The Weekly Distillation No.75
Holidays; Culture Wars; Taxation; Politics; Independence; Entrepreneurship; Inspiring Businesses; Social Purpose
Photo by Sai Kiran Anagani on Unsplash
This newsletter is written for entrepreneurial leaders who want to learn about the moment we are living in but don’t have time to read broadly; who want to grasp the key themes; and who want to create better ways of advancing their mission. The Weekly Distillation covers a broad range of topics with the intent to curate the key narratives of the week, how they fit the broader themes of society and to pose questions that help you to think deeper on the application in your context. You can read more about the key themes I see here.
People once said…………
“No.” – Tom Tugendhat
“Energy is a subject that worries me a lot, I grew up in Nigeria where there were blackouts every single day, there still are. I know what it’s like not to be able to turn on the light, so it terrifies me seeing how high bills are going.” – Kemi Badenoch
“I’m a woman, I’m a biological woman in every cell in my body,” - Penny Mordaunt
“Exceptional heat is expected to affect a large part of England early next week, with temperatures likely in the high 30s C in some places and perhaps even reaching 40°C.” - the Met Office
“After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.” - Kenneth Grahame
“I've just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I'll tell you what, never again.” - Tim Vine
“No matter who comes to Belarusian land, I will fight. Even if it is Putin.” - Alexander Lukashenko
Skim it in a minute
Two rebellions in a month
As our American cousins celebrated their Independence Day, or as I often like to put it to my American friends, one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist, as the quote attributed to many goes), the UK decided to undergo its own rebellion in a British sort of coup.
Overthrowing Boris Johnson is not a change that will have too many shedding tears, especially in Scotland where over 60% of people wanted to remain in the EU, but it is fascinating to me what he was eventually removed over. After allegations of beating his then-girlfriend, lying to Parliament possibly, flip-flopping on whether Britain should remain in the EU or exit, multiple examples of being flippant in the face of moments of seriousness, causing a UK citizen to remain in Iran in jail for years more than she ever should have when he was Foreign Secretary, failing to see Russia’s threat until it was too late, failing to understand Northern Ireland’s existential issues over Brexit, he was ultimately removed over allegedly lying about the Chief Whip’s character and behaviours (which were serious issues).
Perhaps the Conservative Party needs to reflect on what happened to elect him in the first place. Integrity has always mattered in politics but we’re in a phase where populism, identity politics and soundbites matter more. If the party elects another leader like Johnson, it perhaps says more of the UK than it does of the politician chosen to be the one.
Talking of identity politics, get ready for code-switching. Several politicians are standing who have mixed ethnicity, a brilliant reflection on Britain - but wait for horrible headlines like “Is Britain ready for a Hindu/Muslim/Christian leader” (code for we want to be a secularist society), “Time for the Next Thatcher?” (Code for can we have a woman lead us again) and even “Multi-cultural Britain” (Code for this person doesn’t look like us and we want to bring that to your attention as a bunch of racists). The Kennedy Centre did a great study post the Brexit referendum showing that most people did not vote on economic matters (what keeps the £ in their pocket) but on ‘cultural’ matters (racism?). We kid ourselves that we are a modern, progressive, liberal society when actually we are, in many parts, still racist, sexist and bigoted.
As a right-of-centre conservative on many (not all) matters, I’m intrigued to see where the debate goes. So far it has been a major focus on tax, but identity politics is playing a big role too, with a focus on selfID, a policy that would allow for people to change their gender without any medical diagnosis. It would be good to see a more constructive environment for business, especially at the moment when rising cost pressures and supply chains are hitting many. It would be good to see a leader who recognises the challenges that Brexit has brought to logistics and shipping goods across borders. It would be good to see a leader who recognises the reality of the danger from Putin. It would be good to see a leader who doesn’t just offer platitudes about the cost of living pressures but has a clear plan. It would be good to see a leader who wanted to balance the budget, bring education into the 21st century, leverage the power of entrepreneurship, tackle the lack of economic mobility, stand up to the extremes of the culture wars and who can shrink the size of government. Oh and a fair constitutional settlement for the 4 nations of the UK. All that and a leader who leads with integrity, clarity, creativity, boldness, decisiveness and empathy - surely it’s too much to ask?
Another side of identity politics that will play in to the new election is calls for independence for Scotland in future. I read recently that when Scotland and England ratified their Act of Union, there were 1 million Scots and 5 million English. That ratio has remained similar over the intervening years and is, in large part, why most of UK politics runs with what matters for England (see Brexit).
Much of the narrative in Scotland over independence is whether we want to be a progressively liberal country or not. I think this is a misnomer. There are really two questions - do you want Scotland to be independent, and if so, what sort of political government do you want. UKIP is a case in point - instrumental over the years in making Brexit happen, post the event it became an irrelevance. I suspect the same might happen in Scotland - with post-independence leading to a significant split between left-wing SNP voters and right-wing SNP voters.
