‘Seven Ways to Change the World: How to Fix the Most Pressing Problems We Face’
Review: Short Read (5-6 minutes)
Book: Hardback (512 pages)
Review of Gordon Brown’s latest book, published by Simon & Schuster, June 2021
'‘Don’t be a Plonker all your Life Rodney’
- Del Boy
This catchphrase from the popular 80s-90s TV Sitcom ‘Only Fools and Horses’ is familiar to many of us, spoken in a tone of exasperation and weariness, it denotes that yet again, Rodney has taken his eye off the ball… Focussing on totally the wrong thing he inevitably makes a bad situation worse.
This was the tone of voice that Gordon Brown’s narrative took on in my head, as I began his new book ‘Seven Ways to Change the World’.
Throughout his book, Brown recounts numerous occasions where international coordination would have saved lives and brought progress. He notes the COVID pandemic is, yet again, an example of '… our failure as an international community to organise ourselves and to prevent and manage crises that affect us all.’
It’s the phrase ‘our failure’ that is so telling.
But the book doesn’t read like a Jeremiah prophesying inevitable doom, as instead Brown quickly pivots to two underlying themes: global problems that need global solutions and finding better ways of working together.
This isn’t rocket science, but one of the strengths of the book (and there are many) is that it’s written by someone who has had a leading role at numerous conferences of global leaders and has had an insider view of the UN, the World Bank, the IMF and almost any other multilateral organisation you might care to mention.
He’s learned by hard experience how these institutions work and he lets us eavesdrop on the proceedings, causing renewed exasperation at the ‘yet again’ antics of some participants. But, in spite of all of the frustrations and failures, Brown still believes change is possible and that the current crisis can usher in new ways of thinking.
He’s learned by hard experience how these institutions work…
Brown outlines his thinking on 7 major global issues (health, financial instability; climate emergency; education; the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); tax havens and nuclear proliferation). For each, there is a forensic analysis of the problem followed by a review of actions to date. Each chapter concludes with a prescription for progress, including the imperative for ‘responsible international cooperation.’ The financial implications are presented and proposals made for how to share the cost.
For me, the most poignant section was the discussion on the SDGs.
The warm glow of relief that significant progress had been made was tempered by evidence that the pandemic has caused many trends to go into reverse. It was also the sobering realisation that the chasm between what we have achieved and what we are capable of achieving has never been greater.
So, why aren’t leaders coming together to develop global solutions? Many culprits are identified: extreme nationalism; weak leadership; protectionism; lack of vision; short-termism to name but a few, plus the need for reform in many international institutions.
These obstacles appear overwhelming, but Brown says ‘we must not resign ourselves to a world where we, as citizens, allow ourselves to act as if we are powerless. Quite the opposite.’ It becomes clear that all the analysis and policy prescriptions are useless without public support for political action on a global level and he recounts many occasions where progress happened because of ‘the inspiration of social movements that were built on strong ethical foundations’.
Unfortunately at this point, Brown veered away from the clarity and insight that had characterised the book thus far. To be blunt, it began to read a bit like a Hallmark greeting card, speaking of ‘finding the power within ourselves …’; ‘build on what is best in people’ and ‘the power of possibility.’
Cover: Seven Ways to Change the World
Yes, we need social movements and they need hope, and buckets of it. But they also need strategic planning, communication channels etc. and this is where the engines of faith communities have been so effective in the movements Brown references. Faith gives shape, definition and forward motion to good intentions*.
These quibbles should not detract from the significance of the book. It is definitely a book for grown-ups – those who want to understand and engage effectively with the most critical issues of our time.
Faith gives shape, definition and forward motion to good intentions.
Unlike Del-Boy and Rodney, this time next year, we may not be millionaires, but if we have perused this book, we should be in a much better position to help fix the most pressing problems we face.
Seven Ways to Change the World: How to Fix the Most Pressing Problems We Face’, by Gordon Brown, published by Simon & Schuster, June 2021
*For further reading on this topic, I recommend ‘Mobilising Hope’ by Adam Russell Taylor, now President of Sojourners, written for those whose activism is fuelled by their faith.
