تابع رؤية 2030
بذكاء سياقي

When the anniversary comes, later this month, few will be in the mood to look back. All the political talk will be of the Makerfield byelection, of the future of this government and this prime minister. And yet, it would be wise to reflect on what happened on 23 June 2016 – if only because the choices Keir Starmer and his would-be successors face, indeed the entire political and cultural landscape we now inhabit, are informed or were shaped by that event. We are living in Brexit Britain. A useful prompt comes from the upcoming two-part BBC series Brexit: A Very British Civil War, made by the master documentarian Norma Percy. Speaking to (nearly) every key player, it brings it all back – the red bus, “take back control”, the pantomime river battle of Nigel Farage v Bob Geldof. It reminds you of things some may have forgotten, including the extent to which this whole thing came about as a wheeze, a clever tactical ploy, plotted by the careless people who were then running the country. In 2013, David Cameron and George Osborne sought to placate noisy Eurosceptics in their own ranks by promising an in/out referendum after the next election – a pledge they assumed they’d never have to honour because they were sure they’d fail to win an outright majority in parliament, whereupon they would cheerfully trade the promise away as a concession to the Lib Dems. As if that were not cavalier enough, Britain’s place in Europe became dependent on the soap-opera dynamics of the Notting Hill set: it was all tennis in Regent’s Park and weekends at Chequers, Michael (Gove) letting down Dave and what will Sam (Cameron) think of Boris. Johnson insists he didn’t “give a fuck about being prime minister,” while Osborne begs to differ: “It was nothing to do with the EU, Britain’s place in the world. It was Game of Thrones. That’s what Boris Johnson was playing. And he could see the Iron Throne right there about to be vacated.” This stuff was all-consuming at the time – and yet what was at stake, as these Etonians worked out their schoolboy rivalries, was nothing less than the destiny of the UK. That recklessness with the futures of 70m people remains unforgivable – and the guilt belongs to Cameron and Osborne almost as much as to Gove and Johnson. More important than the origin story, however, is the legacy. We see that around us every day. Start with the economy. The remain campaign was mocked at the time as “project fear”, spreading gloom by warning that Britain outside the EU would be poorer, to the tune of 6% of GDP. Yet here we are a decade later and, if anything, remain was not pessimistic enough. The drop in GDP is now estimated to be between 6% and 8%, with investment down by as much as 18%. Trade is on course to be 15% less than it would have been had we stayed in the EU, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, while a staggering 85% of those who import or export goods report problems that they didn’t have before. Remainers said that Brexit would be a slow puncture, as the air was let out of the British economy. So it has proved, except it’s not been that slow. Brexit’s other legacy, besides upending the old Labour-Tory duopoly, is not measurable in pounds or percentages but is just as real. It is visible in the coarsening and darkening of the national conversation, in the aggression and even hatred that, previously pushed to the margins, now loiter in the centre of the public square. This week the leader of the party that brought us Brexit warned of civil war. It would be wrong to cast the referendum as the sole cause of this shift – Brexit was, in part, a symptom of the change – and we can all see the role social media and the likes of Elon Musk have played in degrading the discourse. But Brexit both accelerated and intensified that process. An insouciance towards the facts – recall that “post-truth” was Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year for 2016 – was an enduring gift of the leave campaign. Percy’s documentary lays bare the knowing dishonesty of the claim that the UK was sending £350m to the EU every week, a gross figure – in every sense – that did not include the more than £80m that came back as a rebate or the money the EU spent in the UK. Johnson’s adviser Dominic Cummings would later brag that “The point of using that really was to try and drive the remain campaign and people running it crazy” – deliberately tangling up his opponents in dry factchecking over stats, while he could press the voters’ hotter buttons. “Love that bus,” an unrepentant Johnson says now, describing it as “the bus of truth”. In 2026, we wade through a swamp of lies and disinformation all the time, especially online – but it was the referendum that drove us into that swamp and at top speed. The currency of Cummings, Farage and the rest was fear and loathing. We see again Farage’s “breaking point” poster, with its brown-skinned men apparently massing on our borders, and the wholly bogus Vote Leave ad suggesting that 76 million Turks would soon be able to come into Britain via the EU, leaving a trail of dirty footprints behind them. These were racist and xenophobic messages, barely veiled – and they worked. So it’s hardly a surprise that, a decade later, we have the man who could well be in Downing