looks bleak and there is no point denying it or covering it up. We may have a royal family and the English language but it is in our living cultures and behaviours that we will transform our country. Let us not live in past glory and instead save our economy from decline through wise management and selfless leadership. Electing Brexit Boris was our biggest mistake. We should repeat it to our peril.
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Professor Atul K. Shah [@atulkshah] teaches and writes about Indian wisdom on business, culture and community at various UK universities and is a renowned international author, speaker and broadcaster.
