Is it the cacophony of everyday noise or the fact that 'a week is a long time in politics' which is driving long-term thinkers out of the centre ground? You know that the emperor has no clothes today when young people make that challenge. However, the major long-term issues of climate change, intense wealth differentials and geopolitical tensions are global, not just national — and we don't even have a democratic basis of global governance to tackle them. No wonder we can't see the wood for the trees. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

Published: Mon 24 November 2025