Street after the next election – and who, tellingly, speaks of Brexit only rarely these days – complaining of “anti-white prejudice” and calling for “pure cold rage” after the murder of a young white man, even as that man’s parents pleaded for his death not to be used to turn Britons against each other. Restore Britain, a party that is endorsed by unabashed white supremacists and neo-Nazis, is on the ballot in Makerfield and might win 10% of the vote. There has always been a far right in Britain, but it used to be confined to the fringes. Brexit invited it in. By dividing us down the middle, leave or remain, Brexit polarised our politics in a new, starker way. Looking back, it’s clear that remain could never win a contest like that because it was never really about British membership of the EU. In effect, the question became: “Do you want things to remain as they are, or would you like to leave the current reality of your life for something better?” In that contest, there was only ever going to be one winner. What’s more, the remain cause was doomed by timing. Had the vote come now, in a world menaced by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the folly of standing alone, apart from our nearest neighbours, would be clear. But Trump was a mere candidate in June 2016, and though Crimea had been seized two years earlier, Russia’s full-blown assault on Ukraine still lay in the future. The geopolitical lunacy of Brexit was not as obvious then as it is now. It’s a tragic tale – a once-confident nation making such a fearful, self-harming decision. Our economy, our politics, our daily lives in 2026 – all of it bears the imprint of that calamitous error. But this story is not over. The BBC documentary confirms the sheer determination that enabled the Brexiters to turn a lost, eccentric cause into a winning movement. All told, it took the leavers 41 years, from 1975 to 2016, to reverse our first vote on EU entry. Rejoin is already the settled preference of a majority of Britons, 56% to 35% at the most recent count – and besides, politics moves twice as fast now. If that calculation is right, and it will take 20 years to overturn the verdict of 2016, we should not lose heart – after all, we’re halfway there.

أعلنت <a href="https://www.alyaum.com/articles/6663427/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A4%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%88%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%81-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%86" target="_blank">وزارة الشؤون الإسلامية</a> والدعوة والإرشاد اكتمال مغادرة <a href="https://www.alyaum.com/articles/6664985/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85/%D8%A3%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A1-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%81-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AC-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86" target="_blank">ضيوف برنامج خادم الحرمين</a> الشريفين للحج والعمرة والزيارة، المستضافين من 104 دول، بعد أن منّ الله عليهم بأداء <a href="https://www.alyaum.com/articles/6664898/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85/%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B8%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%AE%D8%AF%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AC%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84-%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AC" target="_blank">مناسك الحج</a> وزيارة المسجد النبوي الشريف والسلام على رسول الله -صلّى الله عليه وسلّم -، في أجواء إيمانية سادها الأمن والطمأنينة.<br />وجرت <a href="https://www.alyaum.com/articles/6664985/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85/%D8%A3%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A1-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%81-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AC-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86" target="_blank">مغادرة الضيوف</a> عبر مطار الأمير محمد بن عبدالعزيز الدولي بالمدينة المنورة وفق منظومة خدمية اتسمت بالانسيابية والتنظيم، وذلك عقب رحلة إيمانية متكاملة اشتملت على برامج ثقافية متنوعة وزيارات ميدانية للمعالم الإسلامية والتاريخية في مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة، ضمن منظومة متكاملة من الخدمات والرعاية وفرتها الوزارة تنفيذًا لتوجيهات القيادة الرشيدة أيدها الله.<h2>عناية واهتمام المملكة بالضيوف</h2>وأعرب ضيوف البرنامج عن بالغ شكرهم وامتنانهم لخادم الحرمين الشريفين الملك سلمان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود، ولصاحب السمو الملكي الأمير محمد بن سلمان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ولي العهد رئيس مجلس الوزراء -حفظهما الله-، على ما وجدوه من عناية واهتمام وحفاوة كريمة مكّنتهم من أداء مناسك الحج بكل يسر وراحة.<br />وشددوا على أن القيادة الرشيدة تسعى دائمًا إلى ترسيخ معاني الأخوة الإسلامية من خلال دعم المسلمين ومساندتهم وتلمّس احتياجاتهم.<br /> <h2>تنظيم متقن وخدمات متكاملة</h2>وأكد الضيوف أن ما لمسوه من تنظيم متقن وخدمات متكاملة يعكس الجهود الكبيرة التي تبذلها المملكة العربية السعودية في خدمة الإسلام والمسلمين ورعاية ضيوف الرحمن.<br />وأشادوا بالدور الذي تؤديه وزارة الشؤون الإسلامية والدعوة والإرشاد، في تقديم أرقى الخدمات التوعوية والتنظيمية، وحسن الضيافة والرعاية طوال فترة استضافتهم، داعين الله أن يحفظ المملكة وقيادتها، وأن يديم عليها نعمة الأمن والاستقرار.

