What we've been reading - Out of the Wreckage by George Monbiot

Before even turning the first page of George Monbiot's Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis, one can come to a conclusion of what the book will entail based on the title and the year it was published: 2017.

The previous year saw a tumultuous time for much of global politics, including the UK’s decision to leave the European Union and, in the United States, the election of the self-proclaimed anti-establishment President Donald Trump. My initial thought was that this book would be an exclusive analysis of such events. But as we know you should never judge a book by its cover.

This book was written by Monbiot to present the need to build a new ideology within politics, the politics of belonging. His main argument proposes that the notion of community has suffered dramatically over the last three decades as a result of neoliberalism - put simply, the political preference for lesser-regulated markets and minimal state intervention. This pushed society towards objectives which conflict with our innate desire and need to be together. Consumerism leads to individualism, shifting our focus on enhancing our ‘extrinsic values’; being the values of our material self such as appearance, status and monetary wealth, and away from our ‘intrinsic values’; those which are inherently rewarding to us such as relationships, creative expression, and connection with the natural world. The politics of belonging is about repairing these bonds.

A particularly intriguing point made was the influence of motorcars in the degrading of community. Through the prominent use of cars in day-to-day life, we find ourselves sitting on the bus or train less, and therefore amongst our fellow citizens less. We do not engage with people around us as many before would have during their group commute to the factory or the mine.

Furthermore, our streets are laden with ever-growing road networks. As cars continue to pass through our communities, we become less inclined to meet in the street and chat with our neighbours. Our children find comfort not in playing with the other children of the cul-de-sac but staying indoors and turning to home entertainment. And who could blame us for doing so? Cars are noisy, obstructive and pollute the airways around us.

As such, we retreat to our homes, finding more connection with the celebrity on our TV than the family over the road. We don’t consciously recognise the significance these mere modes of transport have in this process. Original ideas like this are pertinent to understanding how we have passively allowed our communities to erode.

On a larger, theoretical level, no idea could be more passive than the concept within mainstream economics of externalities. An externality is the indirect outcome of an economic transaction which happens to an agent external to it. For example, the use of a motorcar pollutes the atmosphere which is neither the responsibility of the seller of petrol, nor the buyer. But, as explored already, there is an outcome of this pollution irrespective of whether it is captured by the market transaction.

Monbiot states that any economist will tell you that externalities are not accounted for as bearing any value in economic modelling. Because there are no direct monetary implications, they are ignored. Neither state nor market includes pollution on their balance sheets. However, the indisputable environmental crises facing humanity can only be addressed when our politics’ attention moves away from solely state vs market and seeks to include community.

Externalities cease to be ignored when there is greater democratic control of public finances. Monbiot argues that encouraging ‘participatory budgeting’ ensures that harms to our collective prosperity, such as our environment, are mitigated. To demonstrate this, he reflects on the Brazilian city of Port Alegre, where around 20 per cent of the municipal budget is allocated by the people through public meetings.

A multitude of benefits have resulted including improved healthcare and sanitation, academic attainment, and higher quality of water supply from cleaner rivers. Not only this, but people’s sense of civic duty improves, and this can help the development of the politics of belonging. As someone who takes an interest in politics, it is disheartening to see the apathy towards political engagement many, especially within my own demographic, have. I think there is a lot to be learnt from schemes such as participatory budgeting which could be used for the benefit of society here in the UK.

Overall, the ideas and arguments made in this book are imperative for anyone interested in environmental and political issues. In addition to those referenced, you’ll find there are plenty more thought-provoking narratives explored with meticulous critical judgement. Monbiot’s concise and clear writing style was a pleasure to read. He does well to include the global events of the preceding year as case studies, but not to solely spend the whole book writing about them.

Five years on from the publishing of it, I think few would consider that we have truly emerged from the ‘wreckage’ that is politics just yet (especially when one considers the current UK political climate). But the politics of belonging is a beacon of hope that we, as a society, should come to demand from our politics to serve the environment’s needs and our collective wellbeing. At 186 pages, I only wish the book was longer!

Written by George Williams