Picture: The time is going by Neto Simões
The UK economy’s been reported as shrinking by another 0.4% over the last quarter. Contrary to how many predicted it would be, the expected step out of recession here hasn’t yet happened.
France and Germany have turned a corner allegedly, so the productivity margin between us and other major European countries is increasing.
That’s not good news and being last is not fun.
180 years ago, we were cutting edge. The UK hit the industrial revolution first. We had railways first, good plumbing ahead of the rest, our postal services began first, we industrialized first; we have old, cumbersome infrastructure to deal with.
At a deep psychological level, the UK has a lot to lose as a result of this recession, a loss of global prestige, a sense of established identity. Britain’s been a splendidly isolated island, uninvaded for 1000 years, while multicultural Britain is a newer, more vibrant and mixed up phenomenon.
Retraction back to what is known is tempting when traditional cultural assumptions are tested. I think the fascination with Nick Griffin is maybe because he represents that lack of desire to give up perceived superiority.
The shift from industrial to social ways of doing things in the UK involves dealing with entrenched industrial infrastructure and a shift in our ideas around communities. That’s the case in a lot of places but is arguably more pronounced here. We’re tackling the shift head on, together with the shame and iniquity of having to ‘learn to tolerate inequality’. At a global level, I wonder what side of that particular divide UK plc might end up on.
The pain of recession may be more acute here than elsewhere. The cathartic hope though is that it’s also a spur to adaptation, so we accept game-changing as a must-have more than a nice-to-have and, in doing so, experience a sense of renaissance.
The renaissance of crossing the threshold of decay back to vitality and growth is a powerful turnaround. Visceral responses, that twitch in the gut when something feels real, is a synaptic bridge to the excitement of new life. Combine future potential with past understanding and evolution towards a constructive directional path, and rebuilding Britain becomes possible.
The best of both worlds literally comes from the ability to combine the equity of a distinctive heritage with the potential asset value of what is now possible. That’s the kind of streamlined social cohesion that’s social business.
There’s a cultural paradox here – traditional British reticence, stiff upper lips, glorious independence and a preference for personal space have made us quite good at being social with computers. Twitter thrives in the UK, especially in London. We have some of the best creative minds and practitioners of social initiatives on the planet mile for mile. So this is the time for social business design to take Britain out of the industrialized doldrums. Adopting the principles of social business can encourage self-sustainable networks that balance themselves commercially, so that they are more streamlined and effective and can create the edge we need.
The commercial and social future potential of the UK will undoubtedly be affected by whether or not we do this and how well we do this. There lie the highs and lows of being first and last.