From 5h ago 14.38 CEST Hezbollah leader rejects latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon Qassem said that Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal. In a written statement read on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV on Thursday, the Iran-backed group’s leader said the agreement’s demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals.” “What we are concerned about is an end to the aggression, ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal,” he said. “We did not make any commitment to any party to stop resisting as long as there is occupation,” he added. Share 1h ago 18.31 CEST Closing summary Iran’s supreme leader Motjaba Khamenei said in a written statement read out by a cleric that “the enemy is experiencing a meaningful and profound humiliation in the field and the streets, and it is now focused on trickery.” “After Iran was able to repel the enemy, who was defeated on the battlefield, it now seeks to undermine the resilience of the Iranian people and sow discord. The US created a military base called Israel, and Iran will not back down from its stance toward Israel,” Khamenei wrote. Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Thursday that as long as Lebanese villages were being bombed and people were being killed , northern Israel will not be safe. It comes as Israeli strikes killed at least four people in Lebanon, according to local authorities, and a UN peacekeeper was killed in the crossfire on Thursday. Qassem also said that Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal. In a written statement read on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV on Thursday, the Iran-backed group’s leader said the agreement’s demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals.” Donald Trump has brushed off a House vote to rein in his powers to attack Iran without approval from Congress (see post at 12:34), saying it was “ meaningless ”. He singled out the four Republicans who joined Democrats to pass the bill in a vote of 215 to 208 yesterday. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said that the army would begin deploying in ‘pilot zones’ in the country’s south, a day after Israel and Lebanon agreed in Washington to implement a ceasefire. “The next step is practical and tangible: the deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot zones as a first phase,” Salam said, according to remarks read out by information minister Paul Morcos after a cabinet meeting, adding that “this does not prejudice our right to a full [Israeli] withdrawal, but brings us closer to it”. Israel’s Supreme Court has said Israel must allow visits to Palestinian prisoners by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), ruling in favour of a petition against a ban that was brought in at the start of the Gaza war. The bar on Red Cross visits to Palestinian detainees has restricted independent verification of their treatment, following reports of systemic abuse, starvation, and denial of medical care towards Palestinian prisoners. The UN peacekeeper who was killed in southern Lebanon (see post at 10:08) has been identified as a Serbian soldier. The Serbian defence ministry issued a statement naming the soldier as Milovan Jovanović. The UN nuclear watchdog has sent a report to member states repeating its calls on Iran to urgently inform the agency of the fate of its enriched uranium since its atomic sites were bombed a year ago and let inspections resume fully. “The [International Atomic Energy Agency] director-general has emphasised to Iran that it is indispensable and urgent to implement effectively the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) Safeguards Agreement... and that its implementation cannot be suspended by Iran under any circumstances,” the confidential report, seen by Reuters, said. Four