RSA Animate - The Economic Consequences of Mr Brown

On 14 September 2009, Stein Ringen, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Oxford, gave his assessment of the New Labour government and the state of the British constitution. In the first of the RSA's new animation series, visual scribe Andrew Park presents his interpretation of the event.

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[tangentcausality]

@TheJoshJman This was about Britain. The Obama quote was really just a rhetorical device. He made no claims about the U.S.'s viability nor did he claim that government and/or constitutions are bad ideas, just that Britain's needs reform.

[1scot4scotland]

@thRSAorg

The constitution is the Top issue in British politics even higher than the deficit. I have a deeper conclusion for you .The UK is not fit for purpose and what Mr Brown did was manage to keep the UK alive or at least look like it was alive . Then "the gods" put one more nail in the constitutional coffin, as we in Scotland know all to well .

We ( Scotland, England and Wales ) " face many challenges and have gigantic social issues, centralisation is not the answer. Independence is.

[alexdimartino]

Brilliant analysis. I'm afraid Mr. Cameron is falling in the same trap, with an even stricter centralisation...

[ukchill1]

nigga plz

[TheRosa63]

question. could the failure be because they simply didn't want to address the real causes because they are protecting the monopoly power/money/market of a few over the many? to solve poverty you would have to help a country develope, not give chairty, teach them to fish give them the resources to do so and be self sustaining. the same way usa became prosperous property rights and freedom from gov interference into starting business without incorp or having a license or permit.

[TheForwardGaze]

If our limited democracies fail, as did Germany's and Italy's 80 years ago, they'll be replaced with bottom-up, inclusive democracy, or perhaps fascism. I don't know what 21st century fascism will look like, but it probably won't be much fun.

[ElectricCelt56]

The Guardian brought me here, and I'm impressed. Ralston Saul goes on about the same theme- an overdue return to real democracy. Very timely, actually.

[danielbsmith]

I like the voucher idea except it would create a generation of dumpster-diving politicians.

[autumnreign86]

Really like the political funding idea, makes more sense to give funding rather than voting for one party to rule. In this way people regain control of their government and have stronger incentives to ensure the money was used properly for the public

[SlipperyPedo]

@1scot4scotland if scotland was to become idependent it would be good for both the uk and scotland. The uk would save billions on not having to provide free student fee's in scotland, and scotland would not have to put up with inefficent london based pollicies.

[Emzo99]

This is a load of bullshit

[DemiSurah93]

He's got the right idea about political funding reform!!!!!