I would like to hear more of what that centre-right imagination for Scotland might look like - lower taxation, free movement of labour, smaller government, radical towards justice reform, emphasis on work, radical on healthcare and drug deaths, supportive of technology and investment, remove the subsidy culture, balance the budget, radical to education, realism on foreign policy, celebrating the family, freedom of religion, tackling right-wing and fundamentalist terrorism - there are many politicians in the SNP (Kate Forbes, John Swinney etc) who could carry this flag (and also in the Conservative party - Jeremy Balfour, Murdo Fraser, Douglas Ross) but this narrative gets lost in the progressive noise.
I wonder if Kemi Badenoch, Liz Truss or Margaret Thatcher were in charge of Scotland as an independent nation what it might look like? Could you imagine a low tax, balanced books, high-quality education, decisive foreign policy, flourishing economy, exporting growth of fine Scottish products, celebrated families, a platform for innovation, improved healthcare, smaller state - or do we believe Scotland is so fundamentally broken, that no matter who the leader and who the party is, that it needs to continue to be subsidised by a neighbour?
There are always two ways to balance the books - increase your income, or cut your costs. Sceptics of independence note that a budget deficit is unsustainable, un-EU-entry like, and unsupportable as a currency. What if the costs came down? Scottish social attitudes are not much different from those in England, so it’s not an impossibility to see support for this within Scotland. This argument gets lost in a Union versus Independence debate, losing the deeper argument which might be more constructive.
The next reformers
The Jubilee Centre report was released a week ago. This is another report from a great organisation that has catalysed organisations and campaigns that worked for peace in Rwanda & South Africa; raised awareness and provided solutions to counter the dangers of easy credit, and tackled unemployment in cities. It is a think tank and an advocacy organisation, and is run by the highly credible Tim Thorlby, an ex-private sector leader who also built Clean for Good, a great social business in the cleaning sector.
The report itself looks at the faith-based (Christian faith) sector in the UK and what might be happening in enterprises up and down the nations. Through a broad consultation, which I was a small part of, it looked at stories, themes and dynamics of the new enterprise leaders who are making a difference, as they seek to see human flourishing. Past Christian leaders brought great organisations like Cadburys, Barnardos, Clarks Shoes, John Laing, Colgate, Thomas Cook, Heinz, Kraft and Rowntree into our lives. The Jubilee Report points out that amazing things are happening now and that the current wave of entrepreneurs are well worth focusing on and celebrating, rather than just remembering how great William Wilberforce was. A good piece of work from the Jubilee Centre.
Businesses to shape the future
I’ve found that a trigger phrase for me is referring to the end of the school year as “the end of the year”. I don’t know why I feel strongly about it, but obviously I do because my wife heard one of my children correcting one of my other children who said the wrong thing. As I sit just before going away on holiday, it does feel like the end of the first half, and a great pivot point to rest, restore and re-enthuse for the second half. It has been a full-on first half but there have been so many encouragements, to be around amazing people doing amazing things. Here are some of my favourite businesses that I spent time with this year (some I worked with, some I didn’t. Some I helped voluntarily, some I just popped in and said hello).
Mara Seaweed. I had no idea that seaweed is so loved by chefs for flavours. And it is brilliant for carbon sequestration too.
LightDAO - seeking to reshape the NFTs world and raise funds for good causes
Woven Whisky - I’ve mentioned this one before but there’s always something impressive about a blending house. I love the bottle design too.
Cormirus - building technology to deliver amazing coaching to school-age children, opening up additional and affordable pathways for education
Maltdaq - a live exchange for whisky
Bottlebits - reinventing the way you collect and experience rare whiskies
GC Studios - a strategy consultancy and venture studio for organisations with purpose
Fanhub - changing the game for football fans
Koia - democratising the collection and trading of iconic assets
Near - connecting travellers with the best recommendations made by locals
Matawai - a mead-based drinks company, tackling water conservation and rural unemployment in South Africa
Ferovinum - bringing innovation to finance
Glasgow City Mission - loving the work these guys do with people in some of the worst possible life situations
The people leading, building and running these organisations are an inspiration to me. That sounds incredibly cheesy but when you get to sit and listen to people that are passionate, creative, driven, tackling the ups and downs of highly dynamic environments, bringing change - it’s hard for that to not infect you. Check out these organisations, buy their products and services and look for an angle where you might be able to help them too.
This is my last newsletter for a couple of weeks while I take a break and go completely off-grid. Looking forward to some family time, to rest and restore the mind and body and to imagine some possibilities for what is shaping up to be an intense and exciting second half of the year. Heading to Elie today, with my sister who is visiting from Australia - given the Open golf tournament is just up the road, we may spend the day in traffic instead. Thanks for reading and I’ll be back in August.