Iranian-flagged oil tankers passed through the strait of Hormuz on Monday, a first since 15 April and the US blockade of Iranian ports, according to maritime tracking firm Kpler. In data published on Thursday, the firm detected the passage of the Hilda I, the Amber, the Silvia 1, and the Happiness I, which were carrying a total of seven million barrels of oil. In Gaza, at least nine people have been killed in overnight Israeli strikes, including members of the same family, according to Palestinian health officials. They were killed in at least four separate strikes in Gaza City, the al-Shifa hospital said, which received the bodies. Five members of one family were killed in a strike north-east of the city, the hospital reported, adding that 15 others were injured in the attacks. Share 1h ago 18.13 CEST Joseph Gedeon Donald Trump has two things to say about his war with Iran. The first is that it’s already over. And second, a symbolic congressional vote to end it – carried by four members of his own party – is a stab in the back that could derail the peace talks he’s conducting for the war that’s already over. By a 215-208 margin on Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted to direct the president to withdraw US forces from hostilities with Iran, the first time either chamber has passed such a measure in the little over three months since Operation Epic Fury began on 28 February. By Thursday morning, Trump was on Truth Social calling the vote “unpatriotic” and blaming it on “Trump Derangement Syndrome”. The four Republicans who crossed the aisle, each with different ideologies, don’t exactly fit the bill for such a diagnosis. Thomas Massie of Kentucky is a libertarian-leaning constitutionalist who has opposed the war from day one, lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, and has, in Trump’s estimation, nothing left to lose. Warren Davidson of Ohio is a West Point graduate, former army ranger, and ex-Freedom Caucus member who voted against the war with Massie in March, but flipped back until recently. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a former FBI agent representing Philadelphia’s suburbs, is well known as a moderate who framed his vote in the plainest possible terms “You either follow the law, or you change the law,” he said. “You can’t violate the law. That’s not an option.” Trump’s Iran war messaging is not winning over Americans – or their representatives Read more Share 2h ago 17.50 CEST Four Iranian-flagged oil tankers passed through the strait of Hormuz on Monday, a first since 15 April and the US blockade of Iranian ports, according to maritime tracking firm Kpler. In data published on Thursday, the firm detected the passage of the Hilda I, the Amber, the Silvia 1, and the Happiness I, which were carrying a total of seven million barrels of oil. They all loaded their cargo in mid-April on Kharg Island, the country’s main oil terminal, through which 90% of the Islamic republic’s crude oil normally transits. The ships crossed the strait on Monday with their AIS transponders turned off. Share Updated at 17.51 CEST 2h ago 17.26 CEST Israel’s Supreme Court has said Israel must allow visits to Palestinian prisoners by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), ruling in favour of a petition against a ban that was brought in at the start of the Gaza war. The bar on Red Cross visits to Palestinian detainees has restricted independent verification of their treatment, following reports of systemic abuse, starvation, and denial of medical care towards Palestinian prisoners. “We take note of the decision of the court and stand ready to resume our work in visiting detainees in Israeli places of detention,” said Patrick Griffiths, a spokesperson for the ICRC. The ruling, which was issued late on Wednesday and covers those held in Israeli prisons and