To Bill Gates, overthrowing the power of the ultra-wealthy seems to be – literally – unthinkable. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 8th November 2025 Let’s begin with the fundamental problem: Bill Gates is a politics denier. Though he came to it late, he now accepts the realities of climate science. But he lives […]
economic justice
Austerity costs us a fortune. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 4th October 2025 I was lucky. Last week, I was cycling downhill at night when I hit a pothole. The front wheel folded into an infinity symbol. I went over the handlebars and, with no time to put my hands out, landed on […]
It’s a cast-iron relationship: the more unequal a society becomes, the better the far right does. Here’s why. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 13th April 2025 “He’s really gone and done it this time. Now everyone can see what a disaster he is.” How many times have we heard this about Donald Trump? […]
Labour’s housing strategy makes a dysfunctional system bigger. We need systemic change. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 26th January 2025 Build baby, build. That’s about the intellectual limit of the government’s housing strategy. Millions are under-housed, so let’s “bulldoze” the planning system and build more homes. But it’s not nearly so simple. As […]
Elon Musk threatens to do to democracy what he did to Twitter. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian, 2nd November 2024 This is what happens when successive US governments fail to tackle inequality. While millions of people live in poverty, a handful grow unimaginably rich. Wealth begets wealth, and they acquire political power […]
Tax the billionaires or their oppressive power will only grow. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 31st July 2024 Who is government for? It’s a question we should never stop asking. The answer that keeps coming back is “not the majority”. For example, the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic produced remarkably consistent polling […]
The obscene thing I witnessed was like a parable of the madness of extreme wealth. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 24th July 2024 On a calm and beautiful morning off the coast of south Devon last week, I was watching a small pod of dolphins from my kayak. I had spotted them from […]
Here’s why the government should tax the rich and tax them hard. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 14th July 2024 Never let your opponents define the terms of a debate. All too often, Labour has allowed the Conservatives and the billionaire press to demonise the notion of “tax and spend”. It went to […]
Thanks to neoliberalism, government in the UK feels like one long trick played on the people. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 10th May 2024. The news should have stopped us in our tracks. Astonishingly, however, it was scarcely reported here. The latest map of mental wellbeing published by the Global Mind Project reveals […]
How economic power leads inexorably to environmental destruction. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 29th November 2023 Don’t they have children? Don’t they have grandchildren? Don’t rich and powerful people care about the world they will leave to their descendants? These are questions I’m asked every week, and they are not easy to answer. […]