military detention, followed a joint petition by several Israeli rights organisations including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) to end the ban. Share 3h ago 17.02 CEST Sanam Vakil The US-Iran ceasefire is entering yet another round of escalation since it came into effect on 8 April. This week, there have been further strikes on Iran by the US, and Iranian retaliation on Kuwait and Bahrain, alongside Israeli escalation in Lebanon. Earlier flare-ups over the past two months were quickly contained. Both sides have tried to keep the balance between no war and no peace. But as this ceasefire drags on it risks becoming yet another Middle East stalemate, albeit one with international economic and political consequences. Four obstacles are preventing progress. The first is trust. Iran does not believe Donald Trump can deliver a deal, much less stick to one. The fear is not only that Washington will walk away again but that the goalposts will keep moving, where first nuclear limits are imposed, followed by missiles, then regional policy and finally further political concessions dressed up as security guarantees. The second obstacle is the absence of meaningful contact. Since the Islamabad meeting in April between the US vice-president, JD Vance, and Iran’s speaker of the parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, there has been no direct channel capable of turning political signals into compromise. Instead, negotiations are moving through regional mediators and a serial exchange of proposals. The third obstacle is the gap between what each side needs. Iran wants details and commitments, such as which sanctions will be lifted, when revenues will be unfrozen, how enforcement will work, and what protection will exist against another US reversal. Trump wants a faster and looser memorandum of understanding that can be announced and sold as a breakthrough. One side is searching for guarantees and the other for a headline and victory. The fourth obstacle is domestic politics. Any agreement between Iran and the US is toxic for both sides. In Washington, it will be attacke

الرياض - مباشر: شهدت جلسة التداول بسوق الأسهم السعودي في آخر جلسات الأسبوع، ضغوطاً بيعية واضحة تركزت في عدد من الأسهم القيادية والمتوسطة، في القطاعات الصناعية والاستثمارية والعقارية. وأنهى مؤشر سوق الأسهم السعودية (تاسي) تعاملات جلسة نهاية الأسبوع على تراجع نسبته 0.11% ليفقد نحو 12.08 نقطة من قيمته هبط بها إلى مستوى 10,990.45 نقطة. وتصدر سهم شركة المملكة القابضة قائمة الأسهم الأكثر تراجعاً في السوق، حيث سجل السهم انخفاضاً بلغت نسبته 5.01%، لينهي التداولات عند سعر 14.6 ريال، وبلغت القيمة المتداولة على السهم نحو 118.97 مليون ريال، ناتجة عن تداول 8.32 مليون سهم، مما عكس ضغطاً قوياً من جانب البائعين على السهم خلال الساعات الأخيرة من الجلسة. وفي قطاع الطاقة، سجل سهم شركة بترو رابغ تراجعاً ملموساً بنسبة 4.81%، ليغلق عند مستوى 15.03 ريال وحل السهم في مرتبة متقدمة من حيث النشاط والقيمة، حيث بلغت السيولة الخارجة منه نحو 116.04 مليون ريال عبر تداول 7.65 مليون سهم، ويأتي هذا التراجع في ظل عمليات بيع مكثفة شهدها السهم أدت إلى هبوطه دون مستويات الدعم السابقة خلال تداولات اليوم، متأثراً بضعف الطلب في قطاع الطاقة. كما شملت قائمة التراجعات سهم شركة الشرق الأوسط لصناعة وإنتاج الورق (مبكو)، الذي انخفض بنسبة 3.97% ليصل إلى سعر 18.39 ريال وسجل السهم تداولات بقيمة 24.13 مليون ريال، حيث تم تداول 1.3 مليون سهم. وفي قطاع المواد الأساسية، تراجع سهم شركة ينساب بنسبة 2.21% ليغلق عند 31.8 ريال، محققاً قيمة تداولات بلغت 31.86 مليون ريال من خلال تداول 1 مليون سهم، مما ساهم في زيادة الضغط على مؤشر القطاع البتروكيماوي بشكل عام. أما في القطاع العقاري، انخفض سهم الشركة العقارية السعودية بنسبة 2.08% ليغلق عند 16.02 ريال بقيمة تداولات بلغت 9.36 مليون ريال وحجم تداول وصل إلى 0.58 مليون سهم، وتبعه سهم شركة مدينة المعرفة الاقتصادية الذي تراجع بنسبة 2.04% ليغلق عند 11.52 ريال، مسجلاً قيمة تداولات بلغت 4.07 مليون ريال وكمية تداول بلغت 0.35 مليون سهم.

In our increasingly dystopian world, who wouldn’t want to at least be open to a utopian antidote? The World Justice Report, published on Thursday, outlines how to build a prosperous, equitable world within safe planetary boundaries. It’s a push from the modern eco-socialist left in a global battle for ideas that will shape the future. Based on past social achievements and future energy transformation, it indicates that the overwhelming majority of people on the planet could, by the end of the century, work less and earn more while keeping temperatures down and avoiding much of the current destruction of nature. It is an ambitious, comprehensive and upbeat plan, and a stronger argument around which to build a political campaign than abstract goals of “net zero” or “decarbonisation”. By incorporating important concepts of “sufficiency” and “planetary habitability”, it also addresses the fundamental question of how to reduce the material impact of economic activity – a topic long ignored by the traditional left. While critics will question the feasibility of this vision because it relies on a radical reform of global financial institutions and massive wealth taxes – both of which have long been dismissed as unthinkable by rich nations – there can be no worthwhile assessment of its value without considering the far bleaker alternatives offered by the far right and the old left. Chief among them is the far-right techno-extractivist vision currently being championed by the US president and his supporters in Silicon Valley, who are putting artificial intelligence ahead of renewable technology. In the quest for “energy dominance”, the US is now using tariffs and military power to widen markets for oil, gas and coal. This strategy of literally concentrating power in the hands of billionaires is driving the world towards catastrophic levels of global heating and inequality. Thomas Piketty, one of the coordinators of the report, said the ambition of the mega-rich has become unrealistic and undesirable. “People realise this is simply not working. If the billionaires and the centimillionaires of the world were conducting our economy, investing the money in a way that brings us to a fantastic future with planetary habitability, rising wages and better housing conditions and health conditions for all, then everybody would be happy to give them the keys. But that’s not what we see. Their new dream is to cover the entire planet with data centres. This is their economic project for the world. But everybody can see that this is just going to increase the material footprint of our economy, that this is going to make global warming even worse.” The report also fills a hole that has existed since the inception of the global climate science infrastructure in the 1990s. One of the architects of that system, the British chemist Robert Watson, who is also a former chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told me that if he could go back in time and change anything, it would be to add more social scientists. Initially, he said, the “pure scientists” from the fields of physics and chemistry naively believed the data alone would be enough to persuade governments to act, but they later came to wish they had taken more account of social dynamics, economics, politics and psychology. This flaw has choked public support for climate action, said Piketty, who is a global authority on inequality and author of the bestselling 2013 book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century: “There’s been this illusion of what we call a classless ecology, the sort of green growth illusion that everything is going to be solved by producing more and more and without worrying about the distribution, without worrying about sufficiency, without worrying about structural sectoral transformation. And this illusion has made green policy very unpopular for many lower income, middle income voters.” The Global Justice Report goes further than any previous study in addressing that shortcoming. It is also an exercise in human idealism and imagination, both of which are under ever more pressure from social media algorithms, AI and the transactional cynicism of far right politicians and business executives. Although based on well-established metrics for GDP, inequality and climate science, it widens the definition of prosperity and heightens the importance of “sufficiency” to show that quality of life is more valuable than quantity of material goods. This echoes ancient philosophies of a “golden mean,” Indigenous beliefs in the inextricable connection between human and natural wellbeing, as well as experiments in Bhutan of an economy based on “gross national happiness”. “We try to capture the reality that happiness is not just determined by economic metrics. Preserving a habitable earth does not just have a monetary benefit. You can make life better if you have more time to spend with family or in nature,” Cornelia Mohren, the Environmental Coordinator of the World Inequality Lab, said. “Sufficiency does not mean degrowth,” she says. “It is about less working hours, a different composition of consumption, and more health and education.” That will be challenged by the traditional left, which has long-tended to set goals of ever higher GDP, personal consumption and infrastructure spending, and the right, which baulks at any suggestion of planetary boundaries or lower material productivity. The authors say they welcome the debate. The report will be open for suggestions and revisions. “We don’t want to force people to change their lifestyle. It has to come with a cultural shift in the way we perceive the good life,” Mohren said. “There are majorities, even in the US that support some form of global justice, that don’t just care about themselves, but about the world.” Piketty said past social mobilisations had shown how quickly improvements can be made. With pressure also likely to come from climate breakdown, he said it was important to initiate debates now so that alternatives are already in people’s minds and will become more palatable in the future. “There will be crises. I think that’s for sure,” he said. “People need to get accustomed to the fact that big change will happen in any case.... We are not in a situation where things can just continue as they are